It was reported last week that Detroit Tiger star Prince Fielder filed for divorce back in May. My first reaction was: I hope the family will find a way to remain civil for the sake of the two children. My second reaction was: divorce is real, I should know. My third reaction was: whose business is it anyway?
We saw this scenario with Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs when someone thought it was a good idea to get into his business during the playoffs. An athlete may play and perform like something is troubling him, but why is it the media’s business to dig into the player’s personal life trying to find out why? “He is going through some personal problems” should be enough of an explanation. It is unfortunate that many people in our business make their bones on the backs of people who do not deserve an invasion of their privacy.
Prince Fielder’s plight will be used to explain why he is not more productive on the field, but distractions are a part of life. How well you deal with them is the challenge and what separates us in how we achieve success. It just bugs me when those who have nothing in common with the person in question become obsessed with someone else’s personal issues, especially when we don’t know the real facts of the matter and it’s none of our business.
Can you spare me with the alibi of “I’m just doing my job” or “the public has a right to know”? People just like being nosey. Trust me, if we printed the stuff about the people who print the stuff, it would stop, fast.
Manziel’s money
The NCAA continues to prove they cannot get out of their own way. The most recent example is the case of Texas A&M Quarterback and Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Manziel.
He has been accused of selling his autograph right after he won the Heisman last year. Multiple witnesses have come forward to say it happened on more than one occasion. Manziel comes from old Texas oil money and apparently could care less about college football. He wants to be a rock star and come and go as he pleases, and if the NCAA gets in the way, that’s too bad.
As of yet, no reprimand has come from the NCAA. The league has singled out other athletes who committed similar rule violations with suspensions and harsh punishment to the program they played for. In this case, not a peep.
Fixing the NCAA
As promised, let me offer the beginnings of a template that would help fix this ever-growing problem that is called the NCAA.
Step one: tender resignations from everyone who works there above the position of receptionist. They need to clean the whole place out, as the culture appears to be toxic.
Step two: pay the athletes something. This would solely apply to revenue-generating sports. No longer can the schools that take advantage of college athletes say that they are getting a “free” education. If the NCAA wants to tie education to athletic performance, then set aside a certain amount of money that the athlete would receive during the school year. If they meet certain academic requirements, then that money is rolled over into the next year.
For example, if a player receives $5,000 per year and he stays eligible and in good standing, with each year he stays an additional $5,000 is deposited in his account. This money could be used for a variety of things should that player not succeed in pro sports. At that time, they are free to use the money to start their next career. Those who choose to leave school early would be required to repay the money received.
Step three: a committee of athletic directors, investigators, coaches and players should be appointed to construct new rules that apply to today’s games. This committee would serve no more than three years, as you would want new blood to continually combat the new tricks the crooks develop in response to new rules. Cheating is a crushing issue, and the NCAA is currently clueless on how to implement its own meaningless rules.
