http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22553502/fbi-probe-corruption-reveals-basketball-powers-broken-ncaa-rules

In case anyone has not seen the news breaking yet. Over 20 teams have been connected so far.

Give any team involved an NCAA Tourney ban for X amount of years. Not that I care about the infractions, I’d just kill to see a Final Four of LaSalle, Southern Utah, IUPUI, and Samford.

That would draw a .0041 TV rating. People love to root for the underdog but the powers put butts in the seat. Or in front of the tube.

FBI "investigating possible active shooter sounds hard; let's go after sports ..."

While numerous NCAA rules may have been broken, what federal laws have been broken?

In other words, what is the FBI's interest in this? Why are they doing the NCAA's job for them?

There is so much money involved in NCAA basketball for all school involved, I am not surprised. Some kids come from nothing, had nothing before, now they are all hyped up, and they want to cash in. The solution is not easy to find... We all know if you start paying players, you will destroy mid-major chances, destroy low end programs chances and big programs will recruit a lot more easily. You could come up with a salary cap, but low end D1 would not be able to sustain that type of business model.

Maybe it's time to rethink how it works and let kid go from High School to the NBA or to the D-League for one year.

I was about to post this.

I get the thing about paying 10 grand to a kid but who gives AF about dinner. Big deal.

Slippery slope. Dinner becomes a night out on the town. Night out on the town becomes an awesome crib. Awesome crib becomes a sports car. Sort of like a booster giving a kid a job that requires him to punch in, or be punched in, then go about his business.

The "funny" part is no one ever mentions the value of a free scholarship for these players. How many of them would not have even gotten into these universities without that full ride. Since a small % of them actual make a living playing in the NBA, a four year degree (if they actually go to class) may be the most valuable thing they could possess.

Posted by mullycj on 2/23/2018 10:29:00 AM (view original):
The "funny" part is no one ever mentions the value of a free scholarship for these players. How many of them would not have even gotten into these universities without that full ride. Since a small % of them actual make a living playing in the NBA, a four year degree (if they actually go to class) may be the most valuable thing they could possess.

No one thinks about 4 years from now, they are trying to get by today.

To be fair, the “value” of degrees now is highly inflated by the pricing scheme of universities. It’s a racket, corruption is inherent to its business model, and it is absolutely the FBI’s business. I personally hope it is the beginning of the end - for the whole NCAA.

Posted by MikeT23 on 2/23/2018 10:26:00 AM (view original):
Slippery slope. Dinner becomes a night out on the town. Night out on the town becomes an awesome crib. Awesome crib becomes a sports car. Sort of like a booster giving a kid a job that requires him to punch in, or be punched in, then go about his business.

Ah. The "Gateway" Steak Dinner

Posted by Benis on 2/23/2018 10:36:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 2/23/2018 10:26:00 AM (view original):
Slippery slope. Dinner becomes a night out on the town. Night out on the town becomes an awesome crib. Awesome crib becomes a sports car. Sort of like a booster giving a kid a job that requires him to punch in, or be punched in, then go about his business.

Ah. The "Gateway" Steak Dinner

If you want, I can explain how the world works via sitemail if you don't think one free thing leads to another, bigger, better free thing.

And, to be clear, I don't blame the kid, the coach or the booster for any of it. Kid wants to get paid, coach wants to win games to get paid and the booster is given access that people outside of the actual program should never get.

Posted by zorzii on 2/23/2018 10:15:00 AM (view original):
There is so much money involved in NCAA basketball for all school involved, I am not surprised. Some kids come from nothing, had nothing before, now they are all hyped up, and they want to cash in. The solution is not easy to find... We all know if you start paying players, you will destroy mid-major chances, destroy low end programs chances and big programs will recruit a lot more easily. You could come up with a salary cap, but low end D1 would not be able to sustain that type of business model.

Maybe it's time to rethink how it works and let kid go from High School to the NBA or to the D-League for one year.

Agree with the last part.

Also, this.