The root of this problem begins with the administrations at each university, which places the burden of winning games and acting as guardian for the players solely on the coach’s shoulders. The Ohio State University has been a prime example of this at times. On January 2nd 2001, OSU fired head coach John Cooper despite the fact that he was one of the winningest coaches in the country during his 13-year tenure (112-43-4). The main reasons given for his dismissal? He never won a national championship, he had a 2-10-1 record against archrival Mic

Needless to say the United States Air Force Academy takes a different approach towards most things. The values of rules, procedures and discipline are always on display and misconduct is always dealt with appropriately. As exhibited in Joe Lapointe’s New York Times article on Air Force football, there is a very different feeling to the academy. He specifically sites:

“Most college campuses are open to the public while football practices are closed. At Air Force, the practices are visible in one of the accessible parts of campus and the news media are invited to watch. But if a visitor accidentally walks or drives near the residence halls or the classrooms, he will be politely and firmly instructed to turn back by an airman with a 9-millimeter automatic pistol on his hip (2)

That is not to say that the Air Force’s approach is perfect. Just like anywhere else, some students fair better in school than others and some get into trouble, just usually not football players. All cadets, no matter who they are or what sport they play, have to acknowledge the same consequences for misbehavior. These may range from being required to perform additional duties to being suspended. In severe cases, expulsion from the academy and even jail sentences may be required. Such strict policies are rarely needed but the fact that they are in place insures that the students know the limitations of what behavior is acceptable. Fortunately, not every university operates in military fashion, and there are many other schools achieving academic and disciplinary success in their own ways.

With little or no consequences for their routine misbehavior, star players who are idolized on campus may not realize that their conduct has gotten out of hand until they have committed a felony like the players above. This in no way excuses them for their actions, but the schools must shoulder the blame for not enforcing rules and employing the use of penalties for misbehavior. Edward Wong, a writer for the New York Times, points out that at many universities “the athletes and athletic departments are still treated as special entities…[and] Many colleges still turn the disciplining of athletes over to coaches or athletic directors…rather than to an independent review ” (3). This allows many players to make the erroneous assumption that they can do as they pleas

Some topics in this essay:
Dean Pees, Maisel NCAA, Success College, John Cooper, York Times, Air Force’s, Air Force, Tech Oklahoma, Paul Hackett, Golden Flashes, araton 3, york times, head coach, air force, football players, golden flashes, desire win, help win, dean pees, college coaches,