NCAA

Lasting concussions continue to arise among high school, collegiate athletics

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Published Jan 25, in Sports

One of the hottest topics in the NCAA right now is concussions. According to a study done by the University of Pittsburgh, over 300,000 sports-related concussions occur annually, and the likelihood of suffering a concussion while playing a contact sport is estimated to be as high as 19 percent per year of play. More than 62,000 concussions are sustained each year in high-school contact sports, and among college football players, 34 percent have had one concussion and 20 percent, multiple concussions.
Concussions often cause noteworthy and continuous neuropsychological impairment in information-processing speed, problem solving, planning and memory. These impairments are worse with a rise in number of concussions obtained. Studies have shown that the chance of getting a second concussion is higher once the first one happens. Suffering a second concussion while still having symptoms from a previous concussion can be lethal. In 1973, R.C. Schneider was the first to describe the deaths of two athletes who died after suffering a relatively minor head injury during recovery from a previous concussion. In 1984, the term second-impact syndrome was coined referring to having a second concussion while still recovering from the first.  By 2003, 21 cases of SIS had been reported in medical literature.
The impact of concussions doesn’t stray far from Mercer University’s campus. Sophomore women’s soccer team member Kristen Hagaman has suffered from multiple concussions starting from her childhood and continuing in her college athletic career.
“I’ve only had one reported concussion, but now that I understand the symptoms I’ve probably had close to four. My concussion happened in March of 2011. Immediately after the concussion, school was extremely hard. I couldn’t comprehend what my professors were saying in class and I couldn’t focus at all on my homework,” said Hagaman.
Not only did she have problems with academics, but struggles came from elsewhere.
“I had terrible insomnia, so I was tired all the time. The headaches that I got were also awful. It was really difficult to study when I felt bad all the time and just about everything caused me to have a headache. The lights in my classes drove me crazy and having to focus harder in class gave me horrible headaches. Sunlight really affected my head and therefore I wasn’t able to go out to practice with my team, “she added.
With a serious concussion, and the possibility of long term affects looming, Kristen has some very important decisions to make when it comes to her life and her health.
“I have to decide if three more years of soccer is worth having problems later on in life, which most students don’t have to think about. Even if I don’t develop a serious problem like those, if I get another concussion it’s likely that I’ll have symptoms for the rest of my life. My trainers keep telling me that I should consider not playing anymore because when I go to play with my kids when I’m older I don’t have to get a headache every time I run around,” she said.
Concussions are serious despite what some may think. Kristen Hagaman is a prime example. She may never play the sport she loves again, but if it’s to prolong her life, it’s a decision that might need to be made. Millions of people are affected by concussions. It can lead to poor brain function and in some cases, even death. If you think you may have a concussion, take the necessary precautions to take care of yourself.

Defense proves crucial in NCAA, in NFL playoffs

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Published Jan 25, in Columns, Sports

Defense wins championships–at least so far in 2012. Consider what was eventually the national championship game, LSU vs. Alabama, back on November 5. The final score was 9-6 in favor of LSU…after overtime. Fast forward to January 9, and the game was won handily by Alabama 21-0.  The Crimson Tide proved that not only did they have the best defense in the country, but also that their defense made them the best team in the country. Not only was it the first shut-out in bowl history, it was done against the (then) “best” team in the country. Heck, the Tigers didn’t even cross mid-field until there was only eight minutes left in the game. Even then, they only managed 92 yards of total offense. Clearly, as the Southeastern Conference has shown us over the past six years, defense is king in college football.
But is defense king on the professional level? Can explosive offenses led by all-star quarterbacks such as the Green Bay Packers (Aaron Rodgers), the New Orleans Saints (Drew Brees), the New England Patriots (Tom Brady) be ousted from glory by teams with mediocre offenses but stellar defenses? As the play-offs have shown us recently, the answer is yes. When the final regular season game ended, Green Bay Packers ranked first in points scored per game, as well as third in both passing yards per game and total yards per game. Yet after resting Rodgers for a week and then having a bye week, the Giants of New York held them to 65 yards less passing and 15 less points than they were averaging throughout the regular season. When Green Bay has the worst defense in the league in terms of pass yards given up and total yards given up, the result was inevitable: defeat. Likewise the Saints, with their Dan Marino’s record-breaking stud of a quarterback Drew Brees, could not handle the San Francisco 49ers. Ranking second in points scoring per game, and first in passing yards and total yards per game, the Saints still managed to lose a shoot-out despite garnering over 470 total yards. It’s interesting to note that the potent dual-threat backs of Pierre Thomas and Darren Sprolles combined for 32 yards against a 49ers defense that ranks first in the league in rushing yards allowed.
There you have it, two high-powered offenses kicked out of the play-offs by two relentless defenses. I know I sound crazy, and I’m writing this in advance of the NFC/AFC championship games, but I think that defense will continue to be dominant this weekend. My predictions? The Patriots, ranking third in points scored, second in passing and total yards, will fall to the Ravens of Baltimore. Why? The Patriots’ defense is non-existent (31st in passing and total yards) and the Ravens’ is stifling (second in rush yards allowed, third in points allowed and total yards allowed, and fourth in passing yards allowed). What’s my take on the NFL? Well, just like in college, defense wins championships.

Viva la Sport!

NCAA fails themselves, players, fans

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Published Nov 2, in Columns, Sports, Viva la Sport!

Despite an age where more college students are participating in athletics than ever, the NCAA has stopped protecting them and their best interests. The NCAA has failed student-athletes everywhere. Gone is the age where classes and coursework came first, and in its place excused absences for game days that are hundreds of miles away. Yes, the distance thing is a major issue, as class time is missed so conference affiliations can be maintained.
With a major push on the bottom line and a ridiculous amount of cash being spent and divided up among the nation’s elite, once great institutions have fallen prey to the NCAA’s mentality of get the most money possible. Anywhere there is a chance to make a buck, the NCAA does.
While that is all fine and dandy in a capitalist world, the NCAA’s mission is precisely the opposite of that. Their core purpose even states that their “purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount.” I don’t see that in the modern day NCAA. The bottom line is much more paramount than the academic experience.
Competition is not fair, because the NCAA did not balance power out among universities during the rise of conferences. Now, there are four separate divisions among intercollegiate athletics in the NCAA alone, and there is probably going to be a fifth higher tier in the next few decades if the super conference problem is not addressed.
The NCAA has also made a joke of the safety side of sports. I will continue to dwell on football, but what was once a simple game that needed safety regulations has become a bureaucratic mess due to a ridiculous number of rules. These kids are simply that: kids. They are prone to emotions on big plays, and they are prone to make mistakes. Yes, mistakes that can cause serious injury must be addressed, but there is no need to punish some kid celebrating a trick play touchdown and rule it didn’t happen. Instead of fixing stupid rules, the NCAA is brokering television deals and sanctioning whatever will give it the most air time. This is a joke.
As for the educational experience being paramount, that ceased to exist at most major colleges and universities some time ago. It is very real at Mercer, as we enter play into the Pioneer League for football in 2013. The football team will have to travel all around the country to play just a few games. Mercer will play San Diego in California every other year. This is not in the best interests of the educational experience.
In addition, postseason dreams of a championship are awesome and should be encouraged, but it should not come before the education. The NCAA celebrates wins, and they even have a Capital One Cup for the school that has the most wins overall. More than likely, for an athlete to be at the top of their game, things must be sacrificed and removed in order to make the sport their sole focus. I don’t see the NCAA celebrating with some cup for the schools that have their athletes be better students than everyone else.
The NCAA has failed student-athletes, and it becomes more apparent with every team that switches conferences or goes to follow money. Since when is SMU considered an eastern school or Missouri part of the southeast? Now, the NCAA doesn’t stop schools from throwing around millions of dollars in order to find a conference that best suits their financial needs. The only schools that push academics are in the lower divisions, but no one celebrates them on a nationwide scale.
I personally feel that the NCAA not stopping conference expansion and fluidity every few years has done nothing but continue their refusal to care about student-athletes. All the NCAA cares about is getting money. Unfortunately, promising minds are forced to pick their sport in order to get some education. With the NCAA not enforcing academics as much as they promised they would, it’s half-baked and not what it should be. There needs to be a radical overhaul, or just let the conferences rule themselves.
You might say I am complaining about capitalism, but in a world where more experience and connections promises greater financial security down the road, why stop these kids from getting all the opportunities they can? We might lose the next Adam Smith to a fifth round NFL draft selection who blows his knee out just a few years in the league. You never know.

Playoff scenario in NCAA

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Published Sep 21, in Sports, Viva la Sport!

So with the face of college football set to drastically change in the coming days, the time for a playoff is more readily apparent than ever. Those who want the BCS gone can finally yell for the destruction of the powerful bowl complex. However, what method of playoff seems best? There are many ideas, so I am going to throw mine into the mix.
I propose a 16-team playoff, one that wouldn’t cancel out the bowl system (as those would, for once and for all, just be postseason games that have no bearing on the outcome of the national championship, and only to those teams who didn’t make the playoff).
Who earns spots to the playoffs though? This is where my new conferences come in:

Lone Star Conference: made up of Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, and SMU in one division, Houston, Rice, UTEP, Texas State, UT-San Antonio (both of which are FBS as of 2012), and North Texas in the other.

Big East Conference: made up of Massachusetts (FBS in 2012), Boston College, Pittsburgh, Army, Syracuse, and Rutgers in the North Division, and Navy, Louisville, Notre Dame, Miami (FL), South Florida, and Connecticut in the South Division.

Atlantic Coast Conference: made up of West Virginia, Temple, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Virginia, and Clemson in the North Division, Florida State, North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech in the South Division.

Southeastern Conference: still made up of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina in the Eastern Division, LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas in the West.

Big Ten Conference: made up of Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern, Cincinnati, and Ohio State in the Southern Division, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in the North.

Pac-12 Conference: made up of Hawaii, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State, Washington, and Fresno State in the North Division, California, San Diego State, San Jose State, USC, Stanford, and UCLA in the South Division.

Mountain West Conference: made up of Arizona, Arizona State, Idaho, Boise State, Nevada, and UNLV in the West Division, Air Force, Colorado, Colorado State, Utah, Utah State, and BYU in the Eastern.

Plains Conference: made up of Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas, and Kansas State in the North Division, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, and Arkansas State in the South.

Great Midwest Conference: made up of Buffalo, Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (OH), Ohio, and Toledo in the Eastern Division, Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Marshall, Northern Illinois, and Western Kentucky in the West.

Big South Conference, made up of Troy, Alabama-Birmingham, East Carolina, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, UCF, and South Alabama (FBS in 2012) in the Eastern Division, Southern Miss, UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Memphis, and Middle Tennessee State in the West.

Each one of these 10 conferences would have one automatic bid designated to their conference champion. The conference champions would be decided via 10 conference championship games held on the first Saturday of December across the board. There would be six spots remaining, set aside for the six highest ranked teams as per the new ranking system that would take into account overall record (with a preference towards all one-loss teams regardless of conference as opposed to any two or more loss team), their conference’s non-conference record for that year, and place in their conference.
The lower your overall score, the higher ranking you have. For each loss in your record, you receive one point. As for your conference’s non-conference record that year, the winning percentage is subtracted from one and added to your team’s value.
Finally, whatever place you finished in the conference is added to your value. For example, a team that finished 11-2, had a conference that won 66.7 percent of their games against other conferences and finished second in their conference would have a value of 4.333.
For at-large spots, the lowest possible value would be a 3.000 (one loss, second place, conference didn’t lose to any other conference).
While many would say that this playoff is too inclusive, I say that it truly eliminates the argument that every conference isn’t represented, and it gives teams that might have a legitimate argument (say one very close loss to the conference champions) to be in the NEW “Big Dance.” Each team would play a set 12-game schedule. Each would have eight conference games, playing their entire subdivision every year.
Also, each team would have a protected rivalry in the other division, meaning that their final two games would be opponents from the other subdivision that rotated every two years, meaning that you would play home and away before switching off. In the Big South and Great Midwest Conferences, they would have just one rotating opponent every year due to them each having seven teams in each subdivision.
As for the four non-conference games, all would be mandated to play against other FBS opponents. Many would find my system to be flawed, because there would be an impetus to play against the lesser teams in other conferences. However, I feel that there would be an impetus to play against who you feel are the better teams. Since you know that your conference will be tough, an insurance policy in case you don’t get invited to the conference championship game or lose in it would be to boost your national profile and ruin other good teams’ seasons that you’re competing against for an at-large position for the playoffs. Your conference needs a leg up, especially due to cellar-dwellers that will probably lose all four games they play. This adds an element of European sports into college football by focusing on the table, head-to-head match-ups, and victories over quality opponents.
Anyway, the 16 teams that qualify will be seeded based on the new ranking system. Number one would play number 16, two plays 15, and so on and so forth. It would be set up the exact same way a regional is set up in college basketball, so it becomes four games for the championship.
Logically, a team could be 9-3 or 10-2 and get in if they win their conference championship, but the quest for that perfect 17-0 team would begin. It adds four extra games at max to the national champion’s schedule (three if undefeated, not necessitating a play-in game if they lose in their conference championship and fall into a tie for sixteenth), but if they are the true best team in the country, then they can handle it. The season would finish in early January at this point, and the playoffs would begin the week after the conference championships. In the case of a tie at the 16th position, a play-in game would occur on the Wednesday following the conference championships, moving the next round game to that Monday.
I personally feel that this would eliminate so much melodrama from BCS rankings (many people complaining about what needs to be added or taken away from this new ranking system) and focus on what people want, more football and more drama-filled games. I would love to show how years past would be affected by this, but since I argue for a conference realignment in this as well, I can’t logically place teams into this playoff system and show you how it would work.
In essence, this is just another potential idea for a playoff to determine a real national champion year-in, and year-out. I would love to see an undefeated team or two rampage through this, to see two 16-0 squads play each other in the real National Championship game.

NCAA power conference could put end to BCS

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Published Sep 7, in Sports, Viva la Sport!

With the departure of Texas A&M from the Big 12 currently in the news, the proposed SEC super conference is enough to begin the always-favored talk of the demise of the BCS. Even if just one team enters the Southeastern Conference, it would throw another wrench in the supposed balance of power and supposed shrunken disparity between teams around the country.
With Florida State, Clemson, and Missouri also rumored to switch (yes, I know that the latter two already said they were happy and not leaving, but let’s be real, who wouldn’t jump at the chance for the money and exposure from the SEC if given the opportunity) affiliations to the Southeastern Conference, it is only a matter of time until the argument that the SEC, or whatever conference begins the rapid expansion, deserves a bigger piece of the pie in the BCS and/or that the two (or more) best teams in the country are all in the same conference.
Despite the five last years all being SEC National Champions, there has been drama. In 2009, the two best teams in the country were obviously Florida and Alabama, and the de facto national championship game was the SEC Championship. However, all too often, there are several teams in the SEC that cancel each other out. You might have two to three one-loss teams that are all better than an undefeated cupcake squad. It’s rather upsetting to be a fan of a conference that routinely doesn’t get the credit it deserves, especially when put up against the likes of a Sun Belt or Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
For years, I railed against Boise State getting into the BCS mix, because I felt they were in a rather horrible conference. At least they have joined a somewhat respectable conference now in the Mountain West. However, TCU is about to leave them, so the conference really won’t have a leg to stand on with the additional loss of Utah. It goes back to the fact that the best teams in the country won’t be able to play for the national championship under the current system. If you had a 16-team playoff, I’d bet the SEC has the most seeds on any given year. That way, the SEC (or whatever power conference develops) will have a chance to show that they have the best teams in the country. Many naysayers say that the immense amount of money that bowl games provide for will always counteract the playoff push for FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision). I think with a 14-team conference or larger, you’ll see that conference will have such a large pull in the balance of power that their interests will become the norm. The smaller conferences would also support the playoff, because they know that they have a higher odds of making it into a national championship game via a playoff system.
I seriously want a playoff. I feel like it’d be a great way to see the best teams truly show who they are. One game could be a fluke, but win a few in a row against elite competition, and you prove that you’re the best. All we need is a power conference to form. Texas A&M could be the final domino that falls before the NCAA realizes a playoff is necessary for Division I FBS.
The PAC-12 might only last for one year before it becomes the PAC-16. Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State might join the mass exodus from the one-time great conference. PAC-12 commissioner Larry Scott will become the person that playoff lovers everywhere fall in love with, as his ruthlessness and desire to have the greatest conference will lead to the super conference that will eventually kill the BCS (along with the Department of Justice’s case against the NCAA and BCS).
I can only suspect that the SEC, prime examples of a perfect 12-team conference, will add Texas A&M. Florida State, Clemson, and Missouri seem prime to jump on board as well, as the money from the college game is just something that most people wouldn’t turn down. If you ask why Missouri and not Miami, you can see that the SEC increases its visibility in the Midwest and Great Plains states with the death of the Big 12. Now, the ACC, Big Ten, and Big East will seemingly try to survive as well, and the great college football shake-up will officially change the game forever. The landscape will forever have changed, and I think a third sub-division of Division I could happen.

Scholarships funneled to wrestling club from general admissions funds

Apparent loophole raises questions about use of merit, need-based monies for club sports

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Published Mar 30, in Breaking, Campus, News

Mercer’s admissions office has been giving out scholarships to members of the school’s wrestling club for the past four years from a discretionary pool of funds traditionally set aside for merit and need-based financial aid, a Cluster investigation has revealed.

Admissions director Brian Dalton confirmed that incoming wrestlers receive a renewable “additional funding package” from the University each year, despite the fact that wrestling is not an officially recognized varsity NCAA team and is therefore ineligible to receive sports scholarships from the athletics department.

Dalton refused to release the total amount of scholarship money allocated to members of the wrestling club each year, but said it was a marginal investment given its usefulness as a recruitment tool.

“We’re not talking about a whole lot of money — a drop in the bucket, really — and wrestling has been a very popular and successful competitive club sport that has helped us enroll a diversity of students who might not attend Mercer otherwise . . . it’s been a plus for everyone,” Dalton said.

Under University policy, wrestling is one of six so-called “competitive” club sports funded by Mercer’s Board of Appropriations and overseen by the Office of Recreational Sports and Wellness.

Other competitive club sports include equestrian, cycling, table tennis and ultimate Frisbee. Wrestling is the only club sport to receive scholarships, Dalton said.

Wrestling coach Kevin Andres, who serves as the director of the Office of Recreational Sports and Wellness, would not comment specifically on why the wrestling program receives university-based scholarships except by pointing to the club’s winning track record and popularity.

“We’ve just had a very successful program with a seven-year history, and we’ve brought a lot of good publicity to the university,” Andres said.

Equestrian coach Carole Burrowbridge, who works in the Office of Disability Services, said Andres told her that the initial logic behind the wrestling club receiving university-based scholarships was to balance Mercer’s gender ratio by attracting more male students.

“My understanding from the coach is that it was a gender-dictated decision, since wrestling is typically a male sport. I’ve also felt it has been very hush-hush, and that not everyone in the university has been informed about it in the various departments,” Burrowbridge said.

Athletics director Jim Cole said he was not aware that the wrestling club received scholarships from the university.

“I haven’t been told anything about wrestling scholarships. I only deal with NCAA Division 1 athletics, though, and wrestling isn’t one of our sports,” Cole said.

Dalton said gender may have played a role in the university’s initial decision to provide scholarships to the wrestling team, but that he couldn’t say for certain since the policy was put in place before he came to Mercer in 2008.

The decision to renew scholarship policies is made by the Office of University Admissions each year.