It is my opinion that the NCAA is a farce. They are the ruling body of college athletics. They are the judge and jury when it comes to right and wrong in athletic programs across the country. They are basically a pimp for professional sports.

The NCAA makes a lot of money on the backs of 18 to 22-year-old student-athletes. I put the "student" part in there because most athletes in college programs really do study hard and make the most of their higher education.

Then there are elite college athletes who use the college platform to further their notoriety and improve their financial position for later years in professional sports. No sport is destroyed more by the NCAA rule book in regards to elite players than NCAA Basketball.

A new documentary on the Showtime Cable Network entitled One and Done explores the NCAA rule that basically forces a student-athlete to attend one year of college before turning pro.

Everybody's making money except the players. We're the ones waking up early as hell to be the best teams and do everything they want us to do and then the players get nothing. They say education, but if I'm there for a year, I can't get much education.

Those are the very disturbing words of former LSU Basketball player Ben Simmons as reported by NOLA.com and writer Julie Boudwin.

There are exceptions to the "One and Done" rule but most kids need the exposure. Therefore they go play college ball for a year, get on television, and kiss the programs that signed them goodbye.  They get that exposure at the expense of true college athletes who are in school for an education and maybe a chance to play professional sports.

In the Showtime documentary, Simmons recalls what it was like being a big star on campus in Baton Rouge. He said there were so many "temptations" put in front of him. Simmons states he was offered things like a

Bentley, a Wraith Rolls-Royce, watches, jewelry, a house ... anything. It literally is anything. People coming at you, offering you things.

Although the focus of the documentary is the LSU Basketball program,we are certainly not singling them out as the only offender. They are just one of many big-time athletic programs that buy into the system. The reason? If they don't someone else will and wins equal dollars in the world of college sports.

The Showtime documentary is scheduled to air on November 4th.

 

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