Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
When the Coalition of Intercollegiate Athletics released a statement asking schools to decline any neutral site invitation from John Calipari and Kentucky, it didn’t exactly go over well with fans of the Cats. Not at all. Fans in Big Blue Nation were so upset, they fired up their e-mail machines to voice their complaints with the group of grumpy old men coalition.
COIA responded to the hate and at least 10 KSR readers, maybe even more, sent us the response:
Lady and Gentlemen,
Despite the obscene, ignorant and totally despicable comments we’ve received from many of you, I will respond in an attempt to set the record straight.
COIA has never, as a matter of policy, commented on the things that individual universities, or coaches, do whether we agree with them or not. That is not our thrust. We decided to comment on Coach Calipari’s pronouncement only because it has far broader implications for the integrity of the student-athlete idea in intercollegiate athletics. What he’s suggesting is that his non-traditional program is dedicated to bringing in athletes that are, for all intents and purposes, professional with no intention to graduate from the University of Kentucky. The sort of players he referred to will probably need to attend classes to stay eligible their first semester of their freshman year, but, if they intend to turn pro, would have no need to attend classes in the spring because their intention is to leave the university once drafted. Any pretext of such UK (or any other university’s) basketball players as student-athletes is gone it seems. It also seems tragic to us that the NBA Players Association currently controls whether such athletes, who don’t desire to attend a university for an education and would prefer to play professionally, are limited in their ability to do so because the rules that apply to other athletes (i.e., baseball) graduating from high school don’t apply to them.
Again, COIA’s stance is only to defend the integrity of the student-athlete concept. The issue of games at neutral sites is not all that important, other than as a symptom of the “big issue” that we, as representatives of our various member faculties, felt that we have the responsibility to speak out about. As you know, intercollegiate athletics has been descending the slippery slope into a more professional and money driven model for many years now – at the expense of student as athlete principle upon which intercollegiate athletics, and athletics at any high school or grade school, is based. Some of you apparently disagree with this principle, but this is what we believe and are standing up for. In light of this, we see Coach Calipari’s statement to be yet another (as many of you have correctly pointed out, he is not alone in some of his “non-traditional” practices) alarming escalation that will make this situation worse by placing enormous competitive pressure on other universities to adopt similar practices.
Mike Bowen
One KSR reader, Michael, even got a second response from COIA. It’s getting personal!
Michael,
I was, quite frankly, unaware that KY wasn’t a member until earlier today, and I can assure you that that had no bearing on our position. Never came up. Unfortunately, Coach Calipari was the catalyst because of what we felt were his egregious comments, which were, as I stated, another example of the slippery slope which we, as faculty, feel strikes at the integrity of universities. While there is apparently more disagreement about this that we might have thought, that’s what we believe. If it had been Coach K at Duke who had made the statement, we would have used him as the example of what we’re talking about.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
Mike
So who are these guys again?
Exactly.
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Bill Keightley Report : Never to be forgotten.
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May 25th, 2012 at 10:44 am
….yawn…
May 25th, 2012 at 10:46 am
Mike Bowen is ignorant. Only 1 player has left early and not finsihed out the spring semester under Cal.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:47 am
1948 called, they want their collegiate atmosphere back. Why cant people just evolve with the times and the situation or at least not get mad when others are able to do it and do it very well.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:48 am
This organization is a joke
May 25th, 2012 at 10:49 am
Where is booby knight? He would tell the grumpy old men that all of the players under Calipari except one have attended class the 2nd semester; of course I’m certain he has already has been in contact to set them straight.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:51 am
Use us an example all you want, but the real question is, why should we change what we’re doing if we’re abiding by the rules?
When the NCAA creates a system that actually protects the “identity of the athlete as a student first” (whatever in the world that even means), I’ll listen to criticism of what we’re doing. Until then, I’m happy with winning championships, while taking high school kids and sending them to the NBA, many of whom otherwise wouldn’t have stepped foot in a college classroom if it weren’t for their athletic ability in the first place.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:52 am
Yo ksr, this was posted on our site HOURS ago. Thanks for stealing it and acting like your ‘readers’ sent it into you. You should really think about changing the name of this site to : copy and paste for dummies.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:52 am
Regarding the picture, that is Ian Paisley, former First Minister of Northern Ireland. He was not always a nice or reasonable man as the vocal leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. But, associating him with the COIA is just plain mean.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Are these guys seriously affiliated Penn St.? PSU lost all credibility for at least 10 years. Go into a cave come out in 2022.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:00 am
There is an old maxim, don’t fight down. KSR should not be picking fights with non-entities like COIA. KSR is giving this bunch of losers free publicity, which is why they went after Cal in the first place. Ignore, I’m pretty sure women do.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:02 am
Haha, he said thrust.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:06 am
#7- I’m not defending KSR or taking a side, but posting in here about copying something is pretty petty. I go to your site sometimes too, but, do not want to pay a fee for other access. This site has a lot of hits especially during the show, so the information is still getting to the right audience (‘Cats fans). Why should it matter?
Don’t most news organizations just get articles from other sources anyway (AP??). Relax fellow fan.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:06 am
BS about the spring classes. have they never heard about APR? just goes to show what kind of credibility this “association” has.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:06 am
Mr. Bowen wrongly assumes our players don’t go to class in the spring!!! Has he ever heard of the APR? You know, the NCAA’s measuring tool of academic progress that is barring from UConn from the 2013 NCAA Tournament? Coaches are under more pressure than ever to make sure their kids are in good standing after the fall/spring. Yes, the spring semester ends after the Final Four!!! If “one-and-dones” skip town in the spring, college programs run the risk of losing APR points which can strip them of scholarships and, in UConn’s case, affect their future postseason eligibility. It blows my mind that he would make such a bogus statement!
May 25th, 2012 at 11:07 am
#7 @kentucky.rivals
Thanks for posting that comment for free and not making us pay to read it.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:07 am
7 – so no person could read both sites, saw this article on yours then sent the information to those running KSR? Your right though, something should be done, I mean you never see network news sites/channels running the same stories, it’s a code thing.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:09 am
This is getting ridiculous — we see right through you, COIA. To imply that players have no interest in education because they secure their futures financially before determining whether or not to finish their degrees is illogical, and wreaks of bitterness. What, you didn’t make enough money off of these students and their likenesses in one or two years to satisfy you?
If the problem is that college sports are becoming “too money driven,” who is making the money? Not the players. It is your institutions and the NCAA as a whole. Members of this committee earn salaries funded by the labor of the student-athlete. If this is truly how these members feel, put your money where your mouth is and return portions of your salaries proportionate to how many athletes failed to graduate from your institutions. You wouldn’t want to be the ones profiting from student-athletes who obviously aren’t interested in education, right? *crickets*
The thing that no one wants to recognize — a basketball player doesn’t have to be playing basketball for a college to take classes. Nothing is stopping players from continuing their education, it is just that the schools and NCAA cease to profit from it. If there is an forcing players uninterested in education to attend college for a token year, it is the NBA, not Cal, K, Roy, Self, or any other big time coach. If this statement by Cal is your rallying point, why now? These are not new concepts, no new ground is being broke here. Every coach tries to work this system to his school and his players advantage, Cal is just the best at it.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:10 am
#7 @kentucky.rivals
Why should I pay to read an article at 9 when I can read it for free at 10:30?
May 25th, 2012 at 11:15 am
8. Who cares? It’s just a picture, chill out. Add COIA to the long list of haters, nothing really to see here. (Thamel, Forde, Knight, Tipton, COIA). Let them have their couple days of fame, they’ll die out as soon as our fanbase stops giving them hits.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:17 am
“The integrity of the student-athlete concept.” I never knew being an indentured servant was such an honor-filled tradition.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:19 am
One need only look at the revenue generated by the NCAA tournament, and the numerous Div I bowl games, to know amatuer athletics is a myth.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:20 am
#7 @kentucky.rivals
Also, your website has a terrible layout and is confusing. I don’t know where to go. Even if it was posted on your site “hours ago”, I’d still be searching for that article. But when I come to KSR (for free), I simply scroll down and there it is! #AnthonyDavisSaysShutUp. Aside from hookers, strippers, and jet skis, the best things in life are free.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:23 am
I appreciate comment #7 but my inbox is full of the e-mails that were sent to COIA and this is how COIA responded to all of them. I don’t have a Rivals membership so I don’t know how I would’ve stolen it.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:25 am
Count me as a Calipari fan. Count me as being as thankful as any UK fan for Cal bringing UK #8. Now, it is petty and ignorant that the COIA singled Calipari out for his scheduling comments. BUT, there is a a lot of truth in what they assert. Does college athletics resemble anything amateur anymore? Isn’t it all money driven? The letter from Bowen above says “What he’s (Cal) suggesting is that his non-traditional program is dedicated to bringing in athletes that are, for all intents and purposes, professional with no intention to graduate from the University of Kentucky.” IS THAT NOT TRUE? I can’t disagree with that assessment. It is exactly what Cal does. His motive may be a “players first program” and he may do this for the good of the player by putting big $$ in the kid’s pocket before the kid turns 20 years old, but nevertheless, it is what it is. Bowen’s letter also correctly notes that it is the NBAPA that currently forces players to go to college for one year. True also. And this too is true: “intercollegiate athletics has been descending the slippery slope into a more professional and money driven model for many years now – at the expense of student as athlete principle”. In summary, I don’t mind Cal scheduling a couple neutral site games for the $$, exposure, and experience for NCAA tourney purposes. But to act like his stance is not at least symptomatic of the bigger issues in college athletics is burying your head in the sand. Sorry, but open your eyes people….
May 25th, 2012 at 11:27 am
19, It was joke.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:28 am
7 – I was one that sent it to KSR. Would you like me to send it to you also for verification?? What a joke.
I have also had a debate with Mr. Bowen through an exchange of emails. He continues to ignore when I bring up the APR. Some of his views I agree with but, Im pretty sure they are just using Cal and UK to get their name out.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:28 am
Ignorant, Obscene, and dispicable? What the heck? They should just remind themselves that until the rules change, (NBA) every coach in the nation will grab these same kids with hopes of the ultimate GOAL. and that is to win a Championship. They really need to come out of their caves more often.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:38 am
Who cares if Calipari made the comment, Duke does it too. Those jackasses need to tell everyone not to schedule Duke as well, even if Coach K doesnt say make the same statement Coach Cal does. Double standard or lack of research? They are just singling out Calipari because he is the best at it, we are both the King and the Satan of the NCAA
May 25th, 2012 at 11:43 am
Can we just move on? Really, this is just silly. Does anyone think the CIOAOEIOAEIEIO’s declaration is going to affect Duke from scheduling Kentucky on a neutral floor, etc., etc. #24, I agree with your stance, but what suggestion will change it. The Kentucky fan base drove us to Cal because they wanted to win. I actually think Cal tries to manipulate his interpretation of the rules to his benefit. Let’s face it intercollegiant athletics is a business and a farm league for both the NBA and NFL. It’s not changing, let’s get over it, live with it and watch it with as much purity as we can.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:45 am
So funny that these guys completely ignore the fact that the profits generated in teh BBall and FBall programs at big schools completely fund the athletic programs for all the so called ‘true’ student athletes. Without this money, it would be coming out of the faculties hides – or there would be NO student athletes.
These guys are really idiots – like all the other ideological, frustrated faculty members who can’t make it in the real world where you have to compete.
Seriously…
May 25th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
This goes back to argue why athletes should either have the right to leave straight out of high school or be forced to stay 2 or 3 years at the least. With the rules the way they are now this is how college basketball is evolving. So either change to rules or accept that this is what college basketball has become.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
The fact they these guys respond to fans emails shows there illegitimacy. An entity such as the NCAA or the SEC would never reply directly to fans
May 25th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
30-Well put. But you don’t expect them to think outside of what they see as ‘offensive’ do you? The model of athletics has been changing for some time now, not just in college athletics. Are these guys going after the AAU teams? Bottom line…our society is all about instant gratification. Our technology is focused on this and most everything else is. Why would you expect talented athletes to put off making millions for 2 or 3 years?
May 25th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
They have a website about as up to date as KSR. I smell BTI…. http://blogs.comm.psu.edu/thecoia/
May 25th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
And.. Looks to be tied to Penn State with the PSU.EDU
May 25th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
“…because the rules that apply to other athletes (i.e., baseball) graduating from high school don’t apply to them.”
Since this is a buch of pompous faculty members, I fing id funny they don’t know the difference between “e.g.” and “i.e.” “E.g.” means “for example. “I.e.” means “that is.” Thus, unless baseball is the only sport applicable to their whining, then they meant to use “e.g.” Maybe they should take a spring semester Engligh course.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
I’m not a faculty member, so my “id” typo for “it” should be ignored without comment by you mere blog comment folk.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
deplorable. Seriously… beyond deplorable. I’m hoping Matt knows, on some level (he is an educated man), this is true. How can we trust KSR, when they distort a picture. What else do they distort to be hip and cute?
May 25th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
The most telling line in that entire response is: “Any pretext of such UK (or any other university’s) basketball players as student-athletes is gone it seems.”
Did he really just use the term “pretext?” Maybe it was a vocabulary mix-up along the lines of a Freudian Slip, but, when read as-written, that sentence suggests that the COIA’s principal gripe is that Calipari isn’t keeping up appearances by lying about why top recruits go to college. Talk about a symptom of a greater problem.
COIA, and the NCAA for that matter, thrive on the notion of pretext. “As long as we pretend that all athletes are ‘students’ first, it’s perfectly fine to exploit them as professionals.” Calipari isn’t at the top of the slippery slope, teetering on the edge. He’s situated near the bottom, representing the progression from pretext to honesty. The NCAA got the ball rolling down the slope when they started making money through licensing, and Calipari is simply calling a spade “a spade” instead of peddling lies on the NCAA’s behalf.
There is plenty of room to argue about the current state of affairs in college athletics. Some people love this more professional model because it increases exposure, talent, and entertainment. Others would prefer a system where every player was a lifelong fan of his/her given team, and all committed to play through graduation. I see the allure (and pitfalls) of both.
But this COIA stuff really is just about pretext–pretending that the “big two” college sports are truly driven by the same purpose as club sports, and not by the $$$. I’m just glad Mike Bowen finally put it out there, intentionally or otherwise.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
http://business.usf.edu/faculty/management/bowen/
May 25th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Who are these guys again? And do they really have any kind of pull of any kind?
May 25th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
they’re blaming the wrong parties. the nba is the culprit. if players were allowed to go pro right out of h school, we would once again have student athletes. as it is, the nba has college bball as their farm system, and it doesn’t cost them a penny.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
I move that all SEC tournament and NCAA tournament games be played on the campus of the higher seeded team . . . it would be a dishonor to the moral fiber of every upright and righteous university in this land to continue to play at neutral sites merely to acquire more and more money for use in building more and more ivory towers within which we can sit smartly, patting ourselves on the back, and looking down our noses at . . . well, the rest of the people. The shame of these talented athletes whom WE KNOW have no interest in an elite education. How do WE KNOW? Well . . . to borrow a line from the Supreme Court, “we know it when we see it.”
May 25th, 2012 at 12:59 pm
The 3 guys who do my yardwork just formed a useless organization and also released a statement regarding Calipari. Where the AP covering their statement?
May 25th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
New COIA Member: Baylor University
COIA welcomes its newest member. By a vote of its faculty senate, Baylor University became the 59th member of COIA in February 2012. Thanks to Professor Rosalie Beck, Baylor senate chair, and colleagues.
Aren’t we playing Baylor next year at a neutral site next year? Ironic!
May 25th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
(36) and (43)… great points both.
May 25th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
He said ‘Thrust’!
May 25th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
“… would have no need to attend classes in the spring because their intention is to leave the university once drafted…” – so they lose all credibility here. Only one player has done that in the Calipari era, and he wasn’t even recruited by Cal (Orton). Also, #7… I expect KSR to post any UK related articles, regardless of who thought of it first. This is where I go first for my UK news. If they are copying news from other sites on occasion, I thank them for saving me the trouble of trying to visit multiple sites when I can get all the relevant news I want here. Besides that, do you think WKYT won’t report a story because WTVQ already reported it? Think the Herald-Leader won’t report something because the Courier-Journal already did? Moron. News is news. Obviously this is the preferred site for most people to get their UK related news.
May 25th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
“COIA has never, as a matter of policy, commented on the things that individual universities, or coaches, do”
“We decided to comment on Coach Calipari’s pronouncement”
So, it seems that he is both a liar and a policy breaker. If the members of the COIA wish to have any credibility they will apologize and send this guy home asap. What an unprofessional few days for them.
May 25th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
So basically what that old b*st*rd is saying is that it doesn’t matter what you do, it’s what you say. Coach K didn’t come under fire because he did it but didn’t say that he was doing it. Coach Cal came under fire because he stated that he was going to do it.
That makes PERFECT sense. F*ckin’ morons!
May 25th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sorry the COIA was talking, i’m awake now.
Bring on the hate!! It means were on top again.
May 25th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
The COIA is antiquated, unimaginative and worst of all completely irrelevant. This is probably the most response they’ve ever received for anything they’ve ever said or done. They are not worth the effort that BBN is putting in. Completely Ridiculous
May 25th, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Why do these people want to act like Cal is doing something wrong? Where and how is the concept of student-athlete threatened? If you want to play for Kentucky and Calipari, you have to go to school while you are here and playing during the season. If the season is over and you decide to quit school – like Orton – and go pro, you are no longer a student-athlete. But while they are enrolled, taking classes, and playing basketball they are student-athletes. I see no blurred lines on that distinction. So what the hell is really the problem?
May 25th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I love that he starts it “Lady and Gentlemen”
May 26th, 2012 at 10:07 am
This sounds like a coalition of coaches that can’t recruit 5-star players to their school. So they are whining about schools that have players good enough to go pro before the end of their 4 year college career. Isn’t the purpose of college to prepare kids to be successful in life. I would call a life in the NBA being pretty successful.