What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
NCAA president Mark Emmert supported a proposal to allow conferences to increase grants to student athletes by $2,000.
He said the plan is intended “to more closely approach” the cost of attending college beyond scholarships.
Talking Points believes that this is the type of solution the NCAA needs.
Paying college athletes in a manner that’s commensurate with what they bring into the university would be disastrous.
Folks are drawn to the “purity” of the college game, even if they have to convince themselves that it’s still pure. So to throw a guy like Andrew Luck $150,000 a year would extinguish that amateur feel.
However, to allow for an extra $2,000 a year would appropriately help student-athletes navigate a year through college. Remember, with all the time they’re dedicating to their sport, there isn’t really an opportunity to work.
And while it’s naïve to think that the proposed increase would eliminate shady wheeling and dealing that has haunted the NCAA recently, it would at least help.
2
What happens when you push for a man to go to prison on a gun charge? He ends up speaking at your fundraiser three years later.
This is exactly what took place between New York Jets receiver Plaxico Burress and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
In 2008, Burress was sentenced to two years in prison after accidentally shooting himself in the leg in New York. Monday, after reaching out to the Brady Center, Burress spoke at the fundraiser saying “if can save one life, keep one kid from having a firearm, then I think the higher purpose was served.”
Fittingly, after the speech, the wideout got a nice reception.
