An Unpopular View: Legalize Drugs and Professionalize The NCAA

This may be the post where y'all start to hate me (if you don't already). A recurring theme in baseball this year has been the drug use of its players-alleged and confirmed. If not Manny and ARoid, it's Barry US Bonds, Roger Clemens and god knows who else. And as we travel from Bonds to ARoid to Manny, our "acceptance" seems to prevail. We are numbed by all this crap and powerless to do anything about it. So now we seem to accept it. ARoid is playing again and Manny will be soon as well. Shouldn't these guys be prosecuted or something? They still get to come back annd "earn" their trillions.

In college sports, we have seen a host of "one and done" athletes grace the hard courts. We have football players playing two years and moving on. And these "student athletes" are taking precious scholarship money from students who really intend on sticking around institutions of higher learning. And these mercenaries the universities are hiring never graduate, and bring trouble to these schools after the fact. Is this how it should be?

Based on these two sets of occurrences, I have finally come to the conclusion that perhaps that drug testing should cease and professionals should play in the NCAA. I mean if you ban one drug, athletes are going to find something else. In baseball, a cheating culture has always existed. Why deal with the pretense and just open things up? For those who want to cheat, let them. For those who don't-bravo! For what it's worth, does it really affect the outcome of "team" sports anyway???

As for the NCAA? Lets finally recognize that after 100+ years, the NCAA was, is and will always be a for profit venture. They exploit athletes and expect us to believe it's not only okay to do so, but that most athletes are not getting some sort of "illegal" benefits. The Olympics finally realized that the best athletes were what mattered, not its pipe dream of amateurism. Maybe it's high and time the NCAA realizes this and legitimizes all comers...and maybe even pay them a little bit. I mean, where does all of the TV, March Madness and Bowl money go anyway??? Just saying...

This will ultimately be a very unpopular view. I don't care. I'm just sick of all the hypocrisy. After hearing about Memphis, Southern Cal and Alabama's dances with NCAA probation, not to mention Manny and ARoid, I just don't care anymore about the cheaters. Maybe I do...but is it really worth fight this mess anymore? Maybe if all of these people didn't act spoiled babies, maybe I'd feel differently.

Please forward your comments...I'd love to hear from you...

JP