I find myself often in agreement with the sentiments of former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. Today his Isthmus article was perfect. I hope my readers will agree. In part it reads…
The fundamental problem is that there is just too much money these days in the college game. The all-sports network ESPN is now dictating college game-day schedules and even creating made-for-television playoff systems. The Big Ten will soon add Rutgers and Maryland to the league only to get a foothold into the East Coast television market. Twelve-year-old kids no longer get a chance to hawk soda at Camp Randall, and you can’t buy a Coke there anymore because the athletic department made a concessions deal with a big corporate outfit so they could get a bigger take of the proceeds.
The power of money leads directly to a loss of perspective at major universities where winning becomes more important than any other value of the institution, and where star coaches like Paterno become untouchable until it’s too late.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 