Where Has Integrity Gone?

The wind is blowing like crazy and the lights keep flickering, so I am not sure this will get written tonight. But I am going to go as long as I can. I am listening to CBC Classical on the radio and they are playing "Overture to a Fairy Tale: by Oskar Morawetz. It is awesome!

Did you read about Cameron Newton? He is the quarterback (and let me say right now, a very good one) at Auburn University, in Georgia. He is very controversial, for many reasons, none of which are positive. He used to be a student-athlete at the University of Florida. But he was asked to leave because he was caught cheating on some exams--three different times! So he decided to go to a junior college so he could get eligible to play football at a Division I school again. He was going to go to Mississippi State. His father, a preacher, told the athletic recruiter, when asked what it would take for Cam to attend Miss. State, it would take "from $100,000.00 to $180,000.00 for my son to come to Mississippi State."

Two weeks ago there was an accusation made that the football coach at Florida had leaked Newton's grade record and student file, making it public. Of course, that coach has denied that accusation.

Do you ever watch college football or basketball on TV and try to imagine some of those young men attending class? Can you see them sitting in class or carrying books or working in a lab? Can you imagine reading an essay written by one of these guys? And what kind of classes are they taking? Are they really college classes? Or are they, you know, "classes for students who don't want to take classes"?

Now I know there are student-athletes who are really student-athletes. They really do exist! Jake Locker has received his degree at UW. So did Jon Brockman. And there are many others. But many more student-athletes do not graduate. In fact, I wonder if they are really "eligible", since it is the institution that oversees that.

My whole point is this: Where has integrity gone? Newton's father, a preacher, was asking for as much as $180,000.00 for his son to attend a certain school. A preacher! A man who is, at least in my mind, a representative of God. God's representative committing a crime, openly and unabashedly. What is going on? Where is his integrity, if not as a man, as a representative of the Almighty?

I am not in any way saying that I am any better. I have most certainly committed my share of sins--and about 10 other peoples' share, too! But . . .oh, I don't know. I am just so tired of seeing people trying to "make it big" and they don't even want to do it honestly.

And another thing . . . how did they get admitted into that university in the first place? People like me, who had limited "special skills" had to have fairly good grades (above 3.2) to even get accepted. These athletes are getting into major universities with a 2.3 to 2.7 and most of them barely stay eligible. It is truly disgusting. A real sad commentary on what has become important in our society.

And they give these guys tuition and book money and food allowance. I had to work. I had to sing so that I could receive a pittance of a scholarship.I went into debt that took RaeLyn and I 10 years to pay back. And when I retired from teaching, after 30 years, I was making a little over $60,000.00 per year. Student-athletes pay no tuition, get their books paid for and receive a small stipend. Then, when they graduate and play in the NFL, they make a minimum of $325,000.00 in their first year. I worked 30 years and was making less than 1/5 what they are making in their first year!

And if I would quit going to these games and stop watching them on TV and if everybody else would do that, too, we would not have this problem. It is all about the money!

"Lord forgive us, for, in our hearts, we know better. But we don't care."