Coaches… they’re just like us!

(they want fame, success, money)

As I tried to walk a mile in these coaches’ shoes…

So my topic of archival study is the Santa Clara Extension Course Scandal. To give you a little info, the scandal started in 1979 and lasted a long time. Players, particularly UNM (University of New Mexico) football players, took summer extension courses over the hot 1979 summer at Santa Clara, only to get more credit than they deserved. This led to major pushback, and eventually an FBI investigation on the school.

Source: SearchWrap

I decided if this type of “cheating” happened then, it probably still does – especially since college athletic programs make BANK, and even more so has become a huge industry. After one quick google search these two men came up:

Source: NJ: True Jersey

Source: NJ: True Jersey

What do these two, as my dad would say: “old farts,” have to do with a scandal in 1980. Well, they are living and breathing each their own today. The top guy, Rutger’s head coach Kyle Flood, has been suspended for 3 games and fined 50,000 dollars just for contacting a teacher to change a grade. The orange tied gentleman, also known as Jim Boeheim, has been under careful investigation by the NCAA for academic violations, FOR TEN YEARS.

Both these cases add such insight into my research. 1) it is still happening  2) why coaches do this, why athletes have problems in class (do you think it’s time we come up with a solution?), and the ethical stature of grade cheating/why it could be good.

Let me know what you think… have you ever heard of any of these scandals? Can you brainstorm any solutions to these problems?