NCAA President Mark Emmert teaches us new big words while complaining about stuff he can not change
By Paul Jordan
July 23, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NCAA president Mark Emmert speaks during a press conference at the NCAA Headquarters to announce corrective and punitive measures against Penn State University for the child abuse committed by former Penn State Nittany Lions assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
Good morning, BBN. I know we have enough on our plates this morning, but how about learning a new word today? It’s not often that something sends me to the online dictionary, but todays new word of the day comes from NCAA President Mark Emmert:
a·nath·e·ma (-nth-m)
n. pl. a·nath·e·mas
1. A formal ecclesiastical ban, curse, or excommunication.
2. A vehement denunciation; a curse: “the sound of a witch’s anathemas in some unknown tongue” (Nathaniel Hawthorne).
3. One that is cursed or damned.
Used in a sentence? Well, at an appearance yesterday, Emmert was asked what could be done about the “one and done” problem in college basketball and Emmert replied that while he can’t do a damn thing about it (my emphasis), and the one and done rule is the “anathema to the collegiate model of athletics. I dislike it enormously.” He went on to suggest some who enroll with that in mind are encouraged not to function as serious students.
And lest we forget, John Calipari hates the one and done rule as well. It’s a necessary eveil of the college game and there is nothing that Emmert can do about it so its kind of pointless to rant against it to the press.
It seems like an unneccessary slam to label a student/athlete as not a “serious athlete”, especially with the current climate of the NCAA and the fact that a major cheating scandal has gone pretty much ignored at UNC. For the record, Emmert did address the UNC scandal and had this to say:
"“We certainly will wait on that—or any case similar to that—until all the facts unfold. And there still is information to be developed on that case, both by the institution and others.”"
Mar 16, 2012; Greensboro, NC, USA; NCAA logo shot during the second round of the 2012 NCAA men
Keeping with the NCAA trend, here is a fantastic article arguing that the NCAA needs to let someone else enforce its rules:
"The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) does many wonderful things, but consistent enforcement of its byzantine rules is not one of them. It is hard to know what is worse: the cases in which the NCAA investigates and imposes penalties, or the cases in which it does nothing. Its patchwork effort does little to inspire respect or deterrence. Of course, this inconsistency is just one of many, larger hypocrisies besetting the NCAA these days. On several fronts, the NCAA finds itself in a credibility quicksand, and every action it takes lately seems to sink it deeper in the muck. The inconsistent enforcement of its own rules, however, is one area in which a workable solution exists within the current system’s structure. The solution is abdication. Not abandonment of any enforcement efforts but voluntary transfer of enforcement responsibilities to an outside organization. This gesture would serve as an acknowledgment that an independent body would do a better, more credible job of enforcing the NCAA’s rules than the NCAA itself, which suffers from financial and other conflicts of interest in this regard."
The article is well worth your time as there is plenty of John Calipari/Kentucky references, including Enes Kanter, Derrick Rose, Marcus Camby and comparing it to Corey Maggette.
Mar 30, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari (middle) talks with his team during practice the day before the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA men
Lest we forget, Kentucky basketball gets real tonight. The Blue/White game is at 7:00PM tonight and will be broadcast on the FS South and the UK IMG network. Also at 7:00PM, is the second edition of All Access Kentucky on ESPN, so have your DVR’s set. Here is a brief preview of All Access Kentucky: