Governor Corbett Takes on the NCAA

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has picked a fight and he sure hopes to win.

The summary is this: Corbett agreed last year to the NCAA sanctions against Penn State for the Jerry Sandusky pedophile case. The sanctions and fines levied against PSU were huge including four years of no bowls, erasing over 100 wins, fines of $60-million and the list goes on.

Fast forward to the present where Corbett has sued the NCAA in what could be a land mark case. Corbett's thinking is this:

“These sanctions did not punish Sandusky, nor did they punish the others who have been criminally charged,” Corbett said Wednesday at a news conference in State College, Pa. “Rather, they punished the past, the present, the local businesses and the citizens of Pennsylvania.”

I agree with this whole-heartedly. It also punishes the student and players who had absolutely nothing to do with the case. And not just football players but volleyball players, women's basketball, etc, who rely on the football-generated revenue to survive. The girl in the drama department may hate football but she is dependent on that money being there to put on the next play. 

And Corbett has another point about the local businesses, if people aren't going to see games in Happy Valley, the hotels, restaurants and deli's are going to close. This would be a disaster for a region that doesn't have many other revenue and job sources.

I get that there was a c over-up and I get that people have a visceral emotional reaction to this. I also get that Corbett risks getting tarnished with the Mean Old Republican brush since he's taking the side of a college that condoned pedophilia and it's a purely political move (that's how it's being spun). 

Call me a contrarian or call me wrong but I see nothing wrong with PSU taking on the NCAA. The NCAA ceased being an organization that cares for student athletes a long time ago. Now they are a behemoth that always gets its way through sheer force. I don't expect anything different in this case. The NCAA does not care about the players or the fans (the very existence of the BCS all these years is proof of that), they care about money and money only. 

Many are asking why Corbett agreed to the fines and sanctions back when they were announced. It's simple, the emotions of the moment did not allow anyone to speak out against the penalties. If you thought they were too harsh, you were a heartless bastard who didn't care about The Children. 

If you want to waste five minutes of your time you'll never get back, go read this drivel by hack Karen Heller in the Inquirer. No facts, a bunch of cheap shots at conservatives and zero redeeming value.