OK, I'm a CU student so obviously I have a biased look at this. I'm curious what everyone thinks about the Jeremy Bloom situation. The NCAA has banned him indefinately because he finally gave in and accepted advertising money to fund his skiing career (he is an Olympic medalist for crying out loud). The NCAA ruled this illegal. However, there is a precident for players getting money for one sport and still being allowed to stay an amateur in another. The #1 example is minor league baseball players who play football as well. However, the best comparison is the case of Tim Dwight of Iowa. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons and got a signing bonus along with appearing at card shows and stuff like that (all of which he got paid for). However, if he stopped accepting money during track season, the NCAA allowed him to run track for Iowa. Bloom has offered to stop accepting money during football season and the NCAA gave him a big "F.U.". CU football has a LOT of things wrong with it (*coughBarnettcough*), but Bloom is an Olympic team member, a good student and a guy who has NEVER gotten in trouble. The NCAA had the PERFECT PR opportunity ("We support our country and we're going to allow Bloom to play blah blah blah") and blew it. Furthermore, it's not like he's a Mike Williams type player. He would probably be our slot reciever and kick/punt returner. Granted, he's a dangerous kick/punt returner, but that's about it. In fact, maybe that's the problem. Maybe if he were a Mike Williams type player the NCAA would let him play. Then again, they're not letting Williams play yet either. Good article on the stiuation
I hate how the NCAA doesnt have to explain their rules. Then again, I hate the whole college bowl system which, along with me going to a crap football school, has turned me off NCAA football completely. 7 months til March Madness!!!!
I voted yes, although I don't follow the NCAA at all. But it would seem to me that they would want to encourage players to pursue other sports and activities. Could he accept money from a local grocery store for being a bag boy? Could he accept money won in a chess tournament? Could he accept money from a modeling agency for being in a print ad? I would assume that any of those activities should be alright. Couldn't they just think of it as a side job since it isn't dependent on his NCAA participation?
I'd probably let him do it.. since its not like its the same sport.. I could see the argument against it more if the olympic sport was the same one he played at colllege.. mateo..... may sound crazy, but based on college previews etc.. some major publications are predicting us possibly getting 6 wins and maybe a bowl game... somehow ended up with a favorable schedule this year.. yeah I know we will believe it when it happens...
nuggets4.. vanderbilt.. home to the former president of your university...(gordon gee.. been quite a while though) yeah I know it sounds crazy... but we somehow managed to get a fairly easy schedule this year.. compared to years past.. some very winnable games..
rocketman95.. lol I dunno.. SI, Athlon etc have us competing for a winning season... Returning all but one starter from a team that was IN just about every game last year.. and putting eastern kentucky, navy, and rutgers on the schedule.. . makes anything possible.. we managed to not have alabama or auburn on the schedule too this year
now that I've looked the si preview actual prediction has us 5-6.. which .. win one more game along the lines and thats a bowl
This is bogus. Guys like Chris Weinke and Quincy Carter can pursue baseball careers, and get paid for it before returning to football and it's all right. But this guy can't get paid for the other sport that he plays. That just isn't right.
rocketman95.. btw.. enjoy your new punter that transferred from vu.. he will be a big asset to texas.. is skiing an ncaa level sport anywhere? club or anything? if it's not I do'nt see how its a problem
I think it is. But he's not on CU's skiing team. He's never been on CU's skiing team. He's on the OLYMPIC skiing team.
nuggets.. see thats the thing... if he was on cu's skiing team I could see the problem more... has the ncaa explained ever how it is different than the minor league baseball thing?
NCAA won't explain anything. They just said no and left it at that. It's a mess. And it sucks because with the team in so much legal trouble, Bloom was one of the good guys. He and Klatt could be the media darlings to remind people, "Hey, not everyone here is a rapist", and the NCAA is taking it from us.
That's sad when you can only point to two people to put in the "non-rapist" category. As for the situation, I don't understand how guys like Ricky Williams, etc. can take money to play baseball and not have the NCAA get in a snit about his college football while this guy can't ski with sponsorships and be on the football team.
Because if the NCAA allowed Bloom to play, it would create a loophole for boosters to drive truckloads of cash through that is wide enough to, well, drive truckloads of cash through. Seems kind of obvious to me, at least.
I voted no cause if you make an exception for Bloom it will be blood in the water for the NCAA and the sharks (players and their lawyers) will come to feast.
Seems like the lawyers and other sharks should already be feasting given the willingness to allow players to be professionals in one sport while still maintaining NCAA eligibility in another sport.
