Anachronisms and such

 By now you know what the NCAA is, if you've at all been paying attention. It's the surrey with the fringe on top in a Testarossa world.  

It's an organization that presides over a multi-billion-dollar industry while pretending it's still all books and learnin' and sis-boom-bah, even as it acknowledges the former by finally allowing its labor force to benefit from its labor. In all other ways, however, it's as anachronistic as milkmen and oil lamps.

Case in point?

According to this story in the Canton (O.) Repository, the other day the NCAA slammed the Akron football program with sanctions for providing "impermissible benefits" to nine players.

The "impermissible benefits", in this case, were cash loans ranging from $100 to $1,000, paid by a now-former associate director of athletics. And the reason those loans (loans, mind you, backed by signed contracts and everything) were made?

In at least two cases involving mid-year transfers, it was because the university hadn't yet disbursed their scholarships. Which presumably meant the two kids in question needed money for stuff like, I don't know, books and tuition until their scholarship money kicked in.

Now, I can't speak for any of you. But I don't see anything remotely wrong with this.

It was, in fact, the decent and honorable thing to do, given that the two kids had entered into a contract of sorts with Akron by transferring there. Also, I can't think how it could be considered an "impermissible benefit," given that the definition of "impermissible benefit" is a benefit not available to non-athletes.

This presumes no regular student at Akron in a similar situation has ever been floated a similar loan. Which of course is absurd on its face.

Bottom line?

The NCAA is treating Akron like a criminal because one of its former employees did the right thing. 

That's some old-school NCAA logic there. Not to mention unschooled.