It's About Damned Time

The big lie in college sports can be summed up in the ironic term, "student athlete." Colleges use the players they recruit to generate publicity and revenue, supposedly in exchange for an education and a better life. No one really believes that.

Now, the NCAA says it's about to get tough on that. We'll see.

"Troubled by the persistently poor graduation rates of basketball and football players, the National Collegiate Athletic Association plans to start punishing schools whose athletes continue to underperform in the classroom.

The proposal, which the NCAA Board of Directors is expected to enthusiastically adopt next month, is being hailed by NCAA President Myles Brand as the final and critical piece of a package of changes designed to boost graduation rates and put the student back into the often-mocked term, student-athlete."