Friday, April 21, 2006
WASHINGTON -- "Why, we couldn't even have a beer on campus in my day," an octogenarian lawyer, friend and neighbor sputtered in anger referring to his alma mater, Duke University, which now finds itself in one of the stickiest situations to hit a first-line institution in some time.
"There was a New Year's Eve party downtown once," he continued, "and at midnight one of the participants toasted the event with a glass of champagne. Somebody squealed to the dean and they restricted everyone at the party to campus for a month."
So what happened to that staid, old Methodist institution with the sterling reputation for academics, the South's Ivy League school?
"Modern times, I guess," he said, shaking his head in disgust. "I can understand some changes, but this is really a blemish."
The main change, of course, is the way athletes in this country are treated beginning at an early age and stretching into manhood. The word most aptly describing the atmosphere in which those with real promise dwell is "privilege," and that is a synonym for "money." The more successful the stars, the more they expect privileges and the more privileges they expect. Those privileges translate in their own minds into not having to be held to the same standards morally or ethically as the rest of us.
Until they get caught, that is.
All one has to do is pick up a newspaper any day of the week to find an account of some transgression by a big-time college or professional athlete. Sometimes it's even a high-school youngster who is in trouble. The smart ones make the best of their opportunities, realizing that there will come a time when the privileges, coddling and deferential treatment will all come crashing down around them. Those who aren't as bright think the favoritism will go on forever, and when it doesn't, they crash right along with it.
Take the problem at Duke. Without taking sides in the matter, it is not terribly difficult to understand why it happened, even at one of the nation's most highly regarded -- and privileged -- schools, where athletic prowess is as important to the image as any other big-time institution.
Major college sport
Lacrosse is becoming a major college sport, and Duke had gone after some of the best players in the country. It is a game most generally not played at public schools but is at any number of private preps, from where many of the 47 members of the Duke squad were recruited. How good was the Duke team? It was favored to win the national championship until a wild party at a house owned by the university resulted in rape charges filed against two members of the team. Another reportedly is being investigated.
So now Duke, the Methodist school where a beer on campus once could get one expelled, finds its squeaky-clean reputation tarnished and, some believe, all its athletics, including its fabled basketball program, put in jeopardy. Lacrosse is over, the coach gone and the team disbanded because of the alleged assault on a hired stripper. The school apparently had not heeded prior warnings and complaints about the noise and behavior of those at the house.
Whatever the outcome of the charges, and there seems to be enough counterevidence to give supporters of the accused hope, Duke is going to be dealing with the shock waves for a long time. There are bound to be civil suits no matter which way the jury rules. The accuser is almost certain to sue the institution and the parents of those accused as well as other members of the team. Chances are she won't be alone. Parents of those not accused are outraged that officials tarred their sons with the same brush.
The lesson is clear, but it probably won't be learned. If the NCAA is serious about putting big-time college sports back on an even keel, it will begin taking away some of the privileges of its athletes and restraining the enthusiasm of member institutions. That isn't likely, however, given the impact on economics. Of course, that makes those who run the system more responsible for its evils than the kids.
Dan K. Thomasson is former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service.