GVP's Way is the author's blog including book and movie reviews, thoughts on the craft of writing, perspectives on the business of publishing, and musings on life, politics, and family.
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He's a walking contradiction
Partly truth and partly fiction
Taken every wrong direction
On his lonely way back home
And there's a lot of wrong directions
On that lonely way back home.
The Pilgrim
Kris Kristofferson
Entries in IU Basketball (3)
Lynched by a Mob
As things unravel at Indiana University, it becomes increasingly clear that Kelvin Sampson was lynched by a mob--the same mob that hired him in combination with the mob of Bobby Knight fans that didn't want him in the first place and gathered like sharks in the water at the first hint of blood.
I never believed Sampson was a saint. My point was that he was no worse than anyone else and probably the best IU could have gotten in the wake of the Bobby Knight and Mike Davis disgrace.
Let's face it, the idea that NCAA basketball is an amateur sport played by student athletes is a myth. NCAA basketball at schools like IU is nothing more than a farm sport for the NBA--we need to let go of the myth of student-athletes and amateurism.
Gary
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More Than a Game
If anyone ever doubted that sport is more than a game, the events of the last few weeks at my alma mater of Indiana University should convince otherwise. The Indiana Hoosier basketball team lost it's coach, Kelvin Sampson, in what amounted to a public lynching for unproven allegations.
Sampson, accused last fall by the NCAA of having participated in no more than ten 3-way phone calls, was investigated at IU's behest by the prestigious Indianapolis law firm of Ice Miller. Based on the firm's findings, Sampson was fined $500,000 and lost a scholarship, but was allowed to continue coaching. He did a great job with a wonderful group of talented young men, leading them to a 22-4 record and a share of the Big Ten title. Then the NCAA, led by deposed IU President Miles Brand, a man with an axe to grind if ever there was one, further investigated Sampson and alleged that he lied to both IU and the NCAA about his participation in the 3-way calls.
Kelvin Sampson and the Double Standard
I love Indiana basketball. I love it almost as much as writing, cooking, and spending time on my boat with my family. In fact, IU basketball is a huge part of both my life and that of my family's. We watch every game of every season. We know all the players, their strengths and weaknesses. We live the season with them. We love the kids and their play on the court. We follow up to see what happens to them after graduation. It's not rational, I know. But it's who we are and what we do.
I'm so upset by the Kelvin Sampson recruiting scandal that I can hardly sleep. But I have a different take on it than many. Unlike the throng of Bobby Knight supporters who are calling for his hide, I think both those supporters and the NCAA are subjecting him to a cruel double standard.