The perception of a college student athlete being above a regular college student is driven by the millions that role in each year for these colleges and universities.
Last Thursday, an NCAA Basketball Tournament game, which matched Southern Mississippi against Kansas State, took a racial turn as a group of Southern Mississippi’s band members chanted, “where’s your green card” at Puerto Rico born Kansas State guard, Angel Rodriguez.
That following Tuesday, Mississippi school president, Martha Saunders announced that the scholarships of the five band members who participated in the chant would be revoked. In addition, that they have been removed from the band and would be subject to a two hour cultural sensitivity training course, which they must complete that week.
On Saturday, December 10, 2011, the men of Xavier and Cincinnati squared off in a rivalry match which ended in an all out brawl. The aftermath included suspensions for four of Cincinnati’s athletes, four with a six game suspension and one with only a one game suspension. The suspensions were handed down by the University of Cincinnati and not the NCAA, which only gives a standard one game suspension.
On Monday, February 14, 2011, the women of Maryland-Eastern Shore and Bethune-Cookman took to the floor for a regular season game. During the game, an all out brawl commenced, which led to the suspension of nine total players. Bethune-Cookman also imposed additional sanctions which included the forfeit of one conference game.
The aftermath of these two events, which occur so many times throughout the year, ended with no scholarships being revoked, and no classes on anger management training being taken. To put “salt on the wound”, these student athletes finished out their regular season and participated in post regular season tournaments. If universities are worried about the integrity of their image and programs, then what does it say when these students are allowed to finish a season? Also, what does it say about the regular college student who may deviate from the straight line and requesting a second chance, without loosing their scholarship?
What these five band member chanted was wrong. However kids stray the line every now and then, just watch the everyday student athlete. In the end, these five band members from Southern Mississippi were subject to the death penalty, when fighting is looked at as just another everyday thing in college sports, slapped with only a warning.
