College athletes get plenty of perks

A Northwestern football player sues the NCAA for pay to play. What do you get when you mix an ingrate college athlete, a union that would gladly sign up the Little Sisters of the Poor, and a hungry lawyer? Let's not leave out the sports writers, who are always amenable to helping out if it isn't costing them anything. After all, no sports, no jobs.

The answer, my friend, ain't blowin' in the wind; that stench is the lawsuit filed by all the above against the NCAA, demanding payment to "student athletes." A $70,000-plus education just isn't what it used to be. Now, defendant NCAA is certainly not without its faults, but child labor isn't one of them. I'm just guessing, but I think every Big 10 athlete has dreams of playing professionally in their particular sport, and why not? The payoff is fame and fortune. They've been able to showcase their skills toward that end by those very schools they're suing. Oh, and while doing so, getting a great education on the house.

With the liberal trend in our judicial system, what might well be considered a frivolous suit becomes anything but. We can't blame the federal government for this, but they furnished the blueprint. It's called entitlement.

Where do we go from here? Are our universities addicted to the money the sports bring in? I think yes, and that's too bad. They are, after all, educational institutions, and that should come first and foremost. So drop all athletic scholarships. Let the professional leagues provide the training ground for their new blood. Back to club sports. When, and if, that would happen we can all go back to blown' in the wind.

I know, I know, the guy writing this is goofy, but no goofier than the subject at hand. James H. Jones

Palatine