Let's Talk About UCLA Basketball And Other Sports Scandals | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Let's Talk About UCLA Basketball And Other Sports Scandals

How can they be good representatives of their organizations when they act like children on Spring Break?

50
Let's Talk About UCLA Basketball And Other Sports Scandals
Jenna Messing

I consider myself to be an avid sports fan. I think it’s the pride that comes with watching a team represent their school or brand name, and knowing the community of fans who all have their own incentives to support a particular team.

Often times, at the collegiate level, these student-athletes are the faces of our universities. I would say that the majority of people recognize the University of Alabama for being a football powerhouse and see schools like Duke University and Xavier University as basketball schools.

Why, you may ask? It’s because sports are not only athletic events but also marketing and communication. That’s where the logos, colors, conferences, schedules and recruiting classes come into play. When a school is known for something, it attracts a bigger interest pool and supportive fan base.

Schools like the University of Michigan and the University of Georgia have thousands of supporters who have no affiliation with the school whatsoever but support them in sports because something about their gameplay attracts them to the fanbase.

When these athletes are constantly watched and travel across the United States and even internationally, I think a lot of them don’t realize the impact and influence they possess. They wear their school’s colors and names and are representing their school.

And when scandals or issues arise involving these athletes, people may not necessarily know the names of the athletes involved or the exact transpiration, but they know the school name and the basic charge.

Recently after an annual basketball game in Shanghai, China, three players on the University of California, Los Angeles’ basketball team were detained for accusations of stealing and ended up walking away free. It’s things like this that make me frustrated with our glorification of sports stars in our nation, and this isn’t the first time a case like this has come up abroad.

In 2016, four Olympic swimmers were in trouble with Brazilian law enforcement after stealing from a gas station in Rio de Janeiro. The four swimmers, who all held medals for the United States, did not receive a punishment, but rather just stated formal apologies, even after lying about the actual content of the event.

We have a problem with prioritizing sports over morality, going leaps and bounds over the line to protect these representatives of said teams.

According to an article from The News&Observer, the basketball team for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had a huge scandal of grade tampering by using a “shadow curriculum that scores of UNC athletes relied on to help them stay eligible to play” for over eighteen years, despite a large portion of these athletes technically being academically ineligible to play at the collegiate level.

The University of Miami helped student-athletes forage documents to grant over two-hundred thousand dollars worth of Pell grant money, which is used to provide aid to students to pay for college.

Most of these athletes never see any kind of serious consequences. The universities they represent or the teams they compete for go above and beyond to cover or protect these students because of their athletic abilities and how they are assets to whatever team they are on.

And, of course, it’s frustrating seeing people commit wrongdoings, yet receiving minimal consequences, as if they’re immune to imperfection and fail to see their mistakes or acknowledge the line between what is morally right versus wrong.

So, whatever happened to the UCLA basketball players who were charged? They were released with no consequences last Tuesday. They are still able to play in every game, still able to wear their school name with so-called pride.

I think it's so wrong how they are able to just walk away free and have no punishment. They did something wrong, in another country, while representing their school. They were in China to play in a sporting event, not to be on spring break.

We need to stop enabling people to get away with moral wrongdoings, despite their prominence, importance or status.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

145502
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

35767
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

31789
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments