TOW #24 - After Penalty, 23 Wins Recorded Only in Memory

The NCAA is a corrupt, hypocritical, selfish, and exploitive organization.  There, I said it.  What many journalists, and especially high-ranking officials with universities, can’t say, I, as an unimportant 11^th grader, can say.  Dan Barry recently wrote an article about the Missouri basketball team and the 2013-14 season in which all of their 23 wins were vacated for breaking NCAA rules.  Barry used listing and quoting as a way to prove his inherent argument that the NCAA is not a fair organization.  He listed the “violations” that led to the vacation of wins:

That a booster had provided “impermissible benefits” to three student-athletes and one prospective student-athlete. These forbidden benefits included the all-too-familiar no-show jobs, housing, a modest amount of cash ($520), iPads, meals and the use of a local gym.

That a second booster provided student-athletes and a few family members with a reduced rate at a hotel — with transportation provided by a student-manager for the team — as well as some meals and a ride on a recreational boat.

And that a former assistant coach provided a donor with the telephone number of the mother of a player looking for housing. Although the family paid the market rate for the housing, the coach’s actions violated N.C.A.A. bylaws.

Clearly Barry lists these with the intent of showing that the “violations” were not suitable for the immense punishments put on the team.  Along with the wins being vacated, the team lost money, scholarships, and many more important components to a successful college basketball team.

Additionally, Barry uses direct quotation to help his inherent argument that the NCAA is corrupt.  He quoted the head coach as saying ““Let’s don’t be naïve about the level,” he told investigators. “Our business is corrupt.”  Barry creates ethos by using this quote because it is the head coach, not the reporter, saying it.  Also, it contributes to his argument that the entire NCAA runs a corrupt and unfair business.  It is overbearing and irresponsible.