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NCAA's mixed message
December 21, 2001
For several years, the NCAA has sent officials from campus to campus telling scary stories about the enemy of college sports and corruptor of youth: gambling. It has stomped its feet, expressed outrage, even threatened newspapers that if they keep printing point spreads, they won't get press passes to the Final Four.
So that has been the song. And the dance?
On Saturday, the Loyola women's basketball team played Central Connecticut State.
At a casino.
And it was well within NCAA rules.
The Illinois-Chicago men's team is in Las Vegas this weekend for a tournament and is staying at a casino hotel. The games originally were scheduled to be played at the complex, the Paris Las Vegas Resort & Casino, and were approved by the NCAA. But they were moved to a high school after the event's promoters were pressured by the U.S. government.
Illinois was in a similar tournament a few weeks ago, playing at a Vegas-area high school after signing a contract to play at a casino.
''We came here to play basketball and compete,'' UIC coach Jimmy Collins said. ''I'm not worried about my kids going down and gambling. I've got good kids. But I will say that I have seen players from other teams in the lobby going to slot machines and blackjack tables. I'm sure they're over 21 and not doing anything illegal.''
But what about the message? If the NCAA warns students about the dangers of gambling, then how can those students take those warnings seriously? How can the NCAA justify climbing into bed with its defined enemy?
Critics say this is an example of NCAA hypocrisy, allowing big bucks to bury its message of morality. But those who have agreed to play at casinos say they have valid reasons, fighting a battle to find sponsors in difficult economic times. And besides, they are within the rules.
What does the NCAA say?
''Sure, this undermines our efforts,'' said Bill Saum, the NCAA's director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities. ''We continually talk about sending mixed messages, and this does send a mixed message.
''You might have to be 21 to gamble, but what we're doing is bringing underage people into an environment. I would like for our institutions to show me how this is part of the educational mission. There is nothing positive to be gained.''
But it is allowed, he said, because NCAA rules don't regulate where teams can play regular-season games.
''I cannot sit here and make up rules,'' he said. ''The schools are the membership that makes us up, and they make the rules for themselves, and we at the NCAA enforce them. There are people who don't think there's anything wrong with this. I work for them.''
Saum acknowleged, too, that the Mountain West Conference recently held its women's volleyball tournament at a casino and that several colleges have ads for casinos in their game programs. The rules, he said, aren't in place to prevent those things.
Murray Sperber, an Indiana University professor and longtime critic of the NCAA, has a chapter on gambling in his most recent book, Beer and Circus: How Big-Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education . He doesn't accept the NCAA's explanation.
''To fall back on this idea that 'We decry this but can't do anything about it' is either just naive, or it's the NCAA thinking the rest of the world is a bunch of idiots,'' Sperber said. ''There's no way they can justify this. They can't make rules? Their rulebook is the size of the Chicago phonebook.
''I've long viewed this whole NCAA campaign as total b.s. They don't really want to disassociate themselves from gambling. They're getting $6 billion for a TV contract, and that number is tied to their ratings, and their ratings are so key to people having bet on the NCAA [basketball] tournament. Why do you think people watch these obscure games? To see if these teams cover the spread or how they did in their office pools.''
Sperber isn't the only one outraged over this. With the NCAA's blessing, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are working on legislation that would prohibit betting on college sports in Nevada. And when McCain and Graham found out the NCAA had approved three tournaments to be held at the Paris casino in Las Vegas--including the events Illinois and UIC agreed to play in--they pressured the tournament organizers to move their events.
Chris Spencer, director of Worldwide Basketball, received calls from McCain's office, as well as from several coaches and officials from schools in the tournaments. Eventually, all three tournaments were moved to Valley High School.
''We asked the NCAA back in January if they would have a problem with this, and they said they wouldn't,'' Spencer said. ''We've had tournaments for seven years in Puerto Rico, and they've always made us jump through hoops to get them approved.
''This was the first time we were certified on the first go-round. And it was on the NCAA Web site for several months with no problem. The only reason why we had any problem at all was politics.''
Collins said he was glad the Flames' games were moved away from the casino, but he also said he never had a problem with the games being there in the first place. He said it is not possible to remove gambling from the lives of college students.
''Gambling is legal in Chicago, as well, on the boats and in lotteries,'' he said. ''In the streets of Chicago, there is drugs and prostitution and murders.
''Coming here [to Vegas] is culturally enlightening for a lot of my kids. We talk to them constantly about what's right and wrong. And I'm planning to take them to Hoover Dam and then go out to the desert, look at the craters and those kinds of things. I took them to Caesar's Palace to see the talking statues. Besides that, we're here to play basketball, go to a lot of meetings and look at film.''
Loyola athletic director John Planek also said he didn't see a conflict between the NCAA's anti-gambling efforts and his women's team playing at a casino. The Ramblers played Saturday at the Mohegan Sun, an arena owned by and connected to a casino in Connecticut. Planek pointed out that the Sun does not have a sports book.
''I don't think women's basketball is the scope or influence of betting on basketball,'' he said. ''I can't imagine that there are [betting] lines for women's basketball. It's more of an issue for men's basketball and football. I doubt that Loyola at Central Connecticut State drew heavy betting.
''It was just a matter of convenience and sponsorship. And is the problem going to be ended because the NCAA says, 'Don't play a game there'? I don't think so.''
The Loyola game was part of a doubleheader for Central Connecticut, whose men's team played Massachusetts that day. Central Connecticut athletic director C.J. Jones talked about the difficulties of small-college teams, such as his, trying to play a big-time team such as UMass. The only way, he said, would be for his team to play at UMass, where it would have almost no chance to win.
A big-name team, he said, wouldn't come to a place like Central Connecticut, which based on its tiny arena could not offer UMass a substantial financial guarantee. So a place like the Mohegan Sun comes along, Jones said, with a big offer to UMass, ''and we get go into the land of the giants to play.''
''We spend a lot of time here with the educational process on gambling, holding seminars and posting fliers and signs,'' he said. ''And for a school like UMass, they get a big guarantee and a game they feel they will surely win. We get some good publicity--knocking UConn off the front pages here for a day--and a lot of attention. It does wonders for alumni and fan support, seeing us in a place like this. What this does for us ... you can't buy that.''
The casinos, on the other hand, can.
For several years, the NCAA has sent officials from campus to campus telling scary stories about the enemy of college sports and corruptor of youth: gambling. It has stomped its feet, expressed outrage, even threatened newspapers that if they keep printing point spreads, they won't get press passes to the Final Four.
So that has been the song. And the dance?
On Saturday, the Loyola women's basketball team played Central Connecticut State.
At a casino.
And it was well within NCAA rules.
The Illinois-Chicago men's team is in Las Vegas this weekend for a tournament and is staying at a casino hotel. The games originally were scheduled to be played at the complex, the Paris Las Vegas Resort & Casino, and were approved by the NCAA. But they were moved to a high school after the event's promoters were pressured by the U.S. government.
Illinois was in a similar tournament a few weeks ago, playing at a Vegas-area high school after signing a contract to play at a casino.
''We came here to play basketball and compete,'' UIC coach Jimmy Collins said. ''I'm not worried about my kids going down and gambling. I've got good kids. But I will say that I have seen players from other teams in the lobby going to slot machines and blackjack tables. I'm sure they're over 21 and not doing anything illegal.''
But what about the message? If the NCAA warns students about the dangers of gambling, then how can those students take those warnings seriously? How can the NCAA justify climbing into bed with its defined enemy?
Critics say this is an example of NCAA hypocrisy, allowing big bucks to bury its message of morality. But those who have agreed to play at casinos say they have valid reasons, fighting a battle to find sponsors in difficult economic times. And besides, they are within the rules.
What does the NCAA say?
''Sure, this undermines our efforts,'' said Bill Saum, the NCAA's director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities. ''We continually talk about sending mixed messages, and this does send a mixed message.
''You might have to be 21 to gamble, but what we're doing is bringing underage people into an environment. I would like for our institutions to show me how this is part of the educational mission. There is nothing positive to be gained.''
But it is allowed, he said, because NCAA rules don't regulate where teams can play regular-season games.
''I cannot sit here and make up rules,'' he said. ''The schools are the membership that makes us up, and they make the rules for themselves, and we at the NCAA enforce them. There are people who don't think there's anything wrong with this. I work for them.''
Saum acknowleged, too, that the Mountain West Conference recently held its women's volleyball tournament at a casino and that several colleges have ads for casinos in their game programs. The rules, he said, aren't in place to prevent those things.
Murray Sperber, an Indiana University professor and longtime critic of the NCAA, has a chapter on gambling in his most recent book, Beer and Circus: How Big-Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education . He doesn't accept the NCAA's explanation.
''To fall back on this idea that 'We decry this but can't do anything about it' is either just naive, or it's the NCAA thinking the rest of the world is a bunch of idiots,'' Sperber said. ''There's no way they can justify this. They can't make rules? Their rulebook is the size of the Chicago phonebook.
''I've long viewed this whole NCAA campaign as total b.s. They don't really want to disassociate themselves from gambling. They're getting $6 billion for a TV contract, and that number is tied to their ratings, and their ratings are so key to people having bet on the NCAA [basketball] tournament. Why do you think people watch these obscure games? To see if these teams cover the spread or how they did in their office pools.''
Sperber isn't the only one outraged over this. With the NCAA's blessing, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are working on legislation that would prohibit betting on college sports in Nevada. And when McCain and Graham found out the NCAA had approved three tournaments to be held at the Paris casino in Las Vegas--including the events Illinois and UIC agreed to play in--they pressured the tournament organizers to move their events.
Chris Spencer, director of Worldwide Basketball, received calls from McCain's office, as well as from several coaches and officials from schools in the tournaments. Eventually, all three tournaments were moved to Valley High School.
''We asked the NCAA back in January if they would have a problem with this, and they said they wouldn't,'' Spencer said. ''We've had tournaments for seven years in Puerto Rico, and they've always made us jump through hoops to get them approved.
''This was the first time we were certified on the first go-round. And it was on the NCAA Web site for several months with no problem. The only reason why we had any problem at all was politics.''
Collins said he was glad the Flames' games were moved away from the casino, but he also said he never had a problem with the games being there in the first place. He said it is not possible to remove gambling from the lives of college students.
''Gambling is legal in Chicago, as well, on the boats and in lotteries,'' he said. ''In the streets of Chicago, there is drugs and prostitution and murders.
''Coming here [to Vegas] is culturally enlightening for a lot of my kids. We talk to them constantly about what's right and wrong. And I'm planning to take them to Hoover Dam and then go out to the desert, look at the craters and those kinds of things. I took them to Caesar's Palace to see the talking statues. Besides that, we're here to play basketball, go to a lot of meetings and look at film.''
Loyola athletic director John Planek also said he didn't see a conflict between the NCAA's anti-gambling efforts and his women's team playing at a casino. The Ramblers played Saturday at the Mohegan Sun, an arena owned by and connected to a casino in Connecticut. Planek pointed out that the Sun does not have a sports book.
''I don't think women's basketball is the scope or influence of betting on basketball,'' he said. ''I can't imagine that there are [betting] lines for women's basketball. It's more of an issue for men's basketball and football. I doubt that Loyola at Central Connecticut State drew heavy betting.
''It was just a matter of convenience and sponsorship. And is the problem going to be ended because the NCAA says, 'Don't play a game there'? I don't think so.''
The Loyola game was part of a doubleheader for Central Connecticut, whose men's team played Massachusetts that day. Central Connecticut athletic director C.J. Jones talked about the difficulties of small-college teams, such as his, trying to play a big-time team such as UMass. The only way, he said, would be for his team to play at UMass, where it would have almost no chance to win.
A big-name team, he said, wouldn't come to a place like Central Connecticut, which based on its tiny arena could not offer UMass a substantial financial guarantee. So a place like the Mohegan Sun comes along, Jones said, with a big offer to UMass, ''and we get go into the land of the giants to play.''
''We spend a lot of time here with the educational process on gambling, holding seminars and posting fliers and signs,'' he said. ''And for a school like UMass, they get a big guarantee and a game they feel they will surely win. We get some good publicity--knocking UConn off the front pages here for a day--and a lot of attention. It does wonders for alumni and fan support, seeing us in a place like this. What this does for us ... you can't buy that.''
The casinos, on the other hand, can.
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