The Heisman Trophy, Collegiate Rules, and Capitalism

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ADMIN NOTE: this discussion began, as so many bizarre discussions do, in The Shoutbox. Please excuse its abrupt beginning and sudden twists and turns, which may look odd when put into thread form. Over and out.



What a terrible Heisman acceptance speech.

"My parents do a lot of things behind the scenes that go unnoticed."

Yes Cam. We know. They accept money offers in exchange for your collegiate level football commitment.



I think we know about that stuff. Its the back door dealings and the hush money they spread around to try and keep the whole mess quiet that we're not supposed to know about.

College athletics is a joke anyway. They should be paying those kids and all of this stuff would go away.



will.15's Avatar
Semper Fooey
You can't pay them because the kide are supposed to be there for an education, but most of them would never have gotten to college if the weren't athletes. They should ease up on some of the rules.



You ready? You look ready.
Originally Posted by will.15
Most of them would never have gotten to college if the weren't athletes.
Wow, that's definitely not one of the most insulting blanket statements I've ever heard.



Yeah, there's a reason they have "athletic scholarships." I know there are exceptions, but I think the word "most" is pretty accurate there.

I dunno how to fix the system; you can't have it be a financial free-for-all, but as it is now it's clearly not regulated effectively, and there's a good chance it simply can't be. As messed up as it is now, there's an argument to be made that there's no superior alternative.



planet news's Avatar
Registered User
Originally Posted by John McClane
Originally Posted by will.15
Most of them would never have gotten to college if the weren't athletes.
Wow, that's definitely not one of the most insulting blanket statements I've ever heard.
How about: all philosophers are lazy, spoiled bourgeois youth?



planet news's Avatar
Registered User
Originally Posted by Yoda
As messed up as it is now, there's an argument to be made that there's no superior alternative.
Don't make me say the C word.



planet news's Avatar
Registered User
Well if you ask yourself why colleges need athletes in the first place, it's to profit... what if they didn't need to profit?

Now... I'm sure there are other reasons, especially for athletics, that a school would want the best players, but still, profit has to be the bottom line.



Sure, that's the biggest one. I'm just kind of amused by the idea that the best way to solve a very, very niche problem is to upend our entire social structure. It's kinda like suggesting that if someone doesn't like their household chores they should sell their house.



planet news's Avatar
Registered User
Not if that niche problem is the result of a fundamental flaw in our "entire social structure" that is at the same time responsible for many other "niche" problems.

The problem is, as you stated earlier, there is no kind of chore possible that can solve the problem, no matter how niche. As soon as someone says something like, "an argument to be made that there's no superior alternative", what is implied is precisely this upending of our "entire social structure", since it seems as if, by your words, our current social structure does not even contain the tools by which to complete the chore.



Originally Posted by planet news
The problem is, as you stated earlier, there is no kind of chore possible that can solve the problem, no matter how niche. As soon as someone says something like, "an argument to be made that there's no superior alternative", what is implied is precisely this upending of our "entire social structure", since it seems as if, by your words, our current social structure does not even contain the tools by which to complete the chore.
Correct. But the idea that there is no superior alternative is based in the assumption that this is not really a serious problem compared to many other things we face, and thus there is a point at which a solution is not worth its other effects. In other words, an alternative which creates other, more serious problems is not really an alternative at all.

There are plenty of problems a communist state would not have that a capitalist state does. But instead of being problems like college quarterbacks accepting Rolexs under the table and getting away with it sometimes, they'd be problems like mass starvation or secret police. In other words, yeah, we've got problems, but they're problems only a very wealthy nation has. They're awesome problems, like the obesity epidemic.



You ready? You look ready.
Yoda, I used to be on that same train as you. Ya know, capitalism is the worst form of government, except for all the rest?

Yeah, definitely not buying that one anymore. Capitalism is evil. Anti-Oedipus did a number on my arse to make me see that truth, but I'm certainly not in favor of abandoning it. I'd have to get to heavy into the text to state why, but in a nutshell the only way you can escape from such a system is "small lines of flight."

The general idea is that in destroying a fascist regime you will just bring down even more totalitarianism upon yourself, and there's no assurances the next system will be better. Small lines of flight, planet. Small lines of flight.



Originally Posted by John McClane
Yeah, definitely not buying that one anymore. Capitalism is evil. Anti-Oedipus did a number on my arse to make me see that truth, but I'm certainly not in favor of abandoning it. I'd have to get to heavy into the text to state why, but in a nutshell the only way you can escape from such a system is "small lines of flight."
Wouldn't mind hearing an elaboration on this, though I'm kind of at a loss as to how Capitalism is simultaneously evil and not worth abandoning. I understand the principle that the pain of switching systems has to be factored into any cost-benefit analysis, but it's hard to imagine any system worthy of the label "evil" not losing out on any such comparison.

I also, ya' know, don't think it's evil, and stuff.