The football coach was unclear when he said “we’re not attempting to circumcise the rules,” but he might enjoy today’s college football industry. Suddenly, its rules are, refreshingly, almost nonexistent regarding the process of recruiting large post-adolescent males. This is refreshing because the old regime’s nonsense — sentimentalism about “amateurism,” which is used to facilitate cupidity — has been replaced by rational nonsense: profit-maximizing, employing professional players for the greater glory of higher education. Warm pieties about amateurism have been jettisoned in favor of cold candor about the multibillion-dollar entertainment industry that operates in the shadow of universities. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com.

Source: Washington Post January 08, 2024 01:07 UTC