http://nypost.com/2015/02/12/from-jesse-jackson-to-tark-the-corruption-of-amateur-sports/From Jesse Jackson to Tark: The corruption of amateur sports
By Phil Mushnick
February 12, 2015 | 6:54pm
Out with the old, in with the same old newer version.
Wednesday, the day that Jerry Tarkanian, synonymous with the stains and stenches of big-time college basketball, died, the 12- and 13-year-olds comprising America’s 2014 championship Little League team were sentenced to ignominy as per the fraudulent conduct of their adult leadership.
In other words, adults afflicted by the same condition: Win at any and all costs.
It may be called “sports,” but that’s for suckers. Integrity, too, is for saps — from Little League, through college student-athletics and deep into adulthood. “It ain’t cheatin’ ’til you get caught.” And even then, if you’re a proven successful cheater, you’re given additional opportunities to be caught again. Our sports are good that way. Anyone who can help win a game is given three, four and five second chances.
Tarkanian often — too often — was portrayed on TV as a lovable, “Guys ‘n’ Dolls” character. “Oh, that Tark! What a character!” and “He plays all the angles!”
And that was true; he was short on pretense. He was only doing what he was paid to do, allowed to do. And he knew that we knew that he knew that we knew.
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