Sports Columnist, The Daily Beast
Sports columnist for The Daily Beast, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and the author of Friday Night Lights and Three Nights in August. He is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. He is in Philadelphia, PA.
PROFILE
Buzz Bissinger
Guest
FROM Buzz Bissinger
Which Way, L.A.?
Penn State, Football Culture and the NCAA The NCAA crackdown on Penn State is so harsh that a return to competitive football could take a decade if it ever happens at all. But will it “restore the balance between athletics and academics” by changing “the culture of football?” Don’t bet on it. The nationwide issue is impunity—driven by money—with TV revenues rising and coaches paid more than college presidents. What about athletes who don’t share the proceeds of bowl games and March Madness? Is “amateurism” a hoax? What would real reform look like? Joe Paterno’s former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has been convicted of multiple counts of child sex abuse. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh found a culture of excessive reverence for football and fear of bad publicity. With unusual suddenness, the NCAA has imposed a $60-million dollar fine, reduced numbers of scholarships, and a four-year ban on bowl games. And it stripped the late coach Joe Paterno of 111 wins. The penalties on Penn State are unprecedented for the NCAA—and the intent is to go well beyond football.
To the Point
Penn State, Football Culture and the NCAA The NCAA crackdown on Penn State is so harsh that a return to competitive football could take a decade if it ever happens at all. But will it “restore the balance between athletics and academics” by changing “the culture of football?” Don’t bet on it. The nationwide issue is impunity—driven by money—with TV revenues rising and coaches paid more than college presidents. What about athletes who don’t share the proceeds of bowl games and March Madness? Is “amateurism” a hoax? What would real reform look like? Joe Paterno’s former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has been convicted of multiple counts of child sex abuse. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh found a culture of excessive reverence for football and fear of bad publicity. With unusual suddenness, the NCAA has imposed a $60-million dollar fine, reduced numbers of scholarships, and a four-year ban on bowl games. And it stripped the late coach Joe Paterno of 111 wins. The penalties on Penn State are unprecedented for the NCAA—and the intent is to go well beyond football.
Recommended
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?