Billion Dollar Ball 1 of 3

Billion Dollar Ball by Gil Gaul examines the economics and culture about the NCAA, discussing how in the last decade sports programs have overtaken universities, where sports are more important than education. He describes in depth the extraordinary financial model that supports college football and the effect it has had not only on other athletic programs but on academic ones as well. What are the consequences when college football coaches are the highest paid public employees in over half the states in an economically troubled country, or when football players at some schools receive ten times the amount of scholarship awards that academically gifted students do? Gil Gaul will be attending my school May 5th. Some questions I'd like to ask him are: 

What made you get intrigued into this topic?

Was it difficult to get all the facts?

Did you play a college sport?

How do positive reviews make you feel?

How do negative reviews make you feel?

What is your motive of what you want people to get after reading the book?

Would you change anything about the book now if you could?

How long did it take you to write it?

Did you think it was going to get as noticed as it did?

Sole Man

Recently my class watched a movie called Sole Man. Its based on how John Paul Vaccaro, also known as Sonny rose from humble Pennsylvania roots to become the most valuable marketing asset in the $13 billion athletic shoe industry. He signed Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and launched Nike's "Air Jordan" empire in the 1980s. Sonny brought the sneaker industry and basketball together. The basketball-sneaker business has grown into a $3 billion industry. Not only did he do that but helped Ed O'Bannon and his lawsuit against the NCAA, which they ended up winning. "It became a running joke among our production team that Sonny is the real-life "Forrest Gump" of basketball." The producer stated that in one of his articles. After watching the film I was a little shocked I've never seen Sonny's name come up on any social media.

North Carolina Tar Heels beat Syracuse Orange and Villanova Wildcats beat Oklahoma Sooners for the final four this Saturday. North Carolina Tar Heels will play Villanova Wildcats tonight. There are many people saying UNC and Syracuse have been cheating. "The shock that goes hand-in-hand with the UNC story is attached to the length of time and the number of people affected, not the fact that star athletes were being given grades they didn't earn. These types of stories are nothing new, especially when it comes to college basketball. In the past two decades, Florida State, Minnesota, Georgia and Purdue have all seen their hoops programs hit with significant penalties after findings of academic misconduct." Says Mike Rutherford. Should these teams be playing at stadiums like the ones that they are is there is going to controversy over the way they play. They'll be playing at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Tickets are being sold for a little over 10,000 on some websites. Also, other basketball teams have had this type of controversy as well and could not participate because of it but other teams don't end up getting mistreated.  Is it fair that teams have allegations going on about them yet they still get the experience to play at places like this?