I believe the punishment is totally fair. However with that in mind, I want to get on my soapbox to talk about my feelings about a couple of different groups.

I think the NCAA using these sanctions as a wake up call to schools that put athletics first is hypocritical. Hypocritical because the NCAA is the reason why athletics are put above all else for schools and athletes. The NCAA are the ones who are making a mint as a nonprofit organization (for example, television deals) on the backs of indentured servants (the athletes) at the expense of the athletes' school work. If they really are serious about harming schools that put athletics first, base scholarships on graduation rates, but that will never happen.

The second group I'd like to stick my middle finger up at are any/all Penn State fans that are pissed about what has happened to Paterno/Penn State football (and I see a lot of it on my Facebook wall). My favorite quote about this I saw on twitter, "if you are upset about what is happening to the statue, just look the other way and pretend it is not happening." They did not do the right thing, they got caught they deserve to be punished.

This type of fandom is one of the reasons why my enthusiasm for college sports is tempered. Before getting the job here, I did not really have a college football team (I always liked Michigan, partially because my father played football there, but my relationship with my father is nonexistent so that was never that big of a thing for me). I find the obsessive nature of college football fans to be disturbing. However, It annoys me that Penn State fans are being treated like they are obsessed to a point that no other school's fan are. That's bullshit. Fans always look ugliest when the teams is at one of the two extremes. When they are at the top they are obnoxiously dick picture-ish (look at the guy who teabagged the passed out LSU guy at Krysta in the French Quarter) or they get extremely defensive (hello Penn State fans). People need to grow up and be patient. I think Penn State should be relevant in football again when my two year old is ready to be recruited in 2027.

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Well you should have a solid hockey program for years to come, so you've got that going for you.

You said what I was trying to say earlier today a little better than I did. I guess the NCAA is making an example of Penn State, but they really just want to go back to business as usual. The NCAA has a vested interest in football being as big as it is.

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

A 102 million dollar donation to start a hockey program - instead of starting a scholarship program or something to benefit the school's academic success, let's start a varsity athletic sport that the school didn't really need.

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I think you are ascribing an undeserved competency to the NCAA. College sports are elevated because they are really, really popular. The NCAA has a secondary role, at best, in that popularity.

As for television deals, the NCAA doesn't make a dime from football television, except the pennies they get for showing the FCS playoffs. They get quite a lot of money from the March Madness tournament, but almost all of that goes back to the schools.

I refuse to draw larger lessons about college athletics from this, because the story is universal. When a politician sends pictures of his penis to a 19 year old, 45% of the population will still support him because of his stance on taxes and abortion or whatever. When the Bears sign a serial wife abuser its totally okay because he can stretch the field. I'm sure that someone more inventive than me can think of more examples.

Popularity creates justifications for all manner of awful things, whether because popularity gets money involved, or because it spawns its own inherent motivations. Add in a dollop of ordinary human failings and these things happen with disappointing regularity. This time it was Penn State, but that's just how the lottery numbers were drawn. Next time it will be the Water Department, or Xerox Corporation, or the Campaign to Re-Elect Joe Smith. So it goes.

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Fire Phil Emery

That's a chicken and egg argument.

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

Naw. Popularity comes first. That causes coaches, administrators, etc. to elevate the sport, because they want to be popular. It also leads to money, which is another independent motivation.

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Fire Phil Emery