My Thoughts Regarding The Firing of UCLA Football Coach Jim Mora

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Bruin Nation, Bruins, college football, Dan Guerrero, football, Jim Mora, Pac-12 Conference, Rose Bowl, Twitter, UCLA, UCLA Bruins, UCLA Football, University of California Los Angeles, Westwood

UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora after the USC Trojans scores during the first half of an NCAA college football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

 

FINAL RECORD OF UCLA FOOTBALL COACH JIM MORA:

46 wins – 30 losses

Two ten-win seasons in 2013 and 2014

Four bowl games, with wins in the 2013 Sun Bowl and the 2015 Alamo Bowl

 

When I got the news on this site’s Twitter page that my alma mater’s football coach had been told that his services were no longer needed the morning after losing to USC for the third straight time,

I’ll be honest – quite a few thoughts swirled in my head.

Three of those thoughts were prevailing:

1. Thought I wasn’t surprised that Mora was let go, considering not only the lack of success his Bruins were having on the field the past couple of years, but also the dwindling attendance at the Rose Bowl and the numerous high school commits de-committing from UCLA, I was surprised at the timing of his dismissal.

The Bruins have an upcoming game against California this Friday night that in my view is MORE important than this year’s Crosstown Rivalry, because with both teams having five wins, bowl eligibility is at stake, and I thought that athletic director Dan Guerrero would at least let Mora coach that night, holding off on deciding his fate until after he faced the Golden Bears.

And speaking of Guerrero, that brings me to prevailing thought number…

2. As I stated in my recent article on this site, ““Why Has UCLA Football Been So Mediocre For So Long?” (Here’s the link to that piece): http://www.socalsportsannals.wordpress.com/2017/10/19/why-has-ucla-football-been-so-mediocre-for-so-long/

The problems that the Bruins have had on the gridiron goes deeper than Mora or even Guerrero, the root being UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and the other administration suits at Murphy Hall not being “All In” on football success as in national championships like the folks at USC, Alabama, Ohio State, and other powerhouses are.

In other words, Guerrero firing Mora – who is the third football coach he has relieved of his duties (four if you count Bob Toledo in 2002) – is akin to a cancer tumor being removed but cancer cells remaining, which would produce another tumor.

To truly remove that cancer, the UCLA administration must change their hearts regarding their desire of the Bruins being an elite championship program on the gridiron.

Or get a new chancellor and administration that is more willing to go all in.

 

 

Jim Mora and his Bruins observing a moment of silence for fallen UCLA player Nick Pasquale in 2013. Photo courtesy of gettyimages.com

 

 

3. I won’t go into details as to speculations of who UCLA’s next coach may be, besides reports that former Oregon coach Chip Kelly’s agent – a Bruin alum – is meeting with Guerrero and his search committee, which includes wealthy alum Casey Wasserman and Bruin quarterback great and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.

But I will say this:

This will be the fourth football coach that Guerrero has hired to take the reins in Westwood.

Whoever is given the keys to the Bruin kingdom, Block and his friends at Murphy Hall need to tell Guerrero that this is his last chance to get it right.

That whoever is on the sidelines at UCLA’s first game of 2018 with Cincinnati at the Rose Bowl on September 2nd needs to have an immediate impact and be an overwhelming success.

Otherwise Guerrero’s time as the chief executive of UCLA Athletics will be over.

After four shots at hiring a football coach, I think that would be a fair thing for him to hear.

In the meantime, like the loyal decades long member of Bruin Nation that I am, I’m planning on going to the Bruins’ last game vs their older brothers from Berkeley the night after Thanksgiving.

With bowl eligibility at stake, this is too important a battle.

And I’m looking forward to seeing how those 85 young men wearing true blue with those four letters in script on the sides of those gold helmets react and perform in light of their coach – a coach they loved and played their hearts out for – being gone and not hugging and shaking the hands of the seniors who will be playing at the Rose Bowl for the last time this Friday night.

One More Thought:

Despite things ultimately not working out, I will miss Mora.

He did much to influence the upgrading of the Bruins’ facilities, namely the opening of the state of the art Wasserman Center on campus, and he did so much good in molding his players to be successful people off the field as well as on.

The many posts on Twitter showing love to the man from the guys who played for him, past and present, are the evidence.

And I certainly thank him for that.

 

Photo courtesy of dailybruin.com

 

 

 

 

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SOCAL SPORTS ANNALS’ 200th POST!

Tags

Bleacher Report, Crosstown Rivalry, Facebook, Fansided, Los Angeles, SoCal Sports Annals, Southern California sports, sports, Twitter, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans

An artist’s rendition of the new state of the art stadium currently being built in Inglewood that will house the Rams and the Chargers in 2019…

 

CELEBRATING TWO HUNDRED ARTICLES ON THIS SPORTS BLOG

I didn’t realize until a couple of weeks ago or so that the number of articles on this site was approaching 200.

That amount of posts on any site or blog needs to be acknowledged.

Being the founder, editor, and main writer of SoCal Sports Annals, I suppose I can feel glad for what has been accomplished here.

Particularly since this is a small site; I never expected it to be as big as Bleacher Report or Fansided, two sites that I wrote for, and it’s not – not even close.

However…

The fact that it has gotten as many as 204 reads in one day and has stayed steady in the daily number of visits,

As well as having nearly 1,100 followers on its Twitter page and over 140 “Likes” on its Facebook page,

Tells me that I’m doing something right.

My ultimate goal for SoCal Sports Annals has changed a bit in its two and half years of existence, as while the major pro and college teams in the Southland will continue to have a presence on this site,

I also want to put more of an emphasis on covering and writing about things that don’t necessarily get any real coverage on the mainstream sites.

 

 

I know this will seem a bit biased of me, being that I’m a UCLA alum, but this video of Sophina DeJesus’ floor exercise routine in 2016 – which went viral – is not only an illustration of my goal to cover things not usually covered, but also of the SoCal team that I enjoy the most. Courtesy of YouTube.

 

The stuff I’ve written about UCLA’s women’s gymnastics program and the various high school and youth baseball teams that play in my area – Los Angeles’ Westside – are  examples of this.

And it’s something that I plan to expand on as it’s on my intent list to cover and write about things like youth soccer – I have a friend whose daughter plays on a club team – and volleyball, both indoor and beach – I have a cousin who’s likewise on a club team.

It’s articles like that which will keep this blog interesting and not merely another site talking about the Dodgers, Lakers, UCLA, USC, and the other major teams in SoCal; stuff that everyone else is covering.

In other words, I don’t want to do anything that’s been done to death, which is why save for the annual Crosstown Rivalry football game between the Bruins and the Trojans, there hasn’t been any previews or recaps of contests on this blog.

Another ultimate goal for SoCal Sports Annals is for it to expand to the point where it can be like an online magazine, complete with a (small) staff of young people for whom this site could be a source of gaining journalism experience.

That would be a very good way for me to help the community.

I suppose there’s not too much else to say, except that it’s my hope and prayer that the next 200 articles are as successful as the first 200.

If you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you to become one of this site’s followers as well as follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/socalshfanatic

And Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/SoCalSportsHub

Trust me when I say you won’t be disappointed in doing so, as this sports fan blog moves forward.

 

Dodger Stadium honoring the jersey number of the best athlete to ever come out of Southern California, period; if you don’t know who that is, I don’t know what to tell you…

UCLA BRUIN FOOTBALL: 2016 Midseason Commentary

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"Go Bruins", Bruin Nation, Bruins, college football, College Football Playoff, football, Pac-12 Conference, Pac-12 South, Rose Bowl, Twitter, UCLA, UCLA Bruins, University of California Los Angeles, Westwood

Josh Rosen calling a play during a recent game at the Rose Bowl. Photo courtesy of brunchnews.com

 

UCLA BRUINS – 2016 BY THE NUMBERS AFTER SIX GAMES

Record: 3-3, 1-2 and 5th place in the Pac-12 South

Team Leaders:

Josh Rosen, QB – 59.3% completions, 1,915 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5 INT

Soso Jamabo, RB – 220 yards, 3.9 ypc, 3 TDs

Bolo Olorunfunmi, RB – 4.0 ypc, 2 TDs

Darren Andrews, WR – 25 receptions, 35 long, 1 TD

Kenneth Walker, WR – 18 rec, 62 long, 3 TDs

Jayon Brown, LB – 53 tackles (leads team)

Kenny Young, LB – 45 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 4 sacks

Takkarist McKinley, DL – 8 TFL, 3 sacks

Adarius Pickett, DB – 3 INT

With a mere 3.9 yards per carry and on a pace for just 440 yards for the 2016 season…congratulations Soso Jamabo, you’re at the top of the Bruin rushing attack. Photo courtesy of dailyherald.com

 

A Few Thoughts:

Three facts regarding these Bruins’ offense – or a lack of one – says it all…

A ranking of (dead) last in the Pac-12 Conference with an average of 99 rushing yards per game.

Which puts them at 123rd out of 128 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Not to mention a receiving corps full of guys who remind fans of that character in the movie Necessary Roughness who was called “Stone Hands” due his extreme inability to catch a football.

And the reason for the Bruin’s ineptitude, an offensive line that’s possibly the worst in school history as they have already given up more sacks this year than all of last year, blocking, in the words of Craig T. Nelson in the 80s football movie All The Right Moves which starred Tom Cruise:

“…about as good as a jelly doughnut!”

Josh Rosen, who was knocked out twice during the most recent game against Arizona State, and backup quarterback Mike Fafaul can attest to that as they spent last Saturday night running for their lives when they weren’t being sacked.

All of this equals a UCLA team that once again is having a sub-par season despite having enough talent to be undefeated.

Which they could easily have been as their three losses were of the close kind in which they blew it at the end – and in Texas A&M’s case overtime.

That’s what is most frustrating and upsetting to Bruin Nation as these disappointments – that’s keeping them from being a truly elite program – seem to happen year after year.

This is a team that should be 6-0, ranked in the top ten if not the top five, and contenders for the College Football Playoff.

And they’re about as far from that level as a team can get.

 

Two bright spots for the Bruins: defensive lineman Takkarist McKinley (#98)  and linebacker Jayon Brown (#12) celebrating during a recent game. Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

 

And the worst part of this mess, as much as it hurts to say it…

It doesn’t look like things will get any better going forward, particularly if Rosen has to miss any time.

Remember in my preview of this team when I stated that Bruin Nation needs to pray for Rosen’s health due to the lack of a credible backup?

That nightmare scenario has all but come true as with no disrespect intended, in the grand tradition of what Michael Corelone famously said in The Godfather:

“It’s nothing personal. It’s strictly business,”

Fafaul in simply not a good enough quarterback to be successful at this high level of major college football, his skill set being more favorable to a Sacramento State or a UC Davis.

Unfortunately, this is UCLA and the Pac-12 Conference, and if Fafaul is forced to play due to Rosen’s injuries, I honestly can’t see the Bruins winning any more games this season save for maybe Oregon State.

And seeing that they beat California their last game, even that’s no longer a gimme.

To put it another way, UCLA is staring at the possibility of a 3-9 record.

Which could happen even if Rosen’s able to play because of an offensive line and a group of receivers that perform like Charlie Brown pitches.

 

Highlights of UCLA’s last win, a 45-24 beating of the Arizona Wildcats on October 1st at the Rose Bowl, courtesy of YouTube.

 

The one silver lining in this disaster of a season (so far), the reason why these Bruins will be in every game from here on out and will avoid getting blown out, is their defense.

Led by coordinator Tom Bradley, they have given Jim Mora’s team a chance to win every game with their pressure up front and stops in key moments.

With UCLA’s sorry offense, however, that defense is going to have to come up with some pick-sixes and fumble returns for touchdowns if they are going to have any chance of winning.

As such, like I tweeted on this site’s Twitter page, as much as I’m sick and tired of the Bruins’ underachieving, as a loyal alum if this ship goes down like the Titanic – and they’ve certainly hit the iceberg,

I’ll go down with them. And I’m sure the rest of Bruin Nation will, too.

UCLA’s next game, against a resurgent Washington State team that not only beat the Bruins last year, but are favored this year in arguably the toughest place to play in the conference, Pullman, WA, will be very telling as for how I see the rest of this campaign unfolding.

By roughly midnight, I will know once and for all if the Bruin fan base should consider this season over and start looking forward to 2017.

And whether I should start tweeting, #IsItUCLABruinGymnasticsSeasonYet?

 

Rosen, with Andre James (#75) leading the way, getting ready to throw a pass in UCLA’s 45-24 win over Arizona. Photo courtesy of foxsports.com

 

 

 

 

I WANT TO MEET VIN SCULLY

Tags

baseball, broadcasting, Dodger Stadium, Dodgers, Facebook, I Want To Meet Vin Scully, Jackie Robinson, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Southern California, Tommy Lasorda, Twitter, Vin Scully

The greatest sports announcer in history appropriately honored on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium in 2014. Photo courtesy of dodgers.mlb.com

 

EXPRESSING MY DESIRE TO FULFILL A PROMINENT ITEM ON MY BUCKET LIST.

I understand that millions of baseball fans not only in Southern California, but in these entire United States, have the same wish as what the title of this article says.

After all, this is a man who – along with Tommy Lasorda – is the Dodgers’ last link to Brooklyn as he began calling games for that franchise in 1950.

Except for Jackie Robinson (who he covered for seven years!) breaking the color barrier in 1947, he was there for every meaningful Dodger moment, from their first World Series title in 1955,

To perhaps the most significant episode in baseball history; the Dodgers’ move to L.A. that devastated a borough in 1958,

 

Vin Scully doing something that he has exquisitely done for the past 67 seasons – call Dodger games. Photo courtesy of vinscullyismyhomeboy.com

 

To the opening of a ballpark still considered one of the best in the majors in a hilly area north of downtown Los Angeles in 1962, which Lasorda has famously called “Blue Heaven on Earth”

To the pitching dominance of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale that ultimately Christened Dodger Stadium in the 1960s,

To the eight-year tenure of Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey in the Dodger infield in the 1970’s,

To Fernandomania and the miracle provided by Kirk Gibson in the 1980s,

To the Superman-like antics of Mike Piazza in the 1990s,

To his continuing charm spinning tales from a press box named after him in this century.

Back in the late 90s and in 2000, MTV had a show called “Fanatic”, where regular folks got to meet and talk with their favorite celebrities.

 

One would expect to see Vin Scully’s 1988 World Series Gibson home run call or him calling Bill Buckner’s error in the 1986 World Series here, but I thought it would be cool to post a video of something a little different – Scully telling a story about the great Satchel Paige during a game at Dodger Stadium on May 12, 2015.

 

If that show were around today, I would use any means necessary to meet and talk to Vin Scully.

I know that millions of other Dodger fans would say the same thing, particularly since his time in the booth has about three months to go as after 67 years, he’s finally calling it a career.

Also like everyone else, the reason I want to meet Scully is not only due to this great man being passed down from generation to generation in a sense; my mother told me about how my grandparents would blast his voice on the radio every day during the summer, describing the action that the Dodgers provided,

But because – and I know this sounds hokey, clichéd, and a bit silly – even though I have never met him, Vin Scully has been a great friend.

As I have stated, I completely understand that this desire of mine is shared by, at the bare minimum, 150 million people.

But as time is starting to run out, I am planning to make a non New Year’s resolution and see what I can do to make this item on my bucket list come true, starting with writing the hashtag #IWANTTOMEETVINSCULLY on every post on this site’s Twitter page (Here’s the link: http://www.twitter.com/socalshfanatic) 

 

The city of Los Angeles renaming the street leading to Dodger Stadium to Vin Scully Avenue earlier this year. Photo courtesy of scpr.org

 

As well as on SoCal Sports Annals’ Facebook page as much as I can (Here’s the link to that: http://www.facebook.com/SocalSportsHub)

In other words, my campaign to meet and spend a little time with the greatest broadcaster in the history of sports starts today.

Do I honestly expect this desire to be fulfilled?

I’d be lying if I said yes, but I’m going to take this attitude:

I at least have to try.

I’ll end this post with three more words:

WISH ME LUCK.

#IWANTTOMEETVINSCULLY

 

Generated by IJG JPEG Library Vin Scully getting ready to throw out the first ball. Photo courtesy of gettyimages.com

IN MEMORIAM: Remembering Muhammad Ali

Tags

"The Greatest", African-American, athetes, blacks, Boxing, chldhood, Greatest of all Time, Muhammad Ali, Muslim, Olympics, social media, sports, Twitter

One of the most iconic images of Muhammad Ali, if not THE most iconic: Standing over Sonny Liston after the “Phantom Punch” that knocked him out during their second fight in 1965. Photo courtesy of gosspionthis.com

 

HONORING NOT ONLY (one of the) GREATEST ATHLETES – AND CERTAINLY THE GREATEST BOXER – OF ALL TIME, BUT ALSO ONE OF THE GREATEST HUMAN BEINGS OF ALL TIME

 

Since Muhammad Ali passed away on June 3rd, much has been written and said about him and his legacy not only in sports,

But in the world in general for the stand he took against serving in the Vietnam War, plus the many humanitarian endeavors he partook of after his (obviously) illustrious boxing career ended.

While dealing with the Parkinson’s disease obtained from his epic battles with Joe Frazier and George Foreman in particular.

Much has also been said about Ali being an African-American that, through his personality and his outspokenness, did a lot to promote cultural pride among his fellow black people not only in America, but throughout the world.

He certainly helped to make me feel proud of being black.

Personally speaking, like countless millions of others Ali was a prominent memory of my childhood.

 

 

A video of Muhammad Ali’s speeches, interviews, and various trash talk that he engaged in over the years, showing just how funny he was. Courtesy of YouTube.com

 

 

My first real memory of Ali, besides knowing that he was the heavyweight champ and all, was watching him beat a guy named Ernie Shavers on TV in 1977. I was ten years old, and I recall Ali making fun of Shavers’ bald head beforehand, beating him in 15 rounds.

I remember feeling sad and not liking Leon Spinks when he beat Ali and took his crown a year later, then feeling that all is right with the world when he exacted revenge and won back his title a few months after that.

Being an elementary school kid at the time, Ali being featured in various Saturday morning cartoons and action figures, and making a guest appearance on “Diff’rent Strokes” when Gary Coleman got Ali to visit him by pretending he was sick (remember that episode?), were just as prominent in my memory bank as his fights were.

I remained an admirer of Ali’s throughout my teenage years and beyond, though like the rest of the world it became obvious to me and my peers that he had no business fighting Larry Holmes and Trevor Burbick, that he should have quit after beating Spinks as even I saw the shell of what he was.

Not that it mattered as Ali never left my “Favorite Athletes” list.

Which was why the thrill of my life – at least to this point – was meeting the man at a Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Santa Monica, where he was promoting a book of photographs detailing his career, in 1996.

Not only did I meet him, which was most fortunate as it was just before he was scheduled to leave, he – get this – pointed at me and waved me over to him!

Another iconic image of this great man: Lighting the Olympic torch during the Opening Ceremonies in Atlanta in 1996, just a few months before I had the honor of meeting him. Photo courtesy of pressherald.com

 

All right, now that all the “Whoas!” have died down…

I think the reason why such a famous sports legend took such an interest to me was because I was (and still am) a big guy; he asked as he got up to leave if I “rumbled”, me holding my hands up and saying no, that my sports life was as a baseball and softball guy.

It was a great thrill, to state the obvious.

Besides everything else, the most prominent thing in my mind when I think about “The Greatest” was and is something that hasn’t been talked about as much…

His sense of humor, as in my very humble opinion he was the funniest athlete who ever lived.

Every time I see footage of Ali saying how he was “…young, strong, fast, pretty, and can’t possibly be beat!”, calling Sonny Liston a “big old ugly bear” and predicting that he would “knock him out in eight”, as well as crowing about how “… (Liston’s) too ugly to be champ!. The heavyweight champion should be pretty like me!”

Every time he called Frazier a “gorilla” and Foreman a “mummy”,

Every time he recited one of his many poems,

And every time he made cracks during his many interviews,

Induced much laughter in me, even as a kid, which was probably the main reason I liked him so much.

Heck, just yesterday I was laughing while remembering the various outlandish things he said over the years.

Indeed, I have always thought that Ali would have made a great stand-up comedian in the tradition of Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy if boxing hadn’t worked out.

In fact, when I think of it Ali reminded me of my grandfather in that way, as like the champ my grandpa had a great sense of humor; and whose birthday coincidentally was the same week as his.

The evening of June 3rd was a sad one for me as I was following Ali’s health situation on Twitter while doing some work for my site’s page; it was fortunate that I was able to report his death on my social media pages as soon as it was announced.

A triumphant moment: Knocking out George Foreman in Zaire (now the Republic of Congo) in 1974. Photo courtesy of newslocker.com

 

However…

When I remember Muhammad Ali, I’ll think of how funny he was along with everything else.

I won’t be sad, as more than anyone else his life deserves to be celebrated.

As sure as I’m writing this, with Ali being a Muslim I know the first thing Allah said to him when he arrived in Paradise was two words:

“Well Done.”

So rest in peace, Mr. Ali.

Give Nelson Mandela, Jackie Robinson and John Wooden my personal warm regards.

And if you see my Grandpa up there, tell him hello for me as well, and that he is loved and missed.

 

Boxing gloves and a message sit amongst flowers at a makeshift memorial to Muhammad Ali at the Muhammad Ali Center, Saturday, June 4, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. Muhammad Ali died Friday at age 74. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Photo courtesy of macaudailytimes.com.no

 

UNDER ARMOUR BOUND: My Thoughts Regarding UCLA’s $280 Million Deal

Tags

Adidas, athletes, Bruin Nation, Bruins, college, education, Los Angeles Times, NCAA, Nike, scholarships, school, student-athletes, Twitter, UCLA, UCLA Bruins, Under Armour, University of California Los Angeles, Westwood

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero with Under Armour CEO Kevin Polak, holding a Bruin basketball jersey after signing off on their record deal. Photo courtesy of veooz.com

 

ONE GUY’S OPINION OF THE MASSIVE DEAL THAT UCLA SIGNED WITH UNDER ARMOUR AND ITS IMPACT AS FAR AS ITS ATHLETES

 

When I heard about my collegiate alma mater making the biggest shoe and apparel deal in NCAA history, to the tune of $280 million, a few things entered my thoughts:

1.  Make sure the new gear is affordable, with no $250 shoes or $150 jerseys or $65 t-shirts.

2.  Make sure that no sweatshops paying a dollar or less for a 14-hour work day – either in this country or (especially) abroad – is ever involved in the making of these shoes and apparel.

3.   PLEASE don’t have any multiple alternate-jersey football games; one per season is enough, preferably a throwback game as the uniforms depicting the 1967 Bruins worn in 2007 were cool.

One “black-out” game in lieu of that would be fine as well, but I’m frankly tired of all the gray and charcoal gray jerseys and helmets that Adidas did in recent years strictly to boost sales – the UCLA colors are True Blue and Gold, and that needs to be emphasized forever.

After all, you never see the New York Yankees not wear pinstripes at home, or chief Bruin rival USC ever change its football uniforms. Why should that be the case in Westwood?

UCLA’s softball team, chilling in the dugout as they will face top-ten Oregon in the NCAA Super Regionals for the right to go to the Women’s College World Series this weekend. Photo courtesy of dailybruin.com

 

A day or two after UCLA’s marriage with Under Armour was signed and sealed, I read an article in the Los Angeles Times that made me stop and think, reminding me of some issues that have always been in my mind.

Bill Plaschke’s column is something that I regularly read, and the one he wrote on May 24th was lamenting not only “…the richest day in UCLA sports history,” it also pointed out something else:

“…Bruins athletics $280 million, Bruins athletes $0. Not that this is news, but man, something is really wrong here.”

This sentiment was heightened by Bruin quarterback Josh Rosen’s subsequent post on Twitter which read,

“We’re still amateurs, though…gotta love non-profits.”

Not to mention Ed O’ Bannon, the leader of UCLA’s last national championship basketball team in 1995, who later filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for using his (and other college athletes) image for various commercial purposes, stating in Plaschke’s article,

“There are men and women doing all this (being student-athletes and the hard work that goes along with that), providing a certain amount of entertainment, making all this money for this school, and some of them are not even allowed to get a job in their major?

“As a human being you should at least be able to go to work, and they can’t even do that.”

Let me emphasize something:

I’m a proud alum of UCLA and a loyal member of Bruin Nation, and I hope no one takes any of this as a diatribe against the school as with other schools having deals worth hundreds of millions like Ohio State’s $252 million and Texas’ $250 million, both with Nike, the Bruins are just keeping up with the Joneses.

But the fact that student-athletes on scholarship have a long history of financial hardships while in school, me hearing and reading stories of what football and basketball players were forced to do to make money as they couldn’t eat their room, board and books, and training table only lasted for so long, reminded me of one thing…

It’s just not fair.

Check out the new logo under the iconic UCLA script, it’s a logo Bruin Nation will be seeing a lot more of very soon. Photo courtesy of dunk360.com

 

I know, I know; I can hear it all now…

“These athletes are getting a free education (world-class in UCLA’s case)!”

“These athletes are getting free gear, tutoring, priority enrollment in classes, and so many other perks!”

“They will be getting a degree that will be priceless!”

“If they feel they’re being exploited, they didn’t have to take the scholarship as it’s voluntary!”

“These athletes don’t know how good they have it!”

While I don’t disagree with any of those statements, and while no one values a college education more than me, the question that come to mind is,

“If everything’s so Heavenly for these athletes, how come so many of them (if they’re good enough) bail for the pros the minute they are eligible?”

It’s both true and to the NCAA’s credit that they have recently made available stipends to cover the full cost of going to school, not just the academic side, i.e., living expenses and the like.

But it’s still not fair to me that unlike members of the marching band, cheerleaders, and other students, not only are athletes not allowed to make any money using their given skills, they can only make so much at a part-time job as there’s a cap on any earnings they make.

Which during the school year they would have very little time for anyway.

 

PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 05: Quarterback Josh Rosen #3 of the UCLA Bruins throws a pass against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Rose Bowl on September 5, 2015 in Pasadena, California. UCLA won 34-16. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) UCLA’s stud QB wearing the old Adidas gear…

 

Unlike many fans, surprisingly enough I don’t feel that simply paying the players will solve everything as it would create more of a have and have-not system in college sports, plus it would take 20 Bill Gateses, 20 Warren Buffets, and 20 pairs of Koch brothers to fund all those Division 1 student-athtetes.

And I’m talking both male and female as anything that a football or men’s basketball player gets, a swimmer or a volleyball player should get.

Putting it another way, Katelyn Ohashi, a UCLA gymnast, should get the same amount of money as Rosen if the rules disallowing payments were lifted.

Instead, I have an idea that would go a ways toward satisfying athletes; do these two things and I’ll bet that not only would athletes be happy – or at least happier,

You would see less of them going pro early.

And you would see less cheating and fewer NCAA sanctions as well…

1.  Significantly raise the earnings cap that a student-athlete may earn at any job he or she is able to get so they would be better able to meet living expenses, plus be better able to do things that regular students get to do, i.e. go to the movies or eat at a decent restaurant without any clown mascots or paper crowns.

2.  Increase the stipends that scholarship athletes get by taking either the money from shoe-apparel deals and all the television deals, totaling into the (probably) hundreds of billions, and putting in a system where freshmen would get so much extra cash a month, then increase it as they become sophomores, juniors, etc.

It doesn’t have to be a huge amount; former Oklahoma All-American linebacker Brian Bosworth, in his book “The Boz”, advocated that freshmen should get $100, sophomores $200, and so on, with the amount of money given uniform for all Division 1 schools.

In other words, a junior San Jose State women’s gymnast would get the exact same amount of money as a junior defensive lineman from national champion Alabama.

And for those crying how it would bankrupt everything..

Make these stipend and earnings cap changes only available to athletes on scholarship, not walk-ons as they would have to earn these perks by being placed on a “scholie” after a certain amount of time.

I understand that some will question this proposal, saying things ranging from how this is flawed because people would still cheat by trying to pay more to how difficult it would be to enforce these policy changes.

But if big men on campus like Josh Rosen are lamenting about how his Bruin athletic department is getting $280 million while he doesn’t even get a shiny penny from that deal,

Not even a crumb from the proverbial rich table sagging with delicious goodies,

Then Plaschke is right.

Something is definitely wrong with this picture.

 

No explanation necessary. Photo courtesy of sportal.com.nz

 

 

 

SOCAL SPORTS ANNALS ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

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Facebook, interesting articles, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, SoCal Sports Annals, Southern California, Twitter

 

 

Did you know that this site has a Facebook and a Twitter page, and has had one since it’s inception in January?

Those pages not only feature SoCal Sports Annals posts, but highlights of games and interesting articles from other sites and sources such as the Los Angeles Times concerning the college and pro teams that call Southern California home.

For a site as young as this one is, the amount of people who like and follow our Twitter and Facebook pages’ are promising as the #SoCalSportsAnnals page on Twitter has nearly 240 followers, while the #Facebook page’s “Likes” total over 75.

Needless to say, we’d love for those numbers to increase!

I encourage and urge everyone to not only check out these informative pages, but “Like”  and “Follow” them as well, so you can get the latest in L.A. and SoCal sports as well as get top access to future articles on this site, which will include features covering topics that will not be seen on other sports fan sites.

To find out what those features will be, you’ll just have to “Like” and “Follow” our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Here are the links to those pages; it’s a certainty that they will be impressive to all who partake in them:

http://www.twitter.com/socalshfanatic

http://www.facebook.com/SoCalSportsHub