Quick Takes (v62): Keep One, Toss the Rest

They take an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic" and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same" and to "well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office..."

Nothing in their oath says anything about bearing true faith and allegiance to their party.

Nothing in their oath says anything about supporting and defending the charlatan and grifter who used to be president, or about supporting and defending any other individual.

It's just not in the oath - I swear and affirm.

So much of the time, they disregard their oath and work for their own longevity and benefits of office, not for the benefit of the country, not for our vaunted American Ideals, not for you and me. Put many of them in the same room and all we'll see is a pile of insincere, self-centered, scaredy cat hypocrites.

Is this the only example, the move by Kevin McCarthy to delegitimize the House Select Committee on the insurrection, immediately after meeting with the former president, the many McCarthy previously said "bears responsibility" for what happened?

Hell no, there are tons of them. I wear glasses, but the lenses are not rose, I can assure you. We could fill the Boston Harbor a million times over with boxes of hypocrisy from the people we elect - the Boston Harbor, and the Great Lakes, and the entire Mississippi River and all her tributaries, and the Gulf of Mexico, and still have boxes and boxes of hypocrisy left over.

If Washington hypocrisy was water, we'd never have a drought. If it was actual currency, we'd be able to pay for every idea anyone ever thought of, and some ideas we haven't thought of yet.

But it's not actual currency - it's political currency. And so here we are.

If any of the Rs had any courage, they'd walk down the hall to Speaker Pelosi's office and volunteer to be on the Select Committee. All of those "Look at me, I'm bipartisan!" folks in the Problem Solvers Caucus? They'd be lining up to join the Committee. They'd do that, to uphold their oath, to support and defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. Even if that means they might be investigating members of their own caucus, their colleagues, their friends. And they'd even have the chance to investigate the House leadership as part of the process, which is as it should be. We should expect nothing less, and we should stand for nothing less.

I'm not holding my breath for even a single second, because I know better. We all know better. We must figure out how to get these people out of office.

Except Liz Cheney. She can stay. Not because I agree with her on policy issues, but because she has more courage than the rest of them combined.

Wondering on Wednesday 7/21/21

Ready... Set... Wonder!

A whole lotta wondering going on, going on. Let's dive in.

Billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos separately launched themselves to the edge of space, or actually to space recently, depending on who you listen to. Not surprisingly there's a lot of chatter about how these guys waste their money on stuff like this, rather than on feeding the hungry, or raising wages, or paying taxes (Bezos), or a whole host of other things we'd spend our money on, if we had it to spare. 

But here's what I wonder: is it worse that billionaires spend a few of their own billions launching themselves dozens of miles high, or that cities and countries spend tens of billions of dollars hosting the Olympics, all the while ignoring the needs of their own residents who may be hungry, homeless, sick, unemployed, or otherwise being underserved by their government?

Take Los Angeles, which is set to host the 2028 Summer Games, at projected cost of $6.9B. Additional money will come from the federal government, and the state has committed to cover any cost overruns in case tickets, merch, sponsorships and the like don't cover all of the costs. 

Is there really nothing better that LA, CA, or the US of A could to with that money, I wonder? And, if that's not enough, Salt Lake City is going to be bidding on an upcoming Winter Games, maybe 2034, they say. How much will we spend there, against what more pressing needs?

Can't we just declare permanent spots for the Winter and Summer games, and stop the nonsense? 

Sticking with the Olympics, remember all the uproar over the American sprinter who broke the rules, and tested positive for pot? She would have missed her individual race, serving a suspension for the banned substance, but then she wasn't chosen by the US team to participate in the relay, either, which would have been held after her suspension was served. Instead, her spot went to a runner who didn't have a positive drug test. I wonder why so many people thought that was wrong?

And, one more for you: Becca Meyers, a deaf and legally blind American gold-medal-winning Paralympian swimmer, has withdrawn because she's not allowed to have her mother, who serves as her Personal Care Assistant (PCA), attend the games due to COVID. In a tweet, Meyers said, in part, 

So, in 2021, why as a disabled person am I still fighting for my rights? I'm speaking up for future generations of Paralympic athletes in hope that they never have to experience the pain I've been through. Enough is enough.

The USOC will have one PCA for all 34 members of our swim team, including nine who are blind. In a country where everyone's going to be masked, making lip-reading impossible. Where's the outrage about that, I wonder? Is that really the best we can do, in 2021?

Speaking of "the best we can do, in 2021," there's this:

Athletes on the Norwegian women's beach handball team are being punished for wearing shorts rather than bikini bottoms during a recent game, with the European Handball Federation leveling fines over "a case of improper clothing."

While the men's uniform includes "shorts that fall no longer than 10 centimeters above their knees" the women "must wear bikini bottoms... with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg." And the width of the bikini at that upward angle toward the top of the leg? The same 10 centimeters, or about four inches, as the maximum distance of the men's shorts from their knees.

The fine amounts to about $175 (US) for each of the ten team members. And they don't care - they're hoping to change the stupid rule. Good for them. And how much longer is this absurd objectification going to continue? That's the wondering here. Enough, already! Respect the women as athletes - or, I guess, put the men in similarly-designed bikini bottoms. What's good for the goose, and all.

Finally, we've got Kevin McCarthy, the alleged leader of the GOP in the House of Representatives. McCarthy went to Bedminster to meet with the real leader of the GOP, Former Guy, to talk about the mid-terms he said. But Trump said they had "much to discuss," which undoubtedly included who should represent the GOP on the House Select Committee on Former Guy's insurrection. Five days later, McCarthy named Rep. Jim Jordan and four others to the Committee. 

In response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejecting Jordan's appointment, and that of Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, McCarthy pulled all his people, saying 

This panel has lost all legitimacy and credibility. Pelosi has broken this institution. 

Pretty sure it "lost all legitimacy and credibility" when you trotted off to kiss that ring in New Jersey, Kev. McCarthy, you'll remember, said this, on the House floor, just days after the insurrection.

Last week's attack on the Capitol was undemocratic, un-American, and criminal. Violence is never a legitimate form of protest. The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob riot. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. These facts required immediate action of president Trump to accept his share of responsibility, quell the brewing unrest, and ensure President-elect Biden is able to successfully begin his term. And the president's immediate action also deserves Congressional action, which is why I think a fact-finding commission and a censure resolution would be prudent.

And today, he stands in front of a microphone and says Pelosi has broken the House? I've gotta wonder, how does he say this stuff with a straight face? As someone I know likes to say, we are so screwed. 

Oh wait - that's me. I like to say that. 

What's on your wondering mind today?

Quick Takes (v61): When Soundbites and Facts Collide

On Wednesday, Andrew Cuomo, my Sonofa Gov, exerted his princely powers and declared a 'state emergency' and released a new seven-point-plan to address gun violence. He said that "we went from COVID to the epidemic of gun violence and the fear and death that goes along with it."  And, he said,

This is a national problem, I get it. But somebody has to step up and somebody has to address it.

Somebody does need to address it, there's no doubt about that. We can argue about whether Cuomo's the guy, or whether it's Congress, or whether it's local law enforcement... truth be told, it's all of them, I'd suggest, but it's not my place to try and steal Cuomo's thunder. After all, there are plenty of people around to do that. 

Like my Congressman, Rep. John Katko (R-Trump Wants Me to be Primaried). Katko's a former federal prosecutor; he helped take down some violent gangs back in the day here in Syracuse, so he has some experience in this area. He's also a Republican in a purple district, NY-24. He voted for the second impeachment, and led the charge to get a bill passed that would have established an independent, 9/11-style investigation into the insurrection. Neither of those have endeared him to his hard-core constituents. 

So, attacking Cuomo seems safe, and that's what Katko did, when he blamed state policies for the increase in violent crime.

Right now, in New York State the laws are terrible. Bail reform is a good example of that, and defunding the police. The fact that the governor is admitting that his policies have failed, the policies of the Democrats have failed, is a good step in the right direction.

Katko thinks we need a stronger stand against gang violence, and says that, while Cuomo's plan includes millions for jobs for at-risk youth, targeting high-crime areas and illegal gun sales, it might not be enough.

It’s better than nothing, but New York city defunded their police by one billion dollars with a 'b' and look what happened there, so he’s starting to understand that he’s got a mess on his hands that he helped make.

OK - those are the soundbites, here are the facts. 

According to Fox News, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed the New York City Council’s move strip the New York Police Department of $1 billion in funding, questioning “what it means” and calling for concrete action.

"I don’t know what it means," Cuomo said during a press briefing Wednesday. “What does that mean? Does this mean I am less safe? Where did you take the billion dollars from? Does it mean I am more safe? Does it have any effect on police abuse? I don’t know what it means...”

The truth is, like many people, Cuomo thought calls to defund the police hurt Democrats in last year's elections.

I think 'defund the police' went too far. I think law and order makes a difference in people's lives... I think 'defund the police' was a really unfortunate expression. I don't think anyone meant it literally.

Yes, he wants police departments to reform. Yes, he doesn't think much of Bill de Blasio, and taking a swipe at him is good fun, but in the end, he's not a big gun behind the 'defund' movement - he favors rethinking policing, and required all departments in the state to submit community-supported plans to do just that, or lose state funding. Did Katko not know that?

And, let's look at bail reform, another Katko complaint, and some crime statistics. The truth is, bail reform - and COVID-related prisoner releases - are not significant contributors to the increase in gun violence. And that's coming from the NY Post, hardly a Cuomo-supporting media outlet.

While the surge in gunplay is undeniable, a Post analysis of department data found that most people released under the criminal justice reforms or amid the pandemic had no known ties to the bloodshed — with criminal justice experts saying the cops should focus on the flow of illegal guns into the city instead of playing the “blame game.”

Here are the details, from the NYPD's own data (emphasis added):

• There's been a 46% increase in shootings (528 this year through June 30th, compared to 362 in the same time period last year), but the NYPD has closed only 28% of them, about half the normal close rate.
• Of the roughly 11,000 released under the new bail laws, only 91 have any connection to a shooting, and only one person has been charged. Over half of them were either victims (25) or witnesses (24); the remaining 41 are documented as either suspects (31) or "perps" (10) in the NYPD data.

And for good measure, here are the numbers on COVID releases.

• 2500 or so inmates were released from Rikers to reduce overcrowding during the pandemic; some 275 have been rearrested (through mid-June), but only nine are linked to shootings. One was arrested, two are "persons of interest," and three are witnesses. The other three? They were victims of shootings.

If these are the facts, why do politicians (and law enforcement officials) insist on saying something else? Richard Aborn, who's president of the Citizens Crime Commission, thinks this is why.

There's a blame game going on, and I don't think it's helpful. I think it would be helpful if the NYPD [issued] a clear report explaining why they think the uptick in shootings is linked to bail reform.

Maybe Rep. Katko would consider doing the same?

Wondering on Wednesday 7/7/21

Ready... Set... Wonder!

What in the wondering world is going on tonight? Let's take a look.

The embattled president of Haiti, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in his home early this morning, and his widow has been flown to Miami in critical condition. Meanwhile, on the interwebs, fingers immediately pointed to Bill and Hillary Clinton as the culprits. The wondering here? How on earth did Hunter Biden escape blame?

There's a lot of speculation on what GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Afraid of Trump) will do about the House Select Committee on the insurrection. Will he appoint RWNJs like Marjorie Greene (R-Jewish Space Lasers), Lauren Boebert (R-OK Corral) and Matt Gaetz (R-Where's Nestor?)? Or maybe #FormerGuy favorite Jim Jordan (R-Coatless in Ohio), one wonders? Or, will he try and appoint people who might actually acquit themselves as serious members of Congress? 

One thing I am wondering about is why Nancy Pelosi (D-I Swear I Won't Run for Speaker Again) decided that three of the eight Dems on the Committee needed to be former impeachment managers. Is there no one other than Adam Schiff (D-I Don't Know When to Stop Talking) who could participate? You remember him, the guy who told the fun stories before anything even got started in the first impeachment? Couldn't she have done better, I wonder, in making this look less partisan? Or doesn't she even care anymore?

Former Guy sued social media companies Facebook, Google, and Twitter today, claiming in part that they are 'state actors' and therefore subject to the First Amendment. Red meat for his base, a comedic goldmine for his critics, and a continuation of his propensity for lawsuits. Says Santa Clara University law school professor Eric Goldman, Trump

is playing a standard media game. It fits into a broader pattern of the former president bringing lawsuits and then not vigorously pursuing them.

As always, we're left wondering what his 'news' is supposed to distract us from - maybe the tax-evasion case against the Trump Organization and Allen Weisselberg, his CFO? Or the fact that even Fox News doesn't broadcast his rallies?

We collectively fell short of President Biden's goal of 70% of American adults having at least one dose of a COVID vaccine by July 4th., landing at around 67%. So, instead of having big vaccination sites that are being underused, the new plan is to meet people where they are - going door-to-door to learn about - and counter - vaccine hesitancy; making sure primary care physicians  and pediatricians have vaccines available; and using mobile vaccination clinics, among other things. 

Response to these ideas is mixed, with the usual suspects on both sides acting as we expected they would. So, what's the wondering? Is there anything that will convince more people to get vaccinated? What if we told them the virus really did originate in a Wuhan lab, not a wet market (whether that's true, or not) - would that work? Or, maybe instead of offering a college scholarship, or a million bucks, we gave everyone a gun and a year's supply of ammo - would that work?

What are you wondering about?

Sunday School 7/4/21: Extra Credit

As promised in this week's Sunday School, here are highlights from Mike Emanuel's interview with Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) on Fox News Sunday. McCaul is the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Emanuel was sitting for Chris Wallace.

• McCaul agrees with an op-ed in the Washington Post that "rivals such as Iran, China, and Russia" could view our withdrawal from Afghanistan that "President Biden lacks the stomach to stand up for US allies."  He noted that the Intelligence Community's assessment that the Taliban could take over all of Afghanistan in as little as six months, including Bagram Air Base, which we just turned over to the Afghans last week. 
• He criticizes "the lack of planning and preparation" for the withdrawal, and for what's likely to come. According to a meeting he had with Afghan President Ghani, this is going to be "the year of the jihad," with "all the young males in Pakistan at the madrassas are poised with the Taliban to pour over into Afghanistan and you're going to see a major civil war take place." It won't be pretty, he feels, and he's worried about our embassy and he staff there. 
• We need to work on getting visas for the around 9,000 Afghani interpreters, contractors and their families who helped us during the war, he said; "we made a promised to them... we told them we'd take care of them and we can't turn our backs and leave them to die. They will be slaughtered by the Taliban. They're targeted by the Taliban. We have to get them out of there." He said he thinks, finally, there's some attention to the issue and we may be able to move them to Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan while they wait for their visas. 
• Finally, on this subject: he thinks it's political that Biden's going to get everyone out and not leave a few troops behind. "If you talk to anybody in the national security realm or in the Defense Department, you know, they -- you mentioned Secretary Austin, the head of the DOD, nobody thought this was a good idea. A residual force of 2,500 troops is not a whole lot of a footprint compared to where we have troops elsewhere to provide stability in the region." 

I will give McCaul credit for consistency, something I can't say about most Republicans, or most politicians in general. Last November, when Former Guy put forth his plan to have all troops out of Afghanistan in the spring, McCaul joined many other Rs in pushing back against that plan. Here's part of what he said.

A premature U.S. withdrawal would not only jeopardize the Afghan government’s ability to negotiate but would endanger U.S. counterterrorism interests.

Other info from yesterday's chat? 

• The coverup of the origins of COVID-19 by the Chinese Communist Party he calls "the greatest human -- greatest cover-up in human history. And you don't cover-up something if you're not trying to hide something." He wishes "the Democrats would join with us on this very important investigations and what caused this problem," not mentioning that Biden has ordered  a full investigation and a determination of whether the virus came from an animal, or from the Wuhan lab.
• He calls Biden's canceling of Trump's 'remain in Mexico' border policy "a self-inflicted wound and a foreign policy blunder," and doesn't know how they're going to fix it without going back to the Trump-era policies.
• Infrastructure is both "popular" and "bipartisan," if you're talking about roads and bridges and rural broadband, and not any of that other stuff like the Green New Deal and health care and education. And he's not excited about That Guy from Vermont using reconciliation to "basically open up to a massive tax increase. And this is a Trojan horse syndrome that I think we're most worried about."

To be sure, there are things to worry about, just as there were in the previous administration, and the one before that, and the one before that. Endless wars, immigration, and infrastructure are just a few of the things that we've been kicking down the road. 

See you around campus. 

Sunday School 7/4/21

I did a drive-by of a couple of Sunday School classrooms yesterday: CNN's State of the Union, and Fox News Sunday.

Dana Bash talked with Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) on SOTU; here are some highlights.

• With only 42% of eligible Arkansans vaccinated and "younger adults that's now getting hit with the Delta variant," the gov says they're focusing on making the vaccine accessible and that "everybody knows the need. He thinks the vaccination rate is good enough that "we can avoid the surge in hospitalizations that puts us in jeopardy" for a third wave, but said "in a rural state, in a conservative state, there is hesitancy" to get vaccinated. 
• He supports the bipartisan infrastructure bill, saying that it's paid for "the best news." He likes that it's "limited to the traditional infrastructure of roads and bridges," and funding for some water and broadband projects. He doesn't want it tied to the other bill, noting that "we have more money than we could spend right now in terms of some of the federal money that's flowed in our direction."
• He's sending National Guard troops to Texas, but denies it's political theater. He called what's happening at the border now "disaster. It's a human tragedy," with the Biden administration policy changes. He'd never use political donations for something like this, as Gov. Kristi Noem (R-Trump Dakota) is doing, saying that responding to other states "in terms of disaster" is a state function" and he'd consider it "a bad precedent to have that privately funded."
• He wouldn't rule out a run for president in 2024, but said after his term ends next year, he wants "to be engaged in the national debate. It's important, the direction of our party, our country."

Also in the SOTU classroom? Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC).

• He said the new Select Committee on the insurrection might be able to avoid having Former Guy testify; he "would not want to see a former president testifying in such a situation as this." If that's what it takes, though, he'd be OK with it, noting that "this is more than any one person. This is country... since 1776, this country has been in pursuit of perfection. And we need to keep that pursuit going... this is a great time for us to re-dedicate ourselves to what we have all been looking forward to for a long time, liberty and justice for all."
• Dems have always been for voter ID, just equitable ID requirements. When you tell me that you got to have a photo ID, and a photo for a student for an activity card is not good, but, for a hunting license, it is good, that's where the rub is." He doesn't know anyone who's against IDing themselves when they go to vote. "But we don't want you to tell me my ID is no good because I don't own a gun and I don't go hunting." And that voter registration card you receive? That should be a valid ID for voting. 
• He doesn't agree with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-Filibuster), saying "we need to get rid of the filibuster for constitutional issues, just as we have done for budget issues." For arguments on political issues, like building a wall, or how high it should be, the filibuster is OK, if extended debate is allowed. But now, "we will allow a senator to sit downtown in a spa somewhere, pick up the telephone and call in the filibuster, and effectively stop voting rights and other constitutional rights... won't even come to the floor to argue his or her position. That's what is wrong with this filibuster..." 
• He still has hopes for police reform, saying " I think we're going to get there." He says there's still time, and that "it is teetering on some divisions between the sheriffs and, say, the police chiefs, but we can reconcile those. I'm holding out hope that we get this done, because it needs to be done."

Mike Emanuel sat in for Chris Wallace down the hall to the right. He had Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in the guest chair. They talked about infrastructure, COVID, the border, and about Afghanistan. To do that justice, I'll save it for this week's Extra Credit. 

See you around campus - assuming, that is, that you made it through yesterday's birthday unscathed. 

Sidebar: Quick Takes (v60)

In my Quick Takes post yesterday, I expressed concern over the new NCAA Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program, which allows college athletes to be paid directly by corporations through sponsorships and whatnot. I proposed a different solution to paying athletes for the work they do for their schools - an equally imperfect solution, truth be told, but one that's more equitable, in my eyes. 

The announcement of these changes came at the same time as a legendary figure in high school lacrosse, locally and nationally, did an interview with a local media outlet here in my neck of the woods. The interview wasn't about the NIL changes, but it touched on some of the things that I can see being exacerbated by them. 

Retired West Genesee Coach Mike Messere talked with Lindsey Kramer of Syracuse.com/The Post Standard. Messere retired three years ago, after coaching the Wildcats to 15 state championships and 30 conference championships in his 40-odd-year career. By all accounts, he was a tough and demanding coach; his retirement was accompanied by scathing comments about his team's performance in their 2018 state championship loss, after all. 

The impetus for the interview was news that the coaches for both the West Genny boys and girls teams had stepped down. As Kramer notes in the interview, Messere "has clearly fought off the mellowing impacts of time and distance."

Among other things, he said "It's a tough time right now to be a coach or a teacher. Everything's changing and it's not for the best." In part, he points to discipline, and parents, and demands on the kids.

The parents want the kid to be more free to do their thing. Score, and be fancy, and shine, and make a show of themselves and stuff like that... They want their kid to get a scholarship so they’ve got to be in a certain spot, they’ve got to play a certain way. Before, years ago when they didn’t know much about the game of lacrosse it was a lot better. They couldn’t say too much. But now they learn the word “faceoff” and they think they know it all. They have their ideas, too.

Ours was tried and proven and true the way we were doing it. But it takes discipline, learning a lot of basic skills. Nothing fancy. They’re not jumping up and down and spinning around and making a show of yourself. And the parents don’t like that. They want their kid to do all that stuff to get attention.

And there's more - he's definitely not shy. In some respects, it sounds like he ran his program the way Steinbrenner ran the Yankees. 

The kind of quitting, how do I explain it? They gave up on the West Genny way. Kids weren’t keeping their socks up; they were kicking them down. All the stuff that made you that little bit, not that it made you a better player. It made you different than the other kids. A little more special. I don’t know if they got that or understood that. When they see you come, they know who you are, and you’re something special just by the looks of those socks. It’s a discipline thing. Everybody dresses the same, we play the same, everybody respects everybody else the same way.

And when you think of NIL, can you see what Messere's talking about coming into play? I sure can.

Look at me! I'm the funny socks guy, and I'm getting $1oK for that! Check out my on Insta and TikTok - I'm getting paid for clicks! My team? Losing record, but I'm getting paid! Woo hoo, look at me!

In a lot of ways, I agree with Messere on the importance of team, discipline, and uniformity, especially before the kids get into college. That is not the way of the world now, with competitive teams - travel teams - for kids as young as five or six in some sports. That's a lot of years to learn how to wear your socks just right to get noticed. I've seen myself how kids even that young are being encouraged by parents to star as individuals, rather than as team players.

In addition to being ripe for encouraging selfish behavior on the part of the kids (and their parents) the NIL program also seems ripe for a lot of other stuff, such as illegal payments to players before they get into college, payments to families or coaches to nudge their kids to choose this sponsorship deal over that one, and so on. You know: all the stuff the NCAA has been punishing for years, and which colleges are sometimes willing to turn a blind eye to, if it helps them get a high-powered coach who can recruit great players and bring in the bucks. 

With the new rules, will we eventually see a game where the players are all decked out like NASCAR drivers, proudly touting their sponsors, with maybe a little space saved for their team's name? 

I'm old - or, at least, old school. Shine through your play, not your 'style.' Be part of a unit, not an attention-grabber. Play for the team, not for individual glory. Pull up your socks. Tell your Mom and Dad to take a seat.

Oh - and get off my lawn.

Quick Takes (v60): The Times Are Surely Changing

Happy pay day, college athletes! Get your money while you're hot!

I'm torn on the whole Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) changes in college athletics. New NIL rules allowing student-athletes to profit off their 'brand' through sponsorships or corporate partnerships went into effect yesterday.

The NCAA adopted what they're calling an interim NIL policy, after several states passed legislation allowing this kind of benefit for athletes. According to NCAA president Mark Emmert,

This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image, and likeness opportunities. With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level. The current environment — both legal and legislative — prevents us from providing a more permanent solution and the level of detail student-athletes deserve.

Some student-athletes jumped into NIL deals right away; for example, here's the story of Hanna and Haley Cavinder, twin basketball players for Fresno State. They'll be part of a national campaign for Boost Mobile - a company that's going whole-hog on deals with college stars. CEO Stephen Stokols explains that it's not just national deals, there's more.

... he's interested in the appeal that many college athletes have on a local level. He said deals could range from annual contracts worth large sums of money to in-kind deals where Boost provides athletes with free cellphones and service plans in exchange for promoting the company on social media.

A lot of these guys are local heroes... We think it's a big opportunity to get regional and local with relevant names in those markets. ...We want to be one of the biggest companies embracing [the college-athlete marketplace] early. We hope to play a role in helping to shape it. There is a lot of gray area that will hopefully be more defined a year from now.

In my neck of the woods, Syracuse University has rolled out a new program, called ACCELERATE, for kids. The program expands upon one started last year, which provided "every student-athlete with real-time multimedia content access from Syracuse Athletics' communications and creative services teams" which they could share on social media. Now, 

...Syracuse Athletics will offer an intensive bootcamp to all student-athletes beginning in September 2021. This bootcamp will allow for subject matter experts from Syracuse University and the corporate world to deliver practical knowledge to student-athletes on entrepreneurship, brand building, creating a business, finance, accounting, contracts, and agents. The bootcamp sessions will help student-athletes further develop their own personal brands and prepare them for the real-world implications of starting their own personal business.

Other schools will surely offer similar programs, which is great for the athletes. All of them - whether they're in school primarily to enhance their brand and create opportunities to go to the next level, or if they're in school to get a degree and move on to a career outside athletics, this is knowledge that will help.

And, good for the kids to have the chance to make money, instead of their schools making money off them. And let's not forget the coaches, too, some of whom are raking in millions in salary, shoe-and-apparel deals, and other sponsorships. That the student-athletes are the only ones not making money for their services is wrong, and has been for a long time. 

But the NCAA's insistence on prohibiting the kids to be paid for the work they put in - often a full work-week (or more) during the season - in order to preserve the 'amateur' status of the kids? That's nuts. 

I'd rather see all the athletes, in both revenue-earning and non-revenue earning sports, get a salary for the hours they put in, instead of giving them free reign to rake in outside money. And they'd get paid for all their time - games, at practice, in the weight room, traveling, watching film - the whole nine yards, as it were. A salary would ensure that all students on a team, whether they get a lot of playing time or not, will benefit. 

And how about some revenue sharing? Could a small percentage of conference money, TV revenue, ticket income, and the like could be divided up among all athletes, based on some formula that people smarter than me could develop? I bet it could.

An added benefit? With athletes being paid by the school, not by corporate interests, you won't see players competing against each other for the same NIL sponsorships, or worse, bad blood spilling over onto the field if one player gets a better deal than a teammate. 

I don't know what the perfect solution is, but there are good ways to do things, and bad ones. This NIL thing seems like a bad way to do a good thing.