Football was my first love, like many in America. I am in awe of the high paced, violent nature of the game. I put the athletes on a pedestal, believing that they are the closest thing to super human that the world has. Whether you agree with it or not, Athletics takes priority over academics in our public school systems, along with our colleges and universities almost every time. As a society, we are much more concerned about how many gold medals we earn at the Olympics rather than where we rank in math and science among the rest of the world.
Division 1 Athletics especially, are huge moneymakers for colleges and universities. Many of the programs are bringing upwards of 5 - 10 million dollars, if not more. Unfortunately, this money often takes priority over academics, but in some cases it takes priority over their student's well-being. For example, recently the University of Baylor has been under fire for their unwillingness to report sexual assault.
According to an Outside the Lines report by ESPN, http://thebiglead.com/2016/01/31/espn-report-accuses-baylor-of-mishandling-sexual-assault-accusations/ school officials either failed to investigate, or adequately investigate, allegations of sexual violence made by two women against former Baylor player Tevin Elliott. Both said they were informed that as many as six women had reported being assaulted by Elliott, who was convicted on two counts of sexual assault in 2014. He's currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. The report also reveals Baylor University took nearly three years to comply with a federal directive to hire a Title IX coordinator.
Baylor University is receiving credit for firing their coach Art Briles, people around the sports world can't believe that Baylor fired one of the winningest coaches in Division 1 college football. However, I don't think they deserve much credit at all, the fact of the matter is that the only reason Baylor fired their coach or took any action whatsoever is because they got caught. The reality in my opinion is, that they were willing to keep this hidden forever as long as it upheld they're clean image.
Baylor University put their football program above the well-being of their students. They put winning games and the money above safety. Unfortunately, they're not the first ones and they won't be the last. Football is a part of American culture, it has quickly become our country's past time. I love the game as much as anybody, and I'll continue to watch every chance I get. However, I don't care how much money the game makes, I don't care how popular the game is, there are certain things that should take priority over all of that. And I believe that sexual assault accusations, along with the safety of students falls in that category.
