By Jon Ericson

Pageantry, tailgating, alumni gatherings, color, excitement, sex, violence, . . what’s not to like about college football?

Okay, there’s the pretend courses, the faux patriotism, noise piped in someone, somewhere thinks is music, drunk fans, high prices, uncomfortable seats, and the ubiquitous TV commercials and plays under review.

By Jon Ericson

Pay college football players? Want a better idea: give them back their game. Game time: lock up the coaches, and let college kids be college kids.

By Frank G. Splitt

The present commentary is still another attempt to illuminate what’s really going on in the continuing erosion of higher education in America. It also serves as a challenge to members of college and university governing boards to rise to the occasion and recognize that they are directly responsible for the actions of the leadership at their institutions—leadership that has led to an ongoing tragedy in higher education—excessive commercialization, the lowering of standards, and the graduation of students who can’t write or think critically and who won’t be able to compete in the global marketplace.

By Tom O’Mara

The correspondence below tells of my experience as a Division I athlete. I wish I could have met someone like me at the time, someone who had gone through the system, and was willing to be honest about it. At least then I could have made an informed decision on whether I wanted to play or not. I hope this can serve as a cautionary tale for prospective athletes and their parents.

It should be noted that Notre Dame has experienced several incidents of academic cheating this past decade which have resulted in suspensions from the football and basketball programs. It is not alone among major colleges in this regard. The problem has yet to be “cleared up.”