I wonder what the juggler is getting.

Link to the Deadspin article.

His matter-of-fact admission appears in his response to a piece discussing the UNC scandal.

Here is Kluwe's comment in its entirety:

Quote:

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I was going to write a big piece about how the entire system is corrupt because it's taking value from both athletes and students by creating the idea that athletics is more important than being a functioning human being, but you know what?

If people don't realize that by now, then f*ck it. They're never going to be convinced otherwise.

I made $10 a page writing papers for teammates who didn't know how to forge a coherent argument for whatever bullshit class it was they were taking at the time, and since rent at UCLA was almost $150 a month more than what my scholarship check covered (with a roommate), I was happy to do it, mainly so I could buy food, and take my future wife out on a date every now and then.

Was I helping guys cheat the system (and themselves)? You betcha, because eating is important (as is getting laid), and the $780 a month the NCAA so graciously provided for my full athletic scholarship does approximately jack sh*t for living expenses in certain parts of the country (mainly NY and LA, though there are others). Not to mention the fact that I wasn't exactly writing Mensa applications for these guys, but they were there to play football, nothing more, and all they cared about was staying eligible. We all knew it, and that's what the school encouraged (as every functioning college with a football program does).

(Oh! And at the time, I wasn't allowed to hold a job to cover the difference in rent, because that would've violated my "amateurism" (though where I would've found the free time to do that around the football practice schedule I have no idea), soooooo, yeah. I still don't know how walk-ons do it. Those guys will always have my respect.)

I guess basically what I'm saying is the NCAA can f*ck off and die in a car fire with their million dollar yacht cruises and bonuses and bleating cries of "amateurism" as they laugh all the way to the bank every year, while another athlete who'll never go pro has to figure how to make his/her way in the world with a degree in Turf Management the school pushed them into to stay eligible.

(Fun fact - You know how the NFL is collectively shitting its pants over the concussion issue? I can't WAIT for the day that lawsuit hits the courts against the NCAA. Cannot. Wait.)

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B.A. Bearacus;842297451 said:

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I wonder what the juggler is getting.

Link to the Deadspin article.

His matter-of-fact admission appears in his response to a piece discussing the UNC scandal.

Here is Kluwe's comment in its entirety:

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"while another athlete who'll never go pro has to figure how to make his/her way in the world with a degree in Turf Management the school pushed them into to stay eligible"

Does anyone ever stop to think to weigh whether or not this person would've been better off not playing football and going to a college vs. at least having a BS degree? What's the preferred solution here, Kluwe?

I like this guy, Kluwe. He not only tells it like it is, but he also makes UCLA look bad in the process.

StillNoStanfurdium;842297452 said:

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"while another athlete who'll never go pro has to figure how to make his/her way in the world with a degree in Turf Management the school pushed them into to stay eligible"

Does anyone ever stop to think to weigh whether or not this person would've been better off not playing football and going to a college vs. at least having a BS degree? What's the preferred solution here, Kluwe?

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Most of the walk-on players I knew at Cal came from generally better financial backgrounds, and eventually went on to grad school. They made it through college the way most kids do these days, loans and/or parents.

After reading his piece I'd say he overcharged

This is nothing new. I have a good friend who wrote papers for UCLA athletes in the early 70's.

My favorite story was my friend wrote a paper for Jimmy Connors. The teacher said "Jimmy this is not your handwriting." Connors comment was "So."

Wait, if he wrote papers for other players to get money to pay rent, where did those players get money to pay rent AND pay Kluwe?

calumnus;842297471 said:

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Wait, if he wrote papers for other players to get money to pay rent, where did those players get money to pay rent AND pay Kluwe?

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At $10 a page no less, more than a decade ago.

Obviously the stipend players get should be increased, but assuming they can't, why shouldn't players be able to take out student loans like everyone else?

calumnus;842297471 said:

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Wait, if he wrote papers for other players to get money to pay rent, where did those players get money to pay rent AND pay Kluwe?

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Maybe the players paying for Kluwe's services had a counterfeit handicapped parking placard business. But then that begs the question: how were the Bruin football players able to pay for the handicapped placards, rent, paper writing services, and probably weed?

im betting that his apartment was nicer than the average college student

The obvious answer is money came from boosters. No one's going to pay off a punter, but the rich alums will for the star linemen, WRs, running back, DBs, etc

That said, the NCAA ought to consider cost of living when doling out stipend checks.

StillNoStanfurdium;842297452 said:

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"while another athlete who'll never go pro has to figure how to make his/her way in the world with a degree in Turf Management the school pushed them into to stay eligible"

Does anyone ever stop to think to weigh whether or not this person would've been better off not playing football and going to a college vs. at least having a BS degree? What's the preferred solution here, Kluwe?

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There's a fairly good chance that said person never would have even been able to go to any college if they didn't play ball, so it's kind of moot.

Increasing stipends doesn't really do a whole lot. Someone is still going to have to write papers for the "student"-athletes. Boosters are still going to get extra money to the players. Just means Kluwe doesn't have to write papers for money, but that's small potatoes.

Anyone who thinks this type of stuff doesn't happen at Cal is just sticking their head in the sand.

This is thread is refreshing and should answer questions as to why Cal football is where it is both athletically and academically.

Is Cal still trying to do it right? I don't know. But we know that the system is rigged to support cheating and it seems that is harder to do at Cal. To the degree that Cal is still trying to give their athletes an education, they will only get punished for it.

Right on to Kluwe. I hope more like him come forward, even if it is a Cal player.

In any case it seems that the NCAA is becoming a common focus of resentment. But the NFL and the sports media have a part in this too.

edit: I'll admit that, as a fan, I have a part in it also. The whole system is making a mockery of itself in the process of trying to provide entertainment to folks like me. I should get a life and stop with this nonesense.

dajo9;842297453 said:

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I like this guy, Kluwe. He not only tells it like it is, but he also makes UCLA look bad in the process.

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He seems to have quite the martyr complex.

YuSeeBerkeley;842297530 said:

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He seems to have quite the martyr complex.

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He must have been a healer when he played WoW.

pingpong2;842297558 said:

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He must have been a healer when he played WoW.

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Sounds more like he's familiar with aggroing.

pingpong2;842297558 said:

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He must have been a healer when he played WoW.

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LOL! Can't go wrong with a WoW reference.

Wait a minute! I thought UCLA had "Harvard-like" admissions standards for athletes and, thus, couldn't recruit very well. Or did that ridiculous drivel stop for now?

1) Would the scholarship cover the cost of living in the dorms and participating in a meal plan (if available)?
2) Is it the NCAA that prevents scholarship athletes from holding jobs or is it the school or just the practicalities of the time constraints?
3) Student athletes can't take student loans?
4) Would scholarships generous enough to cover the full cost of attendance including off-campus housing, meals, incidentals including something for entertainment end the exploitation argument?
I think we need to differentiate between 1) the notion that there are billions of dollars being churned through intercollegiate athletics (mostly football and men's basketball) and the players are entitled to a cut of the pie and 2) the fact that a system once viewed as a vehicle for people who would otherwise have been unable to attend college has become corrupted to the point that the supposed beneficiaries are now classed as exploited. It will be interesting to see if any solution can be developed that falls short of overt professionalization.

StillNoStanfurdium;842297452 said:

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"while another athlete who'll never go pro has to figure how to make his/her way in the world with a degree in Turf Management the school pushed them into to stay eligible"

Does anyone ever stop to think to weigh whether or not this person would've been better off not playing football and going to a college vs. at least having a BS degree? What's the preferred solution here, Kluwe?

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Obviously not everyone has the same options as I did but there is a ton of truth in what Kluwe is saying. I was on track to play college football and saw what it took and what it led to (my brother was playing college football). I decided to go get a full-time job and go to a JC, before eventually transferring to Cal. I took a ton of heat for that decision from my family, coaches, etc... Today I can say that was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Again, not everyone has the same options but many would be better off foregoing college athletics.

Um, where did the team mates get the money to pay $10. a page?

Go!Bears;842298003 said:

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Um, where did the team mates get the money to pay $10. a page?

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Where do you think? You think they don't get a lil sumthin' sumthin' under the table from boosters?

My buddy at UCLA who was a tutor/paper writer was paid by the athletic department not by the players

If UCLA players are really starving to death and cannot afford rent, then how is it that his teammates could afford to pay him $10/page?

Lots of students go to UCLA and get by without the scholarship checks. And many of them do so without cheating.

The Duke!;842299512 said:

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Lots of students go to UCLA and get by without the scholarship checks. And many of them do so without cheating.

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Yes, but almost all of them got in by academic merit and have the necessary foundation to succeed in college.

pingpong2;842299517 said:

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Yes, but almost all of them got in by academic merit and have the necessary foundation to succeed in college.

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And they succeed despite not having access to the unparalleled academic support that the football team enjoys.

If the players can afford $10/page, they aren't starving to death.

The Duke!;842299536 said:

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And they succeed despite not having access to the unparalleled academic support that the football team enjoys.

If the players can afford $10/page, they aren't starving to death.

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Academic support doesn't do squat for those who can't even put coherent English sentences together (see most of the SEC). It's like trying to plug a hole in a submarine using play-doh and scotch tape. 99% of D-I schools would have to either turn a blind eye to these issues, or resign themselves to become less competitive by passing up stellar athletes who have no business being anywhere near campus.

And my retort is that he'd only have to pay for housing if he declined the housing that was included in his scholarship. He wanted to live BETTER than the other students so he had to pay more than what he could have gotten at a dorm for free. I'm really tired of these sad sack athletes who are too good to live in a free dorm. And eat? ARen't all their meals paid for? Even if they have their own apartment?

Bear in mind that Chris Kluwe's roommate in his off-campus apartment was his then-girlfriend, now wife, Isabel. As bass-ackwards as the NCAA is, I am not sure it is really the NCAA's fault that Kluwe had to pay a slight premium for unfettered nookie time with his significant other in a Westwood apartment. I couldn't help but notice that he conveniently excluded said details from his hardscrabble tales of woe about life on the mean streets just south of Bel Air.

BearBoarBlarney;842299734 said:

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Bear in mind that Chris Kluwe's roommate in his off-campus apartment was his then-girlfriend, now wife, Isabel. As bass-ackwards as the NCAA is, I am not sure it is really the NCAA's fault that Kluwe had to pay a slight premium for unfettered nookie time with his significant other in a Westwood apartment. I couldn't help but notice that he conveniently excluded said details from his hardscrabble tales of woe about life on the mean streets just south of Bel Air.

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Maybe he had to live south of Pico?