Reining In the Craziness

MY FAVORITE COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM as been doing well over the past few years, with the exception of this most recent season, which was somewhat of a disappointment. We had high hopes and a roster full of ostensible talent, but all that didn't translate into wins. Something about "team chemistry". Oh well. That's sports. Better luck next year. Then, suddenly, our basketball coach, a very good coach whom we did not blame for the disappointing year, decided to leave, and take another coachng job at another major university. That was quite a shock to me and all the other fans, because we had no idea that he was even thinking about leaving his good job, which included a four point two million dollar annual salary. Certainly, we wanted him to stay, because we were convinced that he would soon get us back on the winning track. But suddenly he was gone, and we felt "jilted", abandoned....Then came the question of what to do, how to replace him. Meanwhile every player on the team entered the transfer portal, and suddenly, there were no players, none, on our basketball team. None. Zilch. Emptey roster. We had, it seemed, reached bottom. But the story has a happy ending, sort of.A local multi - billionaire, who happesn to be a fellow fan, stepped up, opened up his wallet, and paid the necessary money to lure one of the sport's most respected and accomplished coaches waay form his current job, which he has successfully held for a long time, and to become our new baketball coach. This wonderful gift of our billionaire benefactor also had the generosity to load the basketball program up with millions of dollars to spend, on new basketball players, since, under the new system, money is precisely what it take to build a good college basketball team. Suddenly our school, hall of fame basketball coach in hand, also has enough money to buy any player it wants. Our basketball team should, if all goes well and as expected, become very good, once again, very soon. Hurray for us. Our new hot shot big time basketball coach is going to be paid a veritable king's ransom of a salary, millions of dollars a year, which is what it takes in today's college athletics to hire and keep a good coach. Supply and demand, American style. I'm happy. Everybody's happy. I want my team to win, no matter what it takes or costs. But in the very back of my mind a thought arises, a thought I have had over and over over the decades with regard to superstar athletes, entertainers, and others, concerning American society and who contributes what to it. The thought is: that the new, current economic system in college athletics will not work, is not sustainable, and must be reined in, the craziness changed to a saner system. Another thought is that among the most valuble and therefore important people in our society, in terms of what they contribute to us all, are teachers, particularly first grade teachers. Any person who spends an entire school year on a daily basis, seven to eight hours a day, with twenty eight six year olds, and educates them until they are seven year olds - is invaluable. How can you quantify the value to society, indeed to the world, of someone who is largely, even partly responsible for the successful educating and thus upbringing of dozens of good productive people every year, hundreds, over the course of a career? The answer is, you can't. Hell, I love college basktball, sports, entertainment. I love it when the teams I root for have money, and spend it on better players. But somewhere there has to be a limit, organization, structure. College athletes, superstars or not, used to get books, food, room, board, and an education for their athletic talent. They have long deserved more. Now, suddenly, the superstars can and do get millions of dollars. I only hope that at least a few of them end up becoming teachers, especially first grade teachers, to at least partly earn their keep.