Ohio State controversy. Ohio State suspended football coach Jim Tressel for two games next season after it was revealed that he knew last April about potential NCAA violations involving several of his players but did not share the information with Ohio State authorities until December.
Suffice to say that the media reaction has not been favorable:
Ohio State suspends Tressel for 2 games (New York Times)
Ohio State mess latest example of college athletics gone wild (Dennis Dodd, CBSSports.com)
Ohio State doesn’t much give a damn about your outrage (Ray Ratto, CBSSports.com)
Don’t buy Tressel’s, Ohio State’s defense for coach’s violation (Stewart Mandell, Sports Illustrated)
Jim Tressel’s success leads to missteps (Matt Hayes, Sporting News)
Tressel gets two-game suspension, $250K fine for rules violation (Sports Illustrated)
No trouble spotting hypocrisy in college sports (Paul Newberry, The Associated Press)
Real. Uncomfortable. Genes. OK, this is just creepy.
A company that markets genetic tests claims it can help parents learn early if their kid was born to be an elite athlete.
Genetic test claims to predict child’s athletic potential (Tampa Bay Online)
Doctors, relying on heavy doses of common sense, say that hundreds of factors enter into athletics success beyond things like speed, strength and size that may (or may not) be revealed through a gene test.
But even if the tests were 100 percent accurate, what parent could possibly feel good about using such a service?
That point is moot because the tests are nowhere near 100 percent accurate.
“This is recreational genetics with a real serious potential for harm,” said Dr. Lainie Friedman Ross, a medical ethicist and pediatrician at the University of Chicago. “People are going to think, ‘If my kid has this, I’m going to have to push real hard. If my kid doesn’t have it, I’m going to give up before I start.
“(Parents should) let kids follow their dreams. While parents have the authority to make health care decisions about their children, this type of genetic testing is elective at best and should actively involve the children in the decision-making process.”
Wise words indeed from Dr. Ross.
