PLAYING catch-up in the world of sports. Athletes at work part-
time a plus for UHThat's what happens when you take a few weeks off to get in some golf and gambling, while not worrying about the Aloha State Games, interleague play and the WNBA.
Of course, I would have liked to pursue my two indulgences on one of our neighbor islands. Keeping the money in state, you know, to help our economy. But ours not being a perfect state, it's out of state and out of pocket, money-wise, elsewhere.
And where else but Las Vegas?
I know, I know. Gambling's a sin. And a crime here in Hawaii, making a lot of our citizens criminals if you were to apply the letter of the law literally.
In Las Vegas, where gambling is legal, they're called tourists.
I ran into two fellow tourists last week -- Hugh Yoshida and Jim Donovan, both with the University of Hawaii athletic department. They were there for the annual college athletic directors convention. A total of 1,500 college administrators attended the three-day meetings.
Presumably, the nation's athletic administrators spent some time discussing the evils of gambling -- on campus or in Chinatown (surely, every city must have one). And what better place to do it than Las Vegas?
HOWEVER, the hot-button issue during the convention dealt with the new NCAA proposal allowing Division-I athletes on full scholarships to work part-time during the school year, earning up to the difference between the value of their scholarship and the estimated full cost of attending that school.
If the NCAA management council doesn't table the proposal for further study, it will go into effect this school year.
It's another example of the battle line being drawn between the "haves" and "have-nots" of college athletics. Interestingly, the "haves" voted against the proposal since they must be already taking good care of their athletes.
The "have-nots," including the University of Hawaii, fully support the proposal.
"There's still a lot of unanswered questions and there may be some potential problems in terms of compliance, but for us it's going to be a plus," Yoshida said.
It's simply that Hawaii, not counting the cost of living here, is an expensive university to attend, especially for a mainland athlete who has to pay his own way here to play. And pay his own way home for the summer.
Under the new NCAA legislation, Rainbow athletes on full scholarships can earn up to $2,000 a school year for pocket money and a meal other than a Big Mac.
"This is the first legislation that has addressed the financial needs of student-athletes," Yoshida said. "There's going to be a lot of paperwork and time spent to monitor it. It's going to be a headache for the athletic department, but it's worth it."
Inconvenience would be a small price to pay for a student-athlete's right to earn some spending money.
AS for those saying that the proposal might be a compliance nightmare, Yoshida feels it's an issue of integrity on everyone's part. The temptation to cheat might be there but the NCAA penalty for breaking the rules is severe enough that colleges will make it a point to see that abuses don't occur.
Under the legislation, neither the school nor its boosters can solicit jobs for student-athletes.
The only area of concern, Yoshida admits, is whether or not a school is putting too much pressure on a student-athlete to attend classes, practice and also work part-time. But for time-consuming sports such as football, the student-athlete at least can have the option of working, perhaps doing so during the off-season.