Postseason Swag Disappearing in Some College Conferences

Well, if you want some guidance on how to maintain integrity in college sports, you have to follow the Big 10 and the Pac 10.  Of course, those conferences have an advantage in that the degrees earned there are quite valuable. 

"The Pac-10 and Big Ten figure to cut at least $300,000 from their annual expenses. Men’s and women’s basketball tournament gift packages typically make up about 75 percent of the major conferences’ annual gift budgets."I think everyone knows that the $300,000 "saved" was passed along to these players in envelopes.  Please, just stop with the "holier-than-thou" attitude… that are meant to be thinly-veiled condemnations of other Conferences.  And seriously, are you insinuating that degrees from other Conference schools aren’t valuable?  I think you are are just demonstrating, by your self-serving commentary, that your education didn’t preclude your obvious descent into ignorance.Didn’t know the Tool Academy was a Big Ten member!  Thanks for providing us with your "integrity".    

nicely put sexy pete.  You can always find a Florida Graduate at the hotel front desk, or in any playground passing out the basketballs.  Come on Flower House why do we have to get into this you know you can’t compare graduation rates of SEC teams with Big Ten or Pac 10 teams. I will give you Vandy. I dont think you want to go there. Keep in mind we are talking about student athlets not the general student population. I do feel that there are teams in all the conferences that have grad rates similar to ther non-athlete student population.

"Keep in mind we are talking about student athlets (sic) not the general student population."  - secoverratedActually, neither Sexy Pete nor I were talking about student athlete graduation rates; the conversation was about the validity of his statement that, "degrees earned there (Pac 10/Big Ten) were more valuable" and his misguided belief of "integrity".   I seriously doubt that he has done the research to corroborate that hypothesis, nor have you.  I do, however, find it extremely hard for Sexy Pete to prove that theory… using you, as an example of a Big Ten graduate.  The only way you ever "attended" Penn St was if you bought a ticket to a football game.  Your reading comprehension problems and spelling difficulties aside, your incoherent ramblings posted on these threads (such as Penn St beat Oregon, in Oregon, last year) would lead me to believe that you are incapable of any intelligent or rationale discourse. The fact that you are attempting to convince us that YOU are an example of a Big Ten education and that it should be considered better than a degree from another BCS Conference school is a perfect example of cognitive dissonance.  Please, do yourself a favor and don’t cross swords with someone that is clearly more intelligent than yourself.  The results will be like the Big Ten Champ playing the SEC Champ in the NCG, totally one-sided!  Sexy Pete’s is just jaded because his team is 0 – 9 in Bowl games against the SEC and the NCG’s have been embarrassing.     

I find it kind of bush league on the part of the power conferences not to give the kids something for risking their bodies and devoting so much to their craft that brings the school glory and millions.

If the AD’s were truly there for the ‘amatuer athlete’ and didn’t rake in millions, I would think differently, but since reality is the contrary, give the kid a freaking Ipod and be thankful their talents cost you so little.