Yesterday, I wrote a story about Kelvin Sampson’s most recent NCAA violations and the actions being taken against him by the university. Sampson was hit hard, losing a $500,000 bonus, which got me thinking: what is the university going to do with all that extra money? I would doubt that anyone was expecting Sampson to get in trouble and lose his bonus. Certainly the accountants and budgeting staff had not planned on having an extra half million dollars lying around. So now they have an interesting scenario: a huge mound of cash sitting on their desks (not literally, of course) and nothing to do with it. Well, I’d like to give them an idea.
Show me the money!
Students have been complaining since last season about the cost of student tickets, when the price per game increased from $11 to $15. This year, the rate was the same, but many had to dig deep to pay for the $248 season package. My idea is simple: take the money forfeited by Sampson and give it back to the student season ticket holders. Most of the alumni paying to watch the games can afford to shell out big bucks for their seats. Most students, though they do it, cannot (or should not).
You might think that splitting the money up between so many people wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but it would. If the $500,000 was divided between the roughly 9200 students who purchased season tickets, each would receive roughly $54.35. After factoring out the $15 service fee for tickets, that means that each of the fourteen games they receive tickets to would cost them only $12.76, a somewhat significant decrease from the $15 rate now.
Doing so would show the student fans that the team appreciates their support. Some still adore Sampson and many will say that this is the best $500,000 that he’ll ever “spend.” But the truth is that Sampson cheated. He broke the rules of the game of recruiting. He took measures in the past that were against the rules while at Oklahoma, making 577 impermissible phone calls to recruits. He was punished for that and brought his tarnished record to Indiana, were he was forgiven and welcomed with open arms. Unfortunately, Sampson hasn’t stopped breaking the rules.
In May 2006, the NCAA announced that it would be placing year-long penalties on Sampson to limit his recruiting abilities. Indiana University understood of the situation and then-president Adam Herbert was very forgiving. "We all learn by our mistakes and coach Sampson is no exception in this regard," Herbert said in an interview with the Associated Press. "We have every confidence in him and in the skills of his outstanding staff of assistant coaches. We are ready to move forward in creating a new era of excellence in IU basketball.” Before Sampson, it had been 47 years since the Hoosiers had a major NCAA violation. Now that number goes back to zero.
While some belief that the university has already given Sampson a harsh punishment, the NCAA could still decide to tack on more penalties after reviewing the case. Sampson is now a multiple offender and the infraction committee has a track record that is unforgiving. Athletic director Rick Greenspan has held his position that Sampson’s job is safe, a message that contradicts his declaration at that time of Sampson’s hiring that further infractions could lead to his termination.
The athletic department took a big risk hiring a known offender and it’s come back to bite them in the rear. If the NCAA rules that the penalties set forth by IU were enough, then this whole thing could blow over. If not, then the basketball team is in a world of hurt. No matter what happens, it is almost a sure bet that the student fans will remain faithful. The students have always supported the basketball team throughout the history of the program. They stuck with the program as the Bob Knight scandal grabbed headlines. They (kind of) stuck with the program through the questionable tenure of Mike Davis. And they stick with the program year in and year out despite the fact that we are one of the few schools in the country that has no student section. We have showed unfaltering love for IU basketball, so it’s time the athletic department returned the favor.
So show us some support. Show us some love. Show us some money!
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