Unsportsmanlike Conduct Podcast: Is it fair to criticize college athletes for their mistakes?
Every Tuesday, the Central Michigan Life sports desk releases a new episode of the podcast “Unsportsmanlike Conduct.” Staff reporters Kullen Logsdon, Evan Sasiela and Von Lozon discuss national sports topics, including both professional and collegiate level.
In this week's episode, the trio debates whether college athletes should be criticized for late-game giveaways. In the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, Northern Iowa blew a 12-point lead in 34 seconds to Texas A&M and eventually lost in double overtime.
Logsdon: Is it fair to call out college athletes for falling apart and giving away a late lead like we would for an NBA player?
Lozon: I think it’s alright. I don’t have a problem with (Charles Barkley) saying they completely choked that game away. Northern Iowa did. (It) was up by 12 with under a minute left and they lost in double overtime.
Let’s put it this way, Ben Simmons just declared for the NBA (Monday). He’s going to be hiring an agent. He can’t drink alcohol, but he’s going to be in the NBA next year. Now let’s say this situation happens to him in the NBA next year, to where he gets the ball, (his team is) up by 10 with under a minute left and they blow it. They will say “Ben Simmons choked." He missed a free throw or whatever the case may be.
Would that be a problem at that point, even though he’s still super young, just because he is in the NBA? It shouldn’t matter. (Simmons) is at (LSU) to play basketball. He’s not there to go to school. He’s basically just preparing to be an NBA player. I don’t have a problem saying that they choked away a game when they should have won.
Sasiela: We should critique college athletes for (giving games away). Easy answer. There should be no other way. You look at six and seven-year olds, they are wearing Michigan (and) Michigan State apparel. (Colleges) are building a brand.
These arenas are huge. This isn’t like a high school cracker box. These are huge gyms. (Games are on) national TV. We say they're in college, (but) they are grown men. They are all 18 years of age or older. Yeah, some of them can’t drink, but this is preparing them for the professional circuit they are about to enter.
Some of these guys, like a Buddy Hield or Denzel Valentine, they have to be criticized because if you look at college football games, college basketball games or whatever, there is a press box with media members and there are TV cameras. Everyone in the public, even if they are not at the arena, they are watching this game. The media is writing about it. They are going to get criticized. If you blow a game, people are going to have an opinion about you. Nobody’s going to forget about you. Everyone is under constant pressure and criticism.
Logsdon: I agree with both of you. If you take a look at where this source came from, Charles Barkley of all people. We already roasted him once on this show before and he just gave us another reason. He gets his information from Wikipedia. He doesn’t know how to talk in front of a camera.
He’s basically on the show to generate buzz, because nobody likes him. I think high school maybe it’s not fair (to criticize as harshly) because they are still students and a lot of them walked on the team. It’s not as big of a level.
The NCAA Tournament gets more views than the NBA Finals does. These kids work their butts off 365 days a year. They prepare for this stage. Maybe if (UNI) had a five-point lead then it’s not a choke, but a 12-point lead — maybe one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA Tournament history — that’s a choke. Michigan State blowing it to the 15-seed Middle Tennessee State, that’s a choke. It’s fair to say about these guys.
A lot of them are going to be in professional sports next year. If they can’t handle it now, how are they going to handle it next year?
Check out more from Unsportsmanlike Conduct every Tuesday on SoundCloud, iTunes and cm-life.com.
