the BigAmateurism monologues

The altercation between Michigan and Wisconsin after Sunday’s game was a slow-motion train wreck for college basketball and both head coaches. While blame is in the eyes of the beholder, there is no question that the coaches’ behavior on both sides of the handshake line was far less than ideal. This episode looks beyond the obvious issues and analyzes this debacle through the lens of institutional leadership. As with so many problems facing college sports right now, the events of last Sunday beg a crucial question: who the hell is in control of college sports? Absent from the institutional responses were comments from Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank or Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman. Under NCAA, conference, and university principles of institutional control over college sports, the buck stops with university presidents and chancellors. Where were their voices in a circumstance that required a values-based response?