CONGRATS ** FLORIDA GATORS ** !!

[gary s]

two in a row ncaa champs !!

way to go gators, hard work and dedication to winning, you guys deserved it !!

enjoy the title and congrats again !!

 

[Casey B]

Good for them. My bracket was all messed up this year but I did pick FL to win it all. It will be interesting to see how many of the four starting juniors will return next year.

 

[Scott Heckler]

They had too many weapons . . . . I think they missed a free throw and a layup in the final ten minutes . . . . they played as a TEAM. It was fun to watch.

 

[Brett Wustman]

Hey, maybe Noah will cut his hair in celebration! Just kidding, congrats Gators!

 

[Scott Doughtie]

And shave off that cheesey attempt at a mustache.

 

[Frank Marano]

My only gripe is the game STARTED at 9:21pm est....what the hell is up with that? It makes it hard for people who get up early for work to watch, along with kids who watch a team all year and have to be in bed for school.....but this is 2007 so I'm sure many kids just stayed up....:lol:

 

[Jenn D]

They deserved to win, there is no doubt. Congrats are in order.



However, as a native Floridian I know I am not alone when I make a gag face and think about the obnoxious fans and the fuel that has been added to an already out of control fire. Win or Lose, those fans can be obnoxious...

 

[Bill V]

I agree, congratulations to them are in order. They played incredibly well.



However, Florida's continued success (both basketball and football) only draws into further question what kind of academic standards they have, simply because after their championships, the players on their teams get interviewed--and when they open their mouths, we get to see that neither their basketball or football teams have any players who could pass a middle-school ebonics class, let alone any college level course. Either the NCAA needs to investigate what kind of treatment the school is giving athletes with regard to academics, or the quality of all UF academic programs needs to be called into question...

 

[Craig Keller]

The S.E.C. dominates again... Now Donovan needs to come here to U.K. and really be treated like a god. He will always be 2nd place in Florida as it will always be football first and everything else second. At U.K. basketball has always and will always be #1. It is my understanding that most of the juniors will be joining the NBA in June. There will not be a threepeat. Come on Donovan, bring Billyball to Kentucky where you belong.

 

[Jenn D]

Bill, to address your concerns about UF's academic success, let me just say, the players do not represent the majority. UF consistantly generates highly motived, highly skilled, and extremely knowledgable graduates. I may dislike their fans, but I will not take anything away from their academic or athletic successes.



Athletes in the big ticket programs like football, basketball, and baseball, no matter what college or university, tend to be babied. Education is just something holding them back from "their shot at fame and fortune". They represent a small percent of the school's population.



The sad realization is tha many of these young guys you see out there playing for UF will go on to make millions and can talk however they please. No one will tell them otherwise. They know they don't need a piece of paper to figure out how to spend the signing bonus....

 

[Les]

Well said Jenn D. Exactly what I was about to say...

 

[Bill V]

Jenn D--I fully understand and appreciate what you're saying. But I'm sure you can appreciate how having Noah and others spewing out unintelligible gibberish while wearing UF jerseys has to make a lot of members of their English department staff cringe in embarrassment. For at least last night, they were the face of the entire university to the entire country--both athletics and academics. And while they shined on one of those, they completely flunked the other.

 

[Frank Marano]

Bill V, the quicker you realize that college basketball is a business.....and businesses are only out to make one thing.....money......, the quicker you will realize, they do not care about the players.





Name one "sport" where players speak great english.



edit: To be honest, it isnt the colleges, it is the NCAA. If the NCAA set the minimum requirements higher, then players would need to reach those to play.

 

[Jenn D]

fmarano, the problem is not the NCAA. It is the SCHOOL. Most of these schools, UF especially, have incredibly high standards for admission. Last I heard, to get into UF, you need at least a 1300 on the SAT. I can guarantee the percent of athletes in the big ticket sports that meet this requirement is less than 50%. However, schools are willing to relax their requirements to let these underachieving students in.



Now, I know when i was a college athlete, the NCAA required something like an 800 or 900 on the SAT to be considered for college athletics. I don't know where that rule stands now.



The bottom line is money. Sad but true. UF will not be remembered by the unintelligible speaches those players gave, rather their performance on the court. We are an "entertain me" society. Not an "impress me with you class, professionalism, and intelligence" society.



And Bill V, I totally agree with everything you said.

 

[Richard L]

I am an Ohio State fan, but the gators beat the buckeyes in a good game.



I guess the gators have buckeye's number on the court and on the gridiron.



...Rich

 

[Bill V]

fmarano, I'll top that--I'll name several.



I have yet to hear an NCAA athlete in any of the following sports, from any school, whose speaking ability sounds anything short of being a top college graduate:

Ice hockey.

Volleyball.

Wrestling.

Soccer.



And I'm sure there are others as well, but I just haven't been exposed to their athletes much.



Now, I'll grant that I haven't talked with every athlete to ever play any of those sports. But I have talked with a lot of them, especially hockey. And it is clear from every one of them that they are getting some sort of education while participating in their sport--without being able to put my finger on it or quantify it, all I can say is that it just is evident in the way they speak intelligibly. I've also heard it from a lot of football and basketball players. But I haven't heard it from many, if any, of UF's athletes. I can't say that, for example, Ohio State is any better--because they lost, I didn't get to hear their interviews. (I don't have cable, so if they did post-game interviews on ESPN or the like, I missed it.)



I do realize that just because a school's athletes are illiterate doesn't necessarily mean that the school's academic programs are sub-par. But in my experience, the opposite is true--a school who has athletes who can demonstrate that they are academically proficient almostalways has top-notch academics.

 

[Jeff C]

Bill V,



Do you play any sports? Have you ever given everything you have in a game and then have someone shove a bunch of microphones in your face 10sec after it's over? Sports are both physically and mentally exhausting. Next time you win a national championship, we'll have an interview before you can even start celebrating, and see if you're so excited that you can't get out an intelligible sentence.



I've known some extremely dumb athletes, and some extremely smart ones. Basing an entire school on 2min of interviews with a few guys minutes after the biggest game of their lives shows your ignorance.





SEC FTMFW!

 

[Jenn D]

Jeff C,



While your post is not directed towards me, I would like to address it. I have played sports. I have played for national championships. I have set national records. I have been selected all-conference, all-region, and all-american, and I have been interview directly following a game. I know how much physical and mental exhaustion go into big events. Granted this event is huge comparatively, but there is no excuse to not be able to make an intelligible sentence.



I don't think Bill V, or anyone for that matter, is wrong or ignorant for expecting someone in the spotlight, representing his/her school/business/family, to present themselves as literate, intelligent people.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

BillV, how dare you question the academic capabilities and standards of today's modern-day gladiators. Rome is falling, but we have our gladiators.



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Here are some examples of post-game interviews for UCLA and FLA:



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I don't see a big different in articulation amongst the team members...not too big anyway. Noah is urban for sure.



I'm sure others can find more recent stuff on YouTube, maybe like this:



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Still seems like a good kid to me...not ready for a newscaster position, but a good kid.



TJR