Now they've done it...

More NCAA news; this time, it's serious(ish):

Panel Questions NCAA's Tax Status

Which brings to mind several questions:

1. The NCAA is tax exempt?
   
2. Miles Brand makes $800,000 dollars a year. For what?
3. Really? The NCAA does not have to pay any taxes?
   
4. There are churches whose tax exempt status is being questioned because of their support of a candidate or party platform, but the NCAA with several enormous television contracts ($503 million from NCAA tournament this year) wants to be exempt? How does that work?
5. None? I have to shell over 35% of my income, and the NCAA doesn't?
6. Seriously?
   

Here are other questions, asked by the committee rather than a blogger in Malibu:

• From the standpoint of a federal taxpayer, why should the federal government subsidize the athletic activities of educational institutions when that subsidy is being used to help pay for escalating coaches' salaries, costly chartered travel and state-of-the-art athletic facilities?

• What additional educational value is received by participation in Division I-A athletics beyond that which is received by participation in other division or intramural athletics?

• How does the transformation of the NCAA men's basketball championship into commercialized entertainment further the educational purpose of the NCAA and its member institutions?

• Several Division I-A schools pay their men's basketball coaches four to five times more than their women's basketball coaches. What additional educational benefit do men's basketball coaches provide beyond that which is provided by women's basketball coaches?

I'm not anti NCAA- they brought/bring me many of my favorite moments in life. However, I am interested in examining the hypocracy of big business actions under higher education language, often at the expense of disadvantaged students.

Remember, this is how Capone went down...