It seems to me that Powers has a legitimate point to make, and he has
done so with at least some humor. The image of Jesse and Newt on border
patrol is a nice one.
 
This argument has raged on for a long time and certainly the excesses in
this area are worth discussion. In point of fact what we are looking at
here is another of those points of corruption in intercollegiate
athletics where winning supercedes whatever other values it is to teach.
Recruiting players, whether from across or within national boundries, is
really the issue. Bringing someone from New York to play basketball in
Wyoming, or someone from Nigeria to play basketball in Texas, or someone
from Canada to play hockey in Colorado, is all the same. And of
course this is not any greater corruption than bringing someone who
can't read onto a college campus for purposes other than education.
 
If there were some educational purpose for any of this it might be
justifiable, but in the end it all demonstrates how badly incollegiate
athletics can distort the educational function of an institution of
higher learning.
 
So Powers makes an interesting point but there are certainly larger
issues involved. So open the border if you want, but as for Minnesota
keep the green cards off the program.
 
Dick Crepeau
Go Gophers!
 
"You don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser."--Morgan Mundane