User talk:Dorsky/sandbox
David Dorsky Professor Lavaque-Manty Honors 240: The Games We Play 21 September 2016
Wikipedia’s “Michigan Basketball Scandal” Air Balls Wikipedia’s “University of Michigan Basketball Scandal” article has a plethora of valuable facts and information. However, this webpage is ultimately weak due to spotty source links, a lack of contrasting viewpoints and an absence of information regarding the fallout between the members of the “Fab Five.” There are a number of footnotes that do not lead the reader directly to the sources cited in the article. For example, when one clicks on either reference #51 or #52, he/she will be taken to pages that are no longer available. These two references are meant to support key facts in the article - that the NCAA decided to let Michigan play in the 2004 postseason and that Michigan won the 2004 NIT Championship. In order to restore the validity of this important piece of the article, an editor should replace reference #51 with an article written for The University Record ( www.ur.umich.edu/0304/Sept29_03/00.shtml), a credible resource for faculty and staff of the University of Michigan. For reference #52, readers should be sent to a webpage with a history of NIT tournament results published by the NCAA itself (www.ncaa.com/content/nit-postseason-history-2000s). There are more “dead links” than just those mentioned and this problem must be addressed. An additional issue with the article is its lack of information regarding a major element of this story: the bad blood between the players following the scandal. For example, Jalen Rose stated that Chris Webber was “still in denial” and called him “delusional.” There was also controversy over Chris Webber’s absence in the ESPN documentary, Fab Five. Webber later slandered his former teammates, accusing them of making the film to remain relevant. All of this information, which can be found in a Sports Illustrated piece, (www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/05/13/jalen-rose-chris-webber-delusional), would add more emotional depth to the article. Finally, this article suffers from a lack of alternative viewpoints. It strongly takes the position that Martin’s distribution of money to the various players was a wrongdoing. Of course, Martin’s actions violated NCAA rules, but there is at least an argument that his activity was beneficial. Jalen Rose, in the same interview where he called Chris Webber delusional, emphasized that Martin did a lot for Webber and his family. This quote alone would shed light on the potential positives of Martin’s involvement with the basketball program and weaken the notion that he is a villain. It can be found in the Sports Illustrated link posted earlier. Additionally, it would be interesting to mention the hotly-debated issue of whether or not college athletes should be paid. While this doesn’t directly pertain to the topic at hand, it provides some context and sets up the potential argument that Martin was doing something justifiable, since many think student-athletes should receive compensation anyway. An article from The Chicago Tribune, titled “Enough Madness: Just Pay College Athletes” (www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-ncaa-athletes-pay-sports-college-perspec-0203-20160202-story.html), makes a strong argument for this idea. These additions to the article could fit in an “Alternative Viewpoints” section that would highlight contrasting opinions. Ultimately, this article has too many issues to be considered “good.” A few adjustments with source links, less biased viewpoints and some additional information will help it get there.
Bibliography
Fiammetta, Mike. "Jalen Rose Responds to Chris Webber: 'He Is Delusional ... Still in Denial'" SI.com. May 14, 2015. Accessed September 21, 2016.
http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/05/13/jalen-rose-chris-webber-delusional.
Gnagey, Laurel Thomas. "NCAA Reverses Postseason Ban." NCAA Reverses Postseason Ban. September 29, 2003. Accessed September 21, 2016. http://www.ur.umich.edu/0304/Sept29_03/00.shtml.
"NIT Postseason History -- 2000s." NCAA.com. December 23, 2010. Accessed September 21, 2016. http://www.ncaa.com/content/nit-postseason-history-2000s.
Sanderson, Allen R., and John J. Siegfried. "Enough Madness: Just Pay College Athletes." Chicagotribune.com. February 2, 2016. Accessed September 21, 2016. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-ncaa-athletes-pay-
sports-college-perspec-0203-20160202-story.html.
"University of Michigan Basketball Scandal." Wikipedia. Accessed September 21, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan_basketball_scandal.
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