University of Miami players suspended because of the brawl during the Miami - Florida Atlantic International will be participating in several community service programs!
On the surface, this looks nearly too stupid to parody. Nearly.
From the article:
The community-service-type programs will include:
-- The development of a sportsmanship program with the 30 high schools in the Greater Miami Athletic Conference.
-- "Meaningful, on-going" work with a charity of each player's choosing.
-- After-school visits with South Florida youth to both tutor and discuss values such as sportsmanship and behavior.
-- Added work with the Miami-Dade County police's "Join a Team, Not A Gang" (Not the University of Miami Hurricanes?) program, including players visiting youngsters.
-- Involvement in other outreach programs, including ones with the homeless.
The players were scheduled to begin the community service programs Thursday, visiting a homeless outreach facility in Miami.
I don't have a problem with the players working with charity, or working with the homeless. Those sound like good things to do.
However, when working with youth - normally the premise is that the people you're sending to work with the youth have a base value set of their own before you send them out there, right? Why the hell would anyone in South Florida want Hurricane players around their kids teaching them about sportsmanship?
Perhaps Donna Shalala is expecting the Miami players to learn better sportsmanship from the youth!?
The University of Miami continues to look stupid, but again, it doesn't matter because they don't care and do you doubt that Miami player involvement with youth will help with recruiting?