There was the 1951 point shaving scandalin college basketball that eventually rounded up 32 players at seven colleges.
The Penn State thing is a particularly nasty, sordid and destructive blot on the school and on Paterno personally.
I know this is a common belief but it isn’t true. Major League baseball attendance dove the year after the strike, 1995, but rose in 1996 and 1997 by amounts greater than it rose in 1998 (the year of the home run chase.) It was very certainly going to go up again in 1998 no matter what.
2011 hasn’t exactly been a banner year in the hockey world. In early January the biggest star in the NHL, Sidney Crosby, was sidelined with a concussion. He hasn’t played since, but may finally return this Friday.
In May forward Derek Boogaard died after mixing alcohol and oxycodone. Depression may have played a part.
Also in May, Rick Rypien committed suicide. Depression may have played a part.
In June, Vancouver was the scene of a riot after the Canucks lost game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.
In August Wade Belak committed suicide. Depression may have played a part.
In September the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team was killed in a plane crash. Like I predicted, pilot error was listed as the cause.
I still say the Penn State will end up being the worst sports scandal ever. OJ is close.
This same thing happened at Maple Leaf Gardens - it was at least two, possibly three predators, raping scores of boys, at least one of whom was driven to suicide.
Hardly anyone talks about it anymore, even here.
I can’t believe I live in Phoenix, AZ and forgot about the Fiesta Bowl scandal as yet another college football mess for this year.