That’s right, Paul. Not only are African-Americans essential for their athleticism on the field because the whites just can’t cut it, they’re also dumb as rocks and can’t get into Notre Dame on their own. FUCK you. Tell that to my freshman roommate who got into ND at the age of 16 and played wide receiver for 4 years. Tell that to my friend Ernie who is now a successful African-American architect. Fuck, tell that to the 30% of the campus population who isn’t white and isn’t an athlete.
Hopefully, Tyrone Willingham will respond, and smack your dumbass around like the moron you are. It’s too bad he has exhibited more class in the last two years than you have in the last 50, otherwise he just might.
What does his age have to do with this? Do you have evidence that he’s senile? Picking apart his assumptions (anecdotes aren’t the best way to do this, incidentally) isn’t enough, you’ve got to counter with an age-ist rant?
You could also save a little disgust for the concept that ND is all about football, and that the answer to the team’s tough schedule should be to lower academic standards.
Uh, because I’ve met him? Because I’ve worked alumni reunions on campus before, and my experience is that the all white classes of the 50s tend to be a little out of the loop regarding race relations at Notre Dame?
Sorry if you interpreted that to mean that I think everyone his age is senile, or racist, that wasn’t what I was trying to get at.
And there is no disgust about “the concept that ND is all about football” because that’s a false statement.
Of course that’s disgusting. DISGUSTING. But to follow up that assertation with the fact that lowering the academic standards would attract ‘black atheletes’ is RIDICULOUSLY unacceptable
I essentially agree with Hornung with regards to the racial issue. Having said that, I don’t think his comments - while technically accurate - were necessary or helpful. Bottom line is that if athletic achievement is your ultimate goal, high academic standards shrink your talent pool. A disproportionate percentage of these athletic stars/academic underachievers are in fact Black. But not nearly all. And in any event, there’s no need to focus on skin color.
I also agree with Jackmanni’s final sentence above about values.
But my point here is to disagree with those who imply that Hornung’s comments are incorrect or substantively racist.
Of course, if Dusty Baker had said it, everyone would be laughing it off right now.
I disagree with Hornung. Notre Dame just doesn’t know how to recruit. Look at Stanford and how a school with a high academic standards doesn’t have to be inept on the field.
Well it’s possible to overcome all sorts of handicaps, but that does not imply that they are not handicaps or that they will generally not be overcome. From the NY Times:
I apologize then. I was going by what I remembered hearing on ESPN. My mind is actually a bit clouded today so I shouldn’t have attempted to transcribe it.
Izzy, you’re amazing. Whether or not you have extensive studies on your side (which I doubt Hornung had any idea about), it is inflammatory and offensive to imply (and yes he did imply) that black athletes are dumber than white.
IzzyR, I understand what you’re coming from, but I don’t think that basketball statistics compare to football stats, especially considering the history of players leaving basketball programs early for the NBA. The majority of the population of those “dropouts” aren’t flunking - they’re earning a bazillion dollars a year playing pro ball.
Guess what that makes you. A fucking racist. You either believe blacks or stupid, or you don’t agree with Hornung. What “handicaps” could you be referring to other than the handicap of being black? Nothing else is germane to this subject, so I’m assuming you’ve just tried to back up Hornung’s statement that blacks can’t keep up academically. That’s racist.
Where has Hornung been? Has he never heard of the following guys:
Dave Duerson, Tony Rice, Allen Pinkett, Raghib Ismail, Tim Brown, Todd Lyght, Derek Brown, Jerome Bettis, Reggie Brooks, Derrick Mayes, Bobby Taylor, Bryant Young, Autry Denson, Julius Jones
… and that’s just the black Notre Dame notables over the last two decades or so. All of the above except Jones were All-Americans. Also, I am pretty well certain that Notre Dame’s football team is majority black, and has been for some time (sorry, no cite).
This is not true. Even counting European professional leagues alongside the NBA, professional basketball hardly makes a dent in NCAA basketball players’ graduation rates. A few dozen NCAA players leave school early for pro basketball dollars each year, while many hundreds of others players simply use up their eligibility before getting their degrees.
The root of the problem is that colleges and coaches focus on winning games, and pretty much neglect their student-athlete’s academic development. This issue deserves a thread ot its own