# What are the Great Sports Controversies of our Time? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 4, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062 "2008-11-04T15:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/21 "2008-11-05T16:27:39Z")
2006 Duke University lacrosse case. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/22 "2008-11-05T17:13:58Z")
Should most at-large bids in the NCAA basketball tournament go to mid-major teams that had excellent seasons (say, a 22-8 record), or should they mostly go to big schools from power conferences that go 18-12? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/23 "2008-11-05T17:32:36Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Wise words. If only this cosmic balance applied to the red shite. : Manure were playing last night? ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/24 "2008-11-05T17:42:18Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > This wasn’t quite “our time” (1932). That’s a fair point but, at least in Australia, the controversy hasn’t gone away. > [@](#): > > On June 19, 2008, the Melbourne Museum released the findings of the forensic investigation conducted by Dr. Ivan Kempson, University of South Australia, and Dermot Henry, Natural Science Collections at Museum Victoria. Dr. Kempson took six hairs from Phar Lap’s mane and analyzed them at the Advanced Photon Source in Chicago. These high resolution x-rays detect arsenic in hair samples, showing the specific difference “between arsenic which had entered the hair cells via the blood and arsenic which had infused the hair cells by the taxidermy process when he was stuffed and mounted at the museum”. [7] > > Kempson and Henry discovered that in the 30 to 40 hours before Phar Lap’s death, the horse ingested a massive dose of arsenic. “We can’t speculate where the arsenic came from, but it was easily accessible at the time,” Henry said. [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phar_Lap). ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/25 "2008-11-05T19:46:14Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Should most at-large bids in the NCAA basketball tournament go to mid-major teams that had excellent seasons (say, a 22-8 record), or should they mostly go to big schools from power conferences that go 18-12? Add one more game and the NCAA tourney would be inclusive. 128 teams would take all major programs. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/26 "2008-11-05T21:42:28Z")
The largest current controversy is whether American college football teams should have a playoff and if so, how. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/27 "2008-11-05T21:50:37Z")
Should the MLB All-Star game decide who gets home field advantage in the World Series? ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/28 "2008-11-05T21:53:13Z")
Should replay in baseball go beyond reviewing questionable homerun calls? Like close plays at the plate? ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/29 "2008-11-05T21:55:14Z")
Should high school students be recruited by the Pros? I remember serious arguments - it’s no longer an issue, but it was a big deal a little while back. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/30 "2008-11-05T22:32:17Z")
> [@jali](#): > > Should high school students be recruited by the Pros? > > I remember serious arguments - it’s no longer an issue, but it was a big deal a little while back. Should hoops players be allowed to leave after freshman year (in which they may or may not have attended classes). My big one: Should agents/boosters also be punished if they violate NCAA rules on improper benefits? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/31 "2008-11-05T22:45:51Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Add one more game and the NCAA tourney would be inclusive. 128 teams would take all major programs. You say this like it’s a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062/32 "2008-11-05T23:04:10Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Add one more game and the NCAA tourney would be inclusive. 128 teams would take all major programs. That would make the first round last from Tuesday through Sunday (I’m hypothesizing). I don’t think I could survive that week in Las Vegas. My head and liver would explode and my wallet would empty trying to put down 32 bets both on Tuesday and Wednesday. Even if they played the first round on Saturday and Sunday, that would mean spending 9 days in Vegas, which is clearly not survivable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-great-sports-controversies-of-our-time/471062.md?page=1)