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There’s a scene early on in “Jerry Maguire” where the title sports agent, defending a disgraced footballer to a screaming press mob, assures them, “There’s no proof of anything except that this guy’s a sensational athlete.” I thought of that line yesterday, when news surfaced that former Badgers running back P.J. Hill had been arrested on reckless endangerment and drunken driving charges. More specifically, I wondered about how upset the Jerry Maguires of the world (and the NFL teams that hoped to draft him) are right now: For the time being, perhaps permanently, there is not much money to be made off this derailed superstar. I am never so disgusted by the world than when I think about the complexities of college and professional sports.
Forget for a moment the irresponsibility of driving while intoxicated or fleeing police. I have no idea whether Hill will be found guilty of these charges, and neither do you. I am more interested in what the drama of this story says about sports culture. To the
If an up-and-coming biochemist or political scientist at the
And while we’re at it, here’s another novel thought: UW, like all American universities, could do a better job protecting its outstanding athletes from the obsessive sports culture of our own creation. It should not be the job of sports coaches and advisors to prepare any athlete for a multi-million dollar professional contract. If certain individuals want to pursue lucrative options elsewhere, this should be neither encouraged nor discouraged. Rather, UW should view athletics as one modest element of a more holistic educational experience. I’m not content with hiring “class checkers” to make sure athletes are in their seats when the bell rings. We should insist athletes, like everyone else on campus, are able to spend more time on studies than sports. Athletes have a right to as many unfettered hours of study as the rest of us. Realizing this might mean scaling back the rigid, totalitarian infrastructure of our sports teams — good riddance, I say.
Without excusing the alleged charges against Hill, let me offer a modest hypothesis: When we permit the dehumanization and commodification of our outstanding student athletes, we ensure that once in a while, one of them will go off the deep end. How would you feel if you knew the university only cared about you because of the money you brought in for them — that if you broke your leg or arm, that would be the end of the UW’s excessive preoccupation with your well-being? Add to that the howling wilderness of greedy sports agents waiting in the wings, the NFL teams bidding amongst themselves for your professional services, the student culture which jokes regularly about your poor academic record, and the knowledge that the campus press is watching your every move. It’s a miracle more UW athletes don’t go absolutely insane. And it is a moral outrage that any UW athlete is ever expected to endure the ups and downs of celebrity status. I’ll be the first to say it: I feel sorry for Hill.
Eric Schmidt ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and legal studies.
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What a dumb article. I have no money on PJ Hill, yet am interested in his story. Lots of people are. Why? Because we’re sports fans, and more importantly, fans of the University of Wisconsin.
When James Kamoku’s family was losing their house, people wanted to step in and help, because he was a great person and athlete that represented Wisconsin. He wasn’t bringing in any money for the University as a mediocre athlete, yet people still wanted to help. Your article is pretty bad, dude. Seems like you are not a sports fan if you can’t understand why people would be interested in his story.
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…and you are wrong about athletes not studying. Brian Elliot had almost a 4.0 GPA in the school of business, while also being an All-American goaltender. Joe Thomas graduated with a degree in Real Estate, but is now a pro-bowl Left Tackle. Eric VanDenHeuvel had a chance to get drafted in the NFL, but instead is going to Medical School. Terrible, terrible article…
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Victim? People who are murdered are victims. Hill is no victim. Feel sorry for yourself, Eric, not PJ. I doubt he cares for your sympathy.
If getting a free education, adulation, a chance to earn millions in your early 20s is victimhood then victimize me.
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I feel like Eric’s the guy in the high life commericial at the football game grilling ostrich burgers… y’all must be crazy!
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“…Hill is a purely exploitable commodity, and his profitability just plummeted.”
Yeah, my heart bleeds for him. Drunk driving won’t do much for ANYBODY trying to get a job right out of school.
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It never ceases to amaze me that people think this way. I can appreciate the point of view that it’s difficult for an 18-22 year old to comprehend the magnitude of attention which will be focused on him/her during their college years and professional sports years. But at the same time, each and every one of those athletes should also be focusing on developing the capability of living with celebrity status, good and bad. As a former athlete in college, I knew people look up to me, and that people expected more of me. It comes with the territory of the benefits of represtenting your school. Here are some facts that every single athlete should know going into scholarship and professional contract acceptances:
PJ Hill RAN FROM THE COPS after making a mistake. The fact that he knew he screwed up, and wasn’t man enough to own up to it is the problem here. How is he the victim? What if that had been a person rather than a railing? Would he have sped off and left them laying there too?
Yes, lots of people stand to make money off “Joe Star” college/pro athlete. Yes, they have to deal with celebrity status and the microscope that goes with it. And yes, everyone will do some pretty stupid things in their lives. But the people who feel sorry for themselves, or get sympathy from others after screwing up don’t change for the better. They learn to expect it when they screw up next time. At least those who own up to it and prove they’ve learned from it gain that respect back in the long run.
Your sympathy is misguided.
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“How would you feel if you knew the university only cared about you because of the money you brought in for them � that if you broke your leg or arm, that would be the end of the UW�s excessive preoccupation with your well-being?”
I would feel awesome. Why? Because the worst that could happen if I got injured would be that gasp I would be treated like an ordinary student. And oh yeah, I’d get to keep my full ride scholarship. Not a bad deal, huh?
Let’s put it this way. There are guys out there would would kill to have be Hill. Why should I feel sorry for him that he messed his own life up? He had it made and threw it away. It’s his own fault, not UW’s and not the media’s.
We can hope that he learned from his mistake and forgive him and let it rest, but he alone is accountable for whatever impact his choices have on his career. The upside is maybe this story will make others think before they do something dumb.
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1:26 AM
I think maybe you should take an “empirical” approach next time. Citing a few examples of athletes who studied hard is a pretty poor argument.
And Eric while I do also feel sympathy for Hill mainly in his future loss of salary (and his decline in popularity) I do believe it is unfair to criticize the “ritzy sports agencies” because of course they’re looking to make money.
Criticism should be sent at the UW however, for allowing athletes (some who would never have gotten in to UW anyways) to focus so much time and energy on sports, where it could be better spent on attaining a valuable degree that would serve all athletes who do not end up being the top 2% that end up going pro.
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This is perhaps the stupidest article I have read all year. I was thinking about taking the time to point out the multiple inaccuracies and idiotic statements, but it will suffice to just say that this was awful.
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“We care about athletes because they are profitable” Keep your generalizations for yourself. When I look at PJ Hill’s arrest I see another person who had a chance to make a difference in the world because he was an athlete that people looked up to. Instead of setting a good example, he got arrested before he even made it to the NFL. The only person I feel sorry for are those kids are missing true role models because there are too many PJ Hills in the world.
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Hill wasn’t going to get drafted even before this happened. He is not that great.
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At first I thought this was a perfected rant against the celebration�and even celebritization�of student-athletes, but then you go on to squash the hope that someone would, balls out, criticize, constructively or not, UW student-athletes without using the old clich�s. What�s your real argument, Eric? If you�re anti-[sports]establishment, plunge full in�get down in there and get dirty. Are you comfortably walking the tightrope because you�re afraid to fall on either side and piss people off? Isn�t that what op-eds are really about? Say things you mean, and mean things you say�even if you say mean things you mean. Or is this really how you feel? I don�t blame you if it is, because indecision is one of my most prominent character flaws. I�m the guy who has two cups of coffee at the same time�one with and one without sugar and cream�because I can�t decide what I really want. But it just seems like you�re contradicting values here�it�s not just a matter of liking both sweetened- black coffee here, it�s you (seemingly, unless I�m not reading it correctly) being disgusted about student-athletes being raised on a pedestal but then nearly bending over backwards to blame society and specifically the institution for pressuring student-athletes, as if they�re driven to make mistakes. I can�t think of any way to wrap this up; I�ve said what was on my mind.
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3:46, I second your comment.
Eric, I am taking it that you are not a sports fan, I could be wrong but I’m sticking with it. If you were, you would have at least gone to a common sports website and see that Hill was not in good standings, prior to being arrested, in the draft. His performance was decent nothing about him stood out. Now do not get me wrong, I am not trying to take away from any ability that Hill has, but his ability and skills is not up to par with that of the NFL. Now with his, above-the-law attitude and actions he has solely assured that he will not be drafted this year, or the years to come.
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I usually agree with you, Eric, but I’m not sure about this one. The way I see it is, athletes may or may not even deserve to be here academically, they do NOT deserve astronomical scholarships and special treatment, so they DAMN WELL better appreciate and work hard for the privileges they have. PJ screwed up, and made it a thousand times worse by running away. He deserves everything that’s coming to him.
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and many athletes strive for the limelight - the big leagues, whether it be NFL, MLB, NBA, etc… if you want your name in lights for scoring 38 ppg, rushing for 200 yards, or batting .330, then your name is gonna be in lights for OWI, eluding police, fighting dogs, beating your wife…