The Perfect Storm

  Pardon the pun, and the cliche, but I really can't think of a better title or way to describe the situation that The University of Miami is in when it comes to the success and demise of its student athletes, particularly pertaining to the location of the campus and what surrounds it. Miami and its lure is a paradoxical playground when it comes to recruiting. In essence, the very thing that is celebrated and coveted by most of the world (let alone 18 year old male athletes) is what can ultimately prevent any individual, a team, or an institution from ever successfully being clean. Well, "clean" by NCAA standards. I recently asked myself during a conversation with my best friend, why Miami? There are tons of other major universities in huge cities with hundreds of boosters with a ton of money (that have actually had major violations and moved on right through them...SportsCenter on Monday and forgotten about by Thursday) so why does it happen like this, here, twice? What's the common denominator? That's when it hit me; the city of Miami is the perfect storm in terms of reputation, appeal, risk, and reward for the program.

As a fan for 2 decades I've wanted to accept the swag, ego, cocky play, and attitude as something that was initially generated on the field, and what in and of itself makes the U, THE U. However, I now believe there's a lot more to it than that. The thing is, and you saw it with LeBron who was a gifted, well liked athlete prior to associating himself with anything Miami, this city by its very nature, minus sports all together, is an envy magnet. We (the people of Miami collectively) embody more than any other city in the country what humans envy the most: sexiness. So when you add, confidence, attitude, swag, success, let alone arrogance, well...you kinda should expect the result: extreme dislike, loathing, envy, disrespect and constant hate from those not associated or who don’t or can’t identify with what Miami embodies. Miami is what people around the country don’t and can’t have. From the weather, to the people, to the party scene, the list goes on. Now the fact that our college athletes have access to South Beach and Downtown Miami, and the opportunity to do the things on an everyday basis that middle America only dreams of doing on vacation, is what makes the U, THE U. Along with being great, that's where the swag comes from. I didn't realize how significant that was, or is, until now…but think about it, you would have swag too! On top of that, as if SoBe (that's South Beach for you out of towners) wasn't enough when you do it the legal way, go and inject drugs, strippers, boats, and alcohol into the equation, and hedonism is 10 minutes away - 24 hours a day (another aspect unique to Miami). It's impressive that we can even put 11 sober kids without HIV on the field at once! All kidding aside, Miami-Dade is a huge county, but Miami is a relatively small city with an easily accessible, world renown beach, nightlife 7 days a week, beautiful people (yes more than your city), a huge adult entertainment industry, high volume of drug trafficking and drug money - it's legitimately what you go to the movies to see, only down here it’s all real. Oh, and on top of all the above, as a player at The U, I forgot to mention you get to play football for one of the most successful (on the field), storied, and decorated college football programs in history. So if you're like me you're probably asking yourself, "Why would a young man ever go to any university other than NFLU to play ball?" My answer is, probably for the same reason I left Miami at 18 and went to Pensacola (UWF) for my college education - to stay the hell out of trouble and keep my ass from getting sucked into the hedonistic black hole that is Miami's lure. This is the catch-22 that I speak of in terms of recruiting and success.

Having a college football team in Miami and asking the players to behave and conduct themselves according to the rules and regulations of the NCAA is like asking a married straight guy on an all-female cheer leading squad not to look let alone touch. Is it possible? For the sake of discussion I'll say yes. Is it likely? Hell f*ck no. Call it human nature, call it hormones, call it what you want…just don’t call it a coincidence. As long as the city of Miami/South Beach aka adult Disneyland is what attracts athletes to The U to play ball, then it will also simultaneously be the athlete eating black hole that feasts on and swallows up all who succumb to its irresistible temptations, and violate the rules of institutions such as the NCAA as a result by arrogantly (Donna Shalala) or desperately (Tyrone Moss) indulging in all it has to offer. Which, thanks to the 5’ 5” snitch Nevin Shapiro, all of America now knows is A LOT to offer. This will, and would consistently take place no matter who or what they bring in, or do to the program (unless they can find a way to win with a group of 85 year old men who aren't interested in any of the above). 

As for the fallout from this debacle, there is no way of knowing just how bad it will be. But know this; The U is like the Goldman Sachs of College football, we are practically "too big to fail", and by fail I mean die. There are certain programs that college football wouldn't be the same without - we are one of the few...so I don't believe the "death penalty" is an option. In the meantime, the Miami Hurricanes will continue to exist and compete under an inescapable dark cloud, sometimes darker than others, that will forever loom over a program that is in a perfect position to consistently fail, and by fail I mean party like rock stars.