US Sports Conditioning Online Boot Camp Demo

Welcome to another US Sports Online Conditioning Boot Camp! If this is your first time using the US Sports Conditioning Boot Camp, then please go at your own pace. You may lower the volume, to allow your body to become conditioned to these more challenging workouts. In other words: "Challenge by choice"

*Important Message:

This is a free Demo of the US Sports Conditioning Online Boot Camp Workouts:

Once or Twice-Weekly detailed sports conditioning workouts delivered to your inbox. Comprehensive Strength and Conditioning workouts with specific exercises, sets, reps, and weights. Videos and descriptions to help you execute each exercise with proper intensity and good form. Each training cycle will be periodically changed for maximal performance enhancement.

   Click Here to Sign Up

Once per week Delivered Tuesdays 5am EST= $2.75 per month

Twice per week Delivered Tuesday and Thursdays 5am EST=$5.00 per month

Here it is Athletes! Your Free Demo* of our bi-weekly online Sports Conditioning Bootcamps.

Be sure to stay hydrated before, during, and after your workouts.

This program is generally geared towards the Winter Sports Athlete (Basketball, Wrestling, etc.,). We are going to stay with this multifaceted strength and conditioning workout until the first of December. This workout was originally designed as a Basketball  Conditioning program. This can be applied to conditioning for just about any sport*

The weights and intensities listed were originally programmed for a specific athlete. Adjust the weights as you see fit and have SAFETY FIRST in mind.

Equipment needed: Power Gym, Machines,

Week 1 - Day 1 (Friday) of US Sports Conditioning Boot Camp's Demo Program	Week Difficulty:Medium
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Select		Exercise Name	Set and Rep Combinations
	1	Warmup and Stretch	8 minutes
	2	Video Theraband Internal\External Warmup Rotation (AD)	12 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps
	3	Video Snatch Deadlift	5 reps @ 115 lbs, 4 reps @ 135 lbs, 3 reps @ 160 lbs, 5 reps @ 170 lbs, 2 reps @ 160 lbs
	4	Video Bench Press	10 reps @ 225 lbs, 5 reps @ 270 lbs, 8 reps @ 315 lbs, 10 reps @ 295 lbs, 10 reps @ 270 lbs
	5	Video Dumbbell Bench Press	12 reps @ 105 lbs, 8 reps @ 120 lbs, 8 reps @ 110 lbs
	6	Video Med Ball Chest Pass (standing)	6 reps, 4 reps
	7	Video Med Ball Overhead Throw (standing)	6 reps, 4 reps
	8	Video Dumbbell Fly Stretch	60 seconds
	9	Video Dumbbell Lateral Raise	10 reps @ 41 lbs, 10 reps @ 41 lbs
	10	Video Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise	10 reps @ 32 lbs, 10 reps @ 32 lbs
	11	Video Dumbbell Side-Lying External Rotation	10 reps @ 26 lbs, 10 reps @ 26 lbs
	12	Video Cable Triceps Pushdown	10 reps @ 170 lbs, 10 reps @ 170 lbs
	13	Video Hanging Bent Knee Leg Raises	15 reps, 15 reps
	14	Video Alternate Heel Touchers	48 reps, 48 reps
	15	Video Med Ball Side Throw (standing)	12 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps

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Be sure to cool down and stretch after each workout.

To get your very own customized Strength and Conditioning program, Click Here

*Please consult a physician before engaging in any exercise program. US Sports Strength and Conditioning assumes no liability if injury or ailment should occur due to your engagement of this program or any of the US Sports Conditioning Bootcamp Workouts.

"If I could pick only one treatment to cure cancer, this would be it..."

Is Your Office Giving You Cancer?

    The typical office environment in corporate America is furnished with items made to resist wear and tear and to be more stain-proof than the textiles we use in our homes. This is all accomplished with chemicals. No, they aren't good for you. But how bad are they? Let's take a look...

Continued below. . .

The Hushed-up Truth About DMSO     For the first time, we're exposing the hushed-up truth about a secret, fast-acting compound that could completely redefine pain relief as we know it.     For the next 24 hours only, a shocking underground video is being made available to you.     (Although not offensive, it contains adult-oriented material and we suggest viewers be at least 21 years of age.)     Its uses are practically endless!     More importantly--what is it? And how can you get your hands on it?     You'll get all the answers and learn about a special offer here. And for 24 hours only, it's free to you. So, for your health, watch it here now.

    The furniture and carpets are coated with stain repellents and other synthetic materials. Except for maybe the boss's office, the furniture is made of cheap composite materials, not real wood. The walls are doused with paints that give off toxic gases — and the whole airborne nightmare is sealed in with windows that don't open and thick insulation to make the building energy-efficient.

    Some call the whole thing a miracle of modern chemistry and industrial design. But the "miracle" secretes enough toxins in the form of PFCs to make you sick with a host of illnesses — cancer being one of them.

    PFCs are polyfluorinated compounds. One of the scariest things about them is that they last a long time, and they accumulate in the body rather than being flushed out. They never go away.

    And they're found throughout the man-made environment. Dr. Olga Naidenko, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, said it best: "This class of chemicals, they are all over the place."

    We already know somewhere between 95 percent and 99 percent of people in the U.S. have traces of PFCs in their blood. I touched on this a few weeks ago in my Teflon update (Issue #211).

    PFOA, the contaminant in Teflon, is only one of the many terminal breakdown compounds of household products containing PFCs. It's also just one of the 15 PFCs known to pollute human blood.

How your office links with your blood

    Curiosity about this health pollutant prompted a recent study, published in Environmental Science & Technology. Lead researcher Michael McClean, associate professor of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health, along with his colleagues, looked at the prevalence of PFCs in office environments.

    The team sampled 31 offices in Boston over the course of four days. The offices were located in two separate buildings — one that was fairly new, and another building that was older but had new carpeting. The researchers tested for a variety of PFCs, including fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), sulfonamides (FOSAs), and sulfonamidoethanols (FOSEs).

    Following that, they sampled the blood of each of the 31 workers from those offices, looking for any of 12 PFCs. They restricted the study to workers who had to spend at least 18 hours a week in their offices.

    The results give me chills. For one, FTOHs were particularly high in air samples — and three to five times higher than those found in most homes. In the office workers' blood levels, PFOA, which is a breakdown product of FTOHs, correlated with office air levels of FTOHs.

    The researchers found that the range of PFC levels varies quite a bit from one building to another. Meaning, the corresponding blood levels of PFCs depend on the building where the person works. The newer building was by far a greater source of toxins, with its new paint, furniture, and carpet.

    No surprise, those who work in older buildings without the chemically-coated new furniture and carpet have the lowest levels of PFCs.

Damage from PFCs is appalling

    Every month, it seems like some new illness gets linked with PFC exposure.

    Some of the research points to low birth weight and high cholesterol. Other studies suggest that vaccines for kids are less effective due to PFC exposure. Animal studies show PFCs weaken the immune system. And other health effects, besides cancer, include developmental and reproductive toxicity.

    According to the Environmental Working Group, "PFCs seem destined to supplant DDT, PCBs, dioxin, and other chemicals as the most notorious global chemical contaminants ever produced."

    This puts you in a tough spot if you — like most of us — want to keep your job, whether it's because you love it or need it.

    But there are some things you can do to lessen your exposure.

A few things you can do to stay healthy

    For one thing, officials need to acknowledge that office air is a significant source of exposure for disease-creating chemicals. Indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air (in some cases, 100 times more polluted).

    If you have any pull in deciding how to outfit your office, consult a resource like theGreenGuard Environmental Institute. They provide indoor air quality certification for certain products, and they're not affiliated with any of the manufacturers they certify.

    Another good source is CenterPoint Energy's Indoor Air Quality quiz. Take it to find out if your facility has "sick building syndrome." And then read their tips on what to do about it.

    Other tips for creating a healthy indoor space are:

• Use only non-toxic paint.
• Make sure there's adequate air ventilation to prevent mold growth and allow escape for airborne toxins. Most ventilation systems bring in very little outdoor air and simply re-circulate indoor air, which further reduces quality.
• Make windows accessible. Too many office buildings have their windows sealed shut.
• Use furnishings that are low in VOCs (VOCs are volatile organic compounds, meaning they escape into the air as gases).
• Consider eco-flooring materials, like cork. It's especially important to stay away from carpeting with stain repellents, because the PFCs that come with them stick around for a long time.
• Require cleaning crews to use non-toxic, natural cleaning supplies, like vinegar and baking soda
• Don't import, if you can help it. Otherwise you risk bringing in products with the same compounds you're trying to avoid. PFC levels in China are going up, for instance.
• Ask to telecommute from your home a few days a week … or all the time.

    Most importantly, read up on this stuff. You can bet big-money companies like DuPont aren't going to write "Caution: May cause cancer" on their flooring labels.

    In fact, in an email reply to health inquiries by WebMD, DuPont spokeswoman Janet Smith said, "The term 'PFCs' is rather a broad umbrella, grouping together chemicals that have different properties and applications, and different toxicity and environmental profiles. These chemicals should be considered individually when discussing questions about health and safety."

    Funny. That's exactly what McClean did in his Boston office-space study.

Don't wait around for the government to take action

    It's a sign of the times that more research these days focuses on the health hazards of chemicals. More chemicals flood our world than ever, and more people are getting sick.

    Some of the PFC class of chemicals are being phased out, like those found in Scotchgard stain and water repellent. Those were forced off the market by the EPA in 2000, and PFOA is on its way out (we hope, anyway, assuming DuPont cooperates).

    But the federal government has been far too slow to acknowledge the hazards of PFCs. They usually just respond with a call for more research, or for voluntary agreements with manufacturers. Given the persistence of these chemicals in our environment, our chance to reverse their impact may be slipping away — at least, if you're waiting for science to do something about it.

    Don't bank on regulation any time soon. Take responsibility and do what you can to make sure your daily environment isn't slowly poisoning you.

Does alcohol cause cancer?

Alcohol and Cancer — The Evidence
(And What about Red Wine?)

    As you probably know, many people are concerned that excessive alcohol use can cause liver damage… kidney problems… raise your blood pressure and create other serious health concerns. But how about cancer? Let's look at the evidence. . .

Continued below. . .

Breast Cancer Survivor was told: "You'll be dead in a year" (Pssst!! That was 12 years ago!)     Doctors didn't give Wiltrude much hope when they diagnosed her with cancer in the year 2000. Wiltrude, a German psychologist, never thought cancer would happen to her. But it did. And it came as a big shock.     One doctor told her, "You'll be dead in a year." Late stage breast cancer isvirtually incurable using conventional treatments. Even M.D.s admit it. They talk about "buying you more time." (Don't count on it. The evidence shows you're better off doing nothing than chemo.)     When Wiltrude told her doctor she was going to try alternative treatments, he said, "You are committing suicide with what you're doing." But she was determined to find a way to beat her cancer.     Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, this European woman came across a book by my good friend Bill Henderson, one of the smartest and wisest people I know when it comes to cancer treatment.     She tried Bill's top, number one recommendation — a gentle treatment you can do at home for just $5.15 a day. What's more, the cost goes down to $3.50 after six weeks because you just need a maintenance dose. And it even tastes good.     Not only has Wiltrude passed the five-year cancer survival mark, she's survived for 12 years. We just interviewed her recently for this publication. The radiologist who tests her every year told her, "You're the only one with this kind of result."     You can find out about Bill’s proven cancer treatment plan in a free video presentation — click here to watch it now.     When I ask him about some of the treatments that top alternative doctors use, Bill sort of shrugs and says, "They're fine, but why bother? My treatment works, you can do it yourself, and it costs practically nothing."     He's coached thousands of cancer patients with all different types and stages of cancer. Most of the people who follow the detailed, specific plan in this Special Report get over their cancer and live for years.     "Almost any kind of cancer is reversible," says Bill. "I never give up on anyone." Click here and watch the free video presentation about Bill’s amazing cancer protocol.

    Some researchers say you may have to add an increased risk of cancer to the list of health problems related to alcohol. This is because a variety of clinical studies have reported outcomes like these:

• The International Journal of Cancer reported a total of 389,100 cases of cancer are attributable to alcohol drinking worldwide…
• A study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment found that drinking three or more alcoholic drinks per week after a breast cancer diagnosis may increase risk of breast cancer recurrence, especially in postmenopausal and overweight women…
• The journal Nutrition and Cancer published study findings suggesting that drinking one or more alcoholic beverages a day raised the risk of developing colon cancer by 70 percent…
• A study reported in Internal Medicine showed alcohol intake was closely related to growth of liver cancer in patients with type C cirrhosis. (Of course, cirrhosis already indicates excessive drinking.)

    After reading study results like these—it's understandable why some folks are determined to swear off all forms of alcohol.

    Others remain skeptical and want to know…

Exactly HOW can alcohol lead to cancer?

    To tell you the truth… researchers aren't clear on the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer.

    But the American Cancer Society offers these possible explanations:

• Causes weight gain—Excess alcohol provides extra calories—which can cause weight gain. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing various cancers.
• Damages body tissues—Alcohol may irritate and damage various body cells. As these cells attempt to repair themselves, it can change their DNA in ways that may be favorable to cancer growth.
• Lowers folate and other nutrient levels—Alcohol inhibits proper body absorption of folate — also called folic acid or vitamin B9. Researchers believe low folate may increase the risk of breast and colorectal cancers.
• Raises hormone levels—Alcohol may raise body levels of estrogen. Because this hormone plays a role in the growth and development of breast tissue, it may affect a woman's breast cancer risk.

    For these and other reasons, ACS recommends that people limit alcohol intake to two drinks per day for men. They reduce this recommendation to just ONE drink a day for women because their smaller bodies tend to metabolize alcohol more slowly. Frankly, a drink or two per day sounds like too much to me, especially given levels of obesity and diabetes in our society.

    But there's one form of alcohol that may have some benefits. . .

Why some researchers say
a little red wine may be fine!

    The American Cancer Society admits that moderate alcohol use has been linked to lower risk of heart disease. And the ACS acknowledges that other research seems to indicate there are health BENEFITS to drinking certain types of alcohol. The obvious case — you probably know this — is red wine.

    A recent study published in the Journal of Women's Health said that drinking about two glasses of red wine daily lowered estrogen levels in premenopausal women—thereby LOWERING breast cancer risk.

    This study showed that certain chemicals in red wine appear to block the process that converts androgens into estrogen. In essence, these compounds act as natural aromatase inhibitors (AIs).

    Man-made, synthetic AIs are prescribed to women diagnosed with breast cancer to prevent it from returning. But not just any wine contains these natural cancer killers…

    These chemicals are specifically found in grapes, grape juice and in RED wines. Studies show that white wines do not contain the same natural AI compounds. And perhaps most important, other types of alcohol — beer and spirits — have NOT shown these benefits.

    Even with red wine the evidence for health benefits is contradictory. Is it a healthy food or a deadly danger? Hard to say for sure -- but it doesn't matter. Stay with me for a moment, because there's an easy way to reap the benefits of red wine without the possible risks and the excess calories.

    One red wine compound that has received quite a bit of attention is resveratrol. Why so?

    In Issue #61, I showed how some researchers have uncovered what they consider to be amazing antioxidant potential in this grape nutrient.

    Studies indicate resveratrol may help prevent cell damage that can lead to cancers of the brain, breast, eyes, prostate and skin.

    But I'm still not ready to say that resveratrol is the last word in cancer prevention…

    After all, many medical professionals are cautious about the positive effects seen in laboratory research.

    And let's not forget that resveratrol is just one of the red grape components that may have potential anti-cancer properties. It belongs to an entire class of antioxidants calledpolyphenols that work to enhance your overall health.

    Many delicious foods contain these anti-cancer nutrients, such as blueberries, pomegranates, cranberries, and purple potatoes. The spice cumin also belongs to the polyphenol class.

    And you might be surprised to know that tea and coffee are also rich sources of these antioxidants.

    In short, there are a great many sources of these nutrients that carry a lot less risk than drinking red wine.

    And if you're interested in boosting your intake of resveratrol and other anti-cancer nutrients but you find it hard to eat certain foods… or prefer not to drink wine—don't despair!

    You can always take nutritional supplements that contain resveratrol and other polyphenols to help build a natural shield against cancer cell growth.

    In any case, the natural plant compounds are sure to provide healthy total body protection—without any fear of headaches or hangovers!

St. Aug To Play First Three Home Football Games at Durham County Stadium

Saint Augustine’s University To Play First Three Home Games at Durham County Stadium

Saint Augustine’s University will host its first three home football games at Durham County Stadium in Durham, N.C., according to school officials on Wednesday, August 22, 2012.

The Falcons begin the 2012 season with two consecutive home games. They face Wingate University in the season opener Sept. 1 and nationally-ranked University of New Haven Sept. 8.  They visit Southern Connecticut State University on Sept. 15 before returning home against Bowie State University on Sept. 22.

The Wingate contest is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. while the times for the New Haven and Bowie State games have yet to be determined. Durham County Stadium is located on 750 Stadium Drive.

Saint Augustine’s University athletics on www.saintaugfalcons.com

Don't Just Survive Cancer —
Get Your Life Back!

    Something you don't hear much about is what happens to cancer survivors, post-treatment. Surviving is one thing — the first hurdle in a long road back to a normal life. Beyond that, a cancer survivor has to deal with the emotional fallout that comes from being diagnosed and going through a treatment ordeal, plus any other challenge that comes as a result of cancer.

    Cancer survivors belong to a special club — a club none of us wants to join, but we don't have a choice. This issue will deal with some things a cancer survivor can do to make life better...

Continued below. . .

This Cancer Cure Video Circled the Globe in 31 Minutes     Every 60 seconds someone dies from cancer -- and every 3 minutes, someone new is diagnosed with cancer. That someone could even be you.     If you know anyone who's suffering from cancer, you *must* watch this 5-minute video. This is the video that the pharmaceutical industry doesn't want you to watch.     When this video was first put online, it was viewed by 129,000 people within 31 minutes. Send the link to everyone who has cancer. You might even end up saving someone's life. Watch the video now here.

Healing is not just skin-deep...

    Compare it to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where anxiety develops after a person is exposed to something psychologically traumatic. We usually think of PTSD in connection with military combat, but it can follow any frightening or damaging experience.

    Just being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness is enough to trigger PTSD. Undergoing treatment and surviving the illness can actually make PTSD worse.

    For a lot of cancer survivors — especially those who go the chemo route — figuring out how to survive life after cancer brings almost as many challenges as life with cancer. Especially for anyone who had body-altering surgery, or suffered a permanent handicap.

    The real issue here is that cancer patients are inundated with support while they battle their disease. But if they conquer it, the support often vanishes. The expectation is they'll return to the "real world." But here's the crux of it: Post-cancer, they're part of a whole new world.

    For starters, they'll forever carry the label "cancer survivor" — a term that blends life and death together into one bundle. Depending on the effects of their specific type of cancer, they may face a variety of new health problems — everything from changes in memory and concentration, to persistent pain, to bladder or bowel control problems, to intimacy and sex issues.

    Fortunately, there's an ever-growing wealth of resources to help survivors. Do an online search for "life after cancer" and you'll find thousands of links to post-cancer support groups and forums.

    I did this and was struck by the results of a particular study. It's called "Finding a New Normal:" Using Recreation Therapy to Improve the Well-Being of Women with Breast Cancer.

    The study makes an important point, which is something we often talk about here atCancer Defeated. That's the fact that healing — whether it's post-cancer, or whether you're trying to prevent cancer in the first place — has to take place on both a physical and emotional level. When this happens, the results are astounding.

The mind-body healing connection (something we know well)

    The study took place in 2009, when researchers Diane Groff and Claudio Battaglini and team looked at post-breast-cancer survival. They tracked six women who went through standard breast-cancer treatment, followed by something called HeartMath® treatment.

    HeartMath® treatment is offered by the Institute of HeartMath, a nonprofit dedicated to helping folks lower stress and manage their emotions in a way that benefits their physical bodies. They help people "reconnect with their hearts" so they can de-stress and build resilience. One of the group's major tenets is the power of emotions to increase energy and well-being.

    On a practical level, this means taking the women who volunteered for the study I mentioned and putting them through a regimen of exercise and recreation therapy. This might be any combination of cardio and weight training, stretching, relaxation techniques, and group activities. A grant-funded program in North Carolina called "Get REAL & HEEL" is one of several programs that take HeartMath® techniques and translate them into practical application. That's where the study participants went for their post-cancer treatment.

    The results were profound. Not only were the women better able to cope with stress and other emotional challenges, but their immune function improved dramatically. The women also experienced mental and emotional improvement. Decision-making got easier, they felt more in control, and they were better able to cope with daily challenges.

    It's proof that recreational therapists can play a significant role in helping cancer survivors get their lives back.

    If studies like these continue to prove the importance of addressing the mind and body challenges survivors have and the important role these therapists can play, there's a good chance insurance companies will do a better job of accepting and funding interventions like this. Especially if it's consistently proven that this kind of treatment boosts long-term survival rates.

    For that matter, it's also proof that daily exercise, paired with taking the time to appreciate what you have, will do you worlds of good — whether or not you follow a formal treatment program.

A useful resource for you

    Really, this concept applies to anyone who's faced a complex disease. Beyond curing the pathological side of the disease, there's an entire social and emotional spectrum of healing to address.

    Whether you're a survivor or you know a survivor, I recommend reading this online booklet:Facing Forward: Life After Cancer Treatment. It's a helpful guide from the National Cancer Institute for navigating life post-treatment.

Kindest regards,

10 THINGS THE NCAA ABSOLUTELY MUST CHANGE

by staff writers

August 19, 2012

Sports fans love talking about how they prefer college sports to their professional counterparts because of the “purity” of a system uncorrupted by the ravages of greed. Except they’re very wrong about that. While the NCAA definitely deserves accolades for the things it does right, like providing scholarships for high schoolers seeking higher education, that doesn’t mean the organization stands above valid criticism. And, with the number of scandals conflagrating across the country as a result of pursuing success at all costs, it needs to start tightening up in some areas and loosening up in others. Nothing at all says that the creation of ethical, safe, and equitable spaces for athletes and their supporters will compromise the overall quality and enjoyment of a college game. So showing some genuine concern toward the serious issues involved on NCAA campuses likely won’t yield any negative results and, in fact, just might make everything that much more gratifying.

1. Title IX compliance:
   The Title IX amendment of 1972 stuck to the Higher Education Act of 1965 and ensured no academic discrimination could be levied upon women, whether it be in the classroom or in extracurricular activities. Which, of course, includes sports. Despite the rapid increase of female athletes competing at the college level (456% between the 1971-1972 and 2004-2005 school years), the NCAA remains tight-fisted when it comes to distributing necessary dollars to the ladies. The 2005-2006 school year saw men’s Division I sports receive $2,192,500 in scholarship money, compared to $1,809,500 for women. Division II experienced a similar divide, with $630,700 going toward men and $477,800 going toward women. Like ESPN points out, while the NCAA is not required to spend equally, it frequently uses excuses such as “Men’s sports make more money!” to justify paying inadequate attention to female athletes.
2. More heterogenous hiring and recruiting practices:
   Although Title IX granted women athletes (ostensibly) equal footing on campus, the double-X crowd still only landed 554 out of the 1,774 head coaching positions for women’s sports established since 2000. Weirdly enough, prior to the passing of Title IX, a higher percentage of ladies enjoyed positions as head and assistant coaches! But the complaints of discriminatory hiring practices certainly don’t end there. Accusations of institutionalized racism and homophobia frequently crop up, with The New York Timesrecently reporting a steady decline in African-American coaches represented in Division I basketball. Many gay and lesbian participants complain that NCAA culture reinforces discriminatory thoughts and practices along sexuality lines and creates a hostile environment preventing many from performing to the best of their abilities.
3. Quit downplaying academics:
   Everyone but the most bright-eyed, bushy-tailed idealists living in an opaque bubble of denial knows that sports trump academics as top priority on many Division I and II campuses. They enjoy a higher graduation rate than their peersthanks to special concessions and dispensations not awarded to anyone else (more on that later), but consistently underperform upon acceptance to their respective institutions. Research conducted at Kansas State University shows that Division I schools stand as especially notorious for recruiting student athletes based on how much money they’d pull in as opposed to how they might improve and nurture an edifying academic environment. Because of this, they enter into the classroom ill-prepared to meet the demands other students must face down. However, this trend only applies to high-profile sports such as football and basketball, with more low-profile athletes in golf, volleyball, and the like typically performing as well or better than their non-athletic peers.The NCAA passed reforms in October 2011 stating that any teams hoping to participate in postseason competition must boast an academic score of 930 or above. This will go into effect starting in the 2015-2016 season. So hopefully this indicates the organization might start slowly addressing the serious issue of athletes falling behind in mainstream courses.
4. End “hidden” curricula and student “tutors”:
   One way schools keep athlete grades up to minimum standards without placing them in “uncomfortable” classes involves cheating the system with a hidden curriculum. University of North Carolina’s recent brouhaha revealed some (though not all) of the tactics colleges and universities yield in the interest of banking some sweet, sweet football and basketball coin, most notably courses with only one spot available, no meeting time, no classroom, and a single semester assignment — if any. The easiest of As, in other words, and one that keeps them eligible without making them cut into precious practice time with pesky studying. Plagiarism also runs rampant, and frequently goes overlooked if practiced by a student athlete, despite every school explicitly making clear its disciplinary measures against the offense. In addition, some colleges and universities hire “tutors” for their teams, but their responsibilities involve more than just helping them better understand class material. Like writing their papers for them, for example. UNC might be the school on everyone’s minds right now, but they’re hardly the only ones sticking to these deplorable practices. All the NCAA needs to do is further alter its academic requirements to require student athletes to rack up credits in the same classes as everyone else. And, of course, actually enforce the restriction.
5. Keep recruiting tactics legal:
   Some of the shadier booster clubs at Division I and II colleges don’t mind breaking the law when it comes to snagging the promising high schoolers who will lead their favorite teams to victory. And money, of course. One of the most notorious incidents involved University of Miami’s football program, where exorbitantly wealthy patrons lured potential players with prostitutes and money in exchange for injuring the opposition. At University of Colorado, University of Tennessee, University of Texas, University of Alabama, and Arizona State University, conventionally attractive female students known as “hostesses” are often coerced into “entertaining” both recruits and players alike, with the expectation being that they provide sexual services to keep them from drifting toward other programs. When the women aren’t enough, drugs and alcohol (for minors, anyway) only enhance the deal. Not only is this against NCAA regulations, it’s against the law. But the organization’s negligence at policing these crimes means the issues swell to disconcerting proportions, to the point scandals break out and further damage its reputation. A little diligence and cooperating with the law is all it takes to protect the safety of female students and fight the culture of athlete entitlement.
6. Stop the bribes and incentives:
   The most common illegal college athletics recruiting practices further break down into two common types, those involving fiscal and material bribes and those involving sexual bribes that — tragically — have led to rape and sexual assault (more on the latter later). Boosters, recruiters, and agents all thumb their noses at NCAA regulations and make amateur players into professionals before graduation. University of Miami’s boosters may have offered up fancy dinners, nightclubs, jewelry, and yacht trips along with its coterie of prostitutes, but other schools have even topped that. While still at Ohio State, New York Jets’ Santonio Holmes allegedly enjoyed himself a complimentary house, courtesy of Josh Luchs.Beyond bribery as a recruitment tool, it also rears its head in college sports when gambling, betting on, and fixing games are all involved. University of San Diego’s basketball team saw three of its current and former participants — two players and one assistant coach — charged with running a betting operation intending to artificially change the outcome of games. Then-active player Brandon Johnson accepted money from ex-assistant coach Thaddeus Brown and ex-player Brandon Dowdy in exchange for manipulating the eventual score. Kudos to the NCAA for stepping in and helping to end this instance of sports betting, but it seriously needs to play a more proactive role in making sure players select colleges based on legal and ethical recruiting practices.
7. Rape and sexual assault prevention:
   Easily the most egregious side effect of employing prostitutes and “hostesses” to entice potential and active players involves establishing a patriarchal culture of male entitlement permitting rape and sexual assault to take place. No matter their profession or sexual peccadilloes, sexual violence survivors absolutely do not “have it coming.” Ever. Just because a woman volunteers to take on a “hostess” role for money or for school spirit reasons doesn’t mean she “owes” any of the athletes her body. But even ladies serving outside these capacities find themselves victimized by student athletes — and subjected to the very same stigmas levied against the ones who participate in “hostess” programs. Allegations of male athletes raping and sexual assaulting female classmates frequently scandalize the news, with two Boston University ice hockey players arrested within 10 weeks of each other in 2011 and 2012. At least in those instances, the victims saw their attackers brought to justice. Many (if not most) survivors aren’t so lucky, watching their assailants continue to enjoy free electronics and designer watchesand even professional contracts while they receive sneers and allegations of “faking it for attention/revenge because he doesn’t love you” or something similarly marginalizing and shaming.Rutgers University offers a video specifically targeting the culture of student athletics that breeds this sort of horrific behavior, but it’s time the NCAA brought the message to a broader audience. Address the frequently blown off (not to mention illegal) issue of athletes committing sexual atrocities with required education in rape and sexual assault. What it is. Why it happens. How to prevent it. And why “bros” shouldn’t come before “hoes” when it comes to reporting incidents.
8. Work with watchdog groups:
   Rutgers 100, The Drake Group, League of Fans, Americans United for a Better NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Pool, and other watchdog groups keep an eye on the ethics, integrity, and legalities of amateur and professional sports organizations alike. Unsurprisingly, boosters just adore harassing them, as chronicled in Rutgers 100 founder William C. Downing’s Confessions of a Spoilsport (itself a fascinating read containing even more astounding affronts in the name of promoting college athletics). He even received a few death threats for daring to keep the school’s sports programs as scandal-free as possible! The NCAA undoubtedly does some things right, but it also — as this article and others like it point out — fails to address some very critical problems. No organization should be above public scrutiny, particularly when it comes to safety and staying within the law. If boosters and the NCAA want to catch serious issues before they blow up (or, better yet, prevent them in the first place), cooperation and transparency work far, far more effectively than declaring some sort of silly social warfare. Legitimate concerns, like academics, sexual violence prevention, bribery and gambling, and true equality, all deserve addressing. Rather than foot-dragging and unconvincing excuses, trying a little diplomacy and hearing out their concerns might prove far more beneficial to all parties involved than sticking with the current broken, corrupt system.
9. Drug testing:
   As if getting away with cheating and raping weren’t enough of a reason to start begging the NCAA for tighter policing of its own rules, Division I and II institutions also seem to take pains to help out their student athletes who test positive for one or more substance on the banned list. As with the case at Syracuse, merely not mentioning proven substance use and abuse proved the “best” strategy for keeping players churning out money for the school. As part of the Big East Conference, the regulations do not require schools to disclose who passes or fails drug tests. And the NCAA still accepts applicants without a broad, overarching illicit substance policy, though it does possess its own. Syracuse itself, however, possesses internal regulations, meaning, should the allegations prove true, the involved players and staff stood in direct violation and deserve the requisite punishment.Regardless of one’s attitudes toward smokables, snortables, injectables, and swallowables, the fact remains that they’re still illegal and the NCAA still holds explicit rules against them. Even when arrests take place, everyone seems to let athletes off with little more than a shrug and the occasional wrist-slapping suspension, though students outside sports programs are left to suffer any academic or social consequences of their actions. Once again, negligence regarding accountability and special treatment for no reason other than physical prowess means nursing a subculture believing itself entirely above the same ethical standards levied onto everyone else. The NCAA needs a smoother policy uniform across conferences and needs to take a more active role in making sure players aren’t ingesting anything that might grant them an unfair advantage on the field or court.
10. Hold athletic participants to the same behavior standards as other students, faculty, and staff:
    Special treatment for anyone involved in the athletics program is ostensibly against NCAA rules, but colleges and universities perpetually disregard these statutes, and the regulatory organization really doesn’t seem to mind at all. If Jerry Sandusky received a Penn State salary for teaching math or art or business, would his superiors, faculty, staff and students have rallied behind him so passionately despite his terrifying (and proven!) sexual predation of children? Probably not. Anyone involved in high-profile athletics, particularly star coaches and players, ascends to celebrity status on campus, which heavily compromises the supposed academic goals of higher education. Students and their faculty supporters concerned with this phenomenon (here’s an example from Penn State, again) believe it to create a completely unfair atmosphere where nobody receives judgment on the strength of their character, but rather their athletic acumen and how much money they pull in from corporate sponsors.An honest, straight-A student who screws up once receives a higher punishment than a football player caught breaking NCAA rules — or even the law, in other words. It’s a fair complaint, and one that can be eliminated over time if the powers that be start chipping away at entitlement culture and move towards something more ethical, responsible, and accountability-based. Making sure actions violating the regulations in place receive appropriate consequences will ensure a safer, more equitable athletic experience for all. If it’s supposed to be all about the genuine love of physical competition and providing potential professional opportunities for promising youngsters, the quality of games definitely won’t suffer as a result. In fact, they might actually improve as the involved parties improve their sense of discipline and inclusivity!