College Sports

Here’s a story I bet you won’t be reading in your local sports section.

The NCAA announced that student-athletes and volunteers will join together to build 10 houses for Habitat for Humanity. The homes are scheduled to be built in Houston May 13-17, coinciding with the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival.

More than 600 athletes, who will be in Houston competing for national titles in men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse and softball, are giving their time between practice rounds and matches to aid in the effort. Since 2005, more than 1,000 student-athletes have participated in the program, and more than 25 homes have been built for low income families who have been displaced. The event in Houston will be the largest such event held to date.

The NCAA and Habitat for Humanity evidently entered a three year partnership in 2005, with the goal of building homes at NCAA championships following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I say “evidently”, because as plugged in as I am to college sports (and I am very plugged in!), I have never heard of this program.

Maybe you have. I hope you have. This sounds like an amazing program. But why hasn’t it been featured in the sports media at large? Seems like, if more than 1,000 student-athletes are involved in something this meaningful at the same time that they are competing for national championships, well, shouldn’t that be front page news? Or at least a couple of paragraphs in SI, or a mention on Sportscenter?

Guess not.

These student-athletes live within stereotypes every day… dumb jock, free ride, you know the stories. But heavens to Betsy, if they do something good, you shouldn’t have to dig through 100 stories on a website to find it.

Seems to me that maybe a little good news every now and then is ok. Like my post yesterday on Tim Tebow, which I picked up from ESPN.com, there are good stories out there. But I wonder… if Tebow weren’t the Heisman Trophy winner, would this story have made news? We all know that the answer to that question is a resounding “No.” How do know this? Because student-athletes far and wide will be participating in projects all summer, doing great things in their communities and hometowns. But it isn’t newsworthy. But if they get caught with a joint or a hooker (or a hooker in a joint), different story.

We’re all to blame for this. When I go on any website and read headlines, I tend to want to read the racy stories, those with an edge. I doubt that I’m alone.

Maybe I’m being a Pollyanna. I’d just like a little more of the good now and then.

And as for the NCAA-Habitat for Humanity build in Houston? I’m including the information on where to go to volunteer this weekend. If you are in the Houston area, or feel like a road trip, I bet they would be glad to have you. And you might just meet some amazing college students who just happen to be athetes at the same time.

NCAA and Habitat for Humanity Join Forces in Houston

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