Cries Are Louder Than The Cheers Proposition 48's Critics In Majority, But Supporters Want It Toughened

Harry Edwards quickly can provide an example of someone who overcame a disadvantaged background and prospered academically. He cites the Harry Edwards of 26 years ago, a teenager who roamed the slums of East St. Louis.

In 1960, Edwards, who is black, left the ghetto for college as an athlete who could neither read nor write. Today, Edwards holds a doctorate and teaches Sociology of Sport at the University of California-Berkeley.

Dr. Harry Edwards is a renowned sociologist. He has been an unyielding critic of organized sports, arguing that they are rife with abuses and inequities. He is sickened by the protests against NCAA Bylaw 5-1 (j), commonly known as Proposition 48, which, effective this year, stipulates that incoming freshman athletes must post minimum grade-point averages (2.0) and standardized test scores of 700 (of 1600) on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and 15 (of 36) on the American College Test (ACT).

"Only 1.7 percent of the kids who go to college on athletic scholarships ever sign a professional contract," Edwards said. "And even those who do are back on the street by the time they're 26 or 27. The average pro basketball career is 3.2 years. In football, it's 4.2 years.

"But there are thousands of athletes being passed through college without regard for academic progress. That's exploitation, not assistance. And far be it from me to defend the NCAA, which I think is the second-most despicable organization in the nation."

The NCAA lost out to the Mafia in Edwards's Top 2.

Edwards is one of the country's staunchest supporters of Proposition 48. But he believes the legislation has grievous shortcomings. Edwards, along with Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and Notre Dame basketball coach Digger Phelps, believes the new minimum eligibility requirements are "woefully inadequate."

What Proposition 48 provides in 1986, Edwards contends, is better than what was available in 1985 - nothing.

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The values of Proposition 48 can be discussed by most college coaches, admissions directors and academic counselors for, ohhh, 10 or 15 minutes.

But the weaknesses of the new rule can send those same officials to talking for 10, 15 hours.

Their charges and arguments usually concern one or all of the following: