NCAA rules unfair

To the Editor: I am fed up with the Ivy League's elitist attitude when it comes to its restrictions on student-athletes, as recently reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian ("Young OBucs' Princeton for pro baseball," 8/31/00). While the schools of the Ancient Eight are debilitated by their inability to offer scholarships to prospective candidates for admission, the policy that has forced Princeton center Chris Young to forfeit his basketball eligibility is both impractical and unjustified. If the NCAA -- the governing body for all college sports that goes out of its way to find fault -- does not see the harm in allowing an athlete to sign a professional contract in one sport and remain eligible in another sport, then there is no reason why the presidents of the best schools in the nation should adhere to these archaic principles, either. As a devout Penn hoops fan, I take no pride in knowing our Ivy championship defense has gotten that much easier, especially when it will punish a talented athlete by preventing him from participating in a sport which he loves and at which he excels. Chris Young has done nothing wrong (with the possible exception of choosing Princeton over Penn during the recruiting process). I, for one, welcome the challenges offered by other schools and will miss the competitive rivalry Young developed with Penn center Geoff Owens. And I wish Chris Young luck in his endeavors.

Matt Wurst College '0

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