Student Athletes

On Wednesday, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association announced a joint partnership with PlayOn! Sports to provide multiplatform distribution of Maryland high school sports content. The MPSSAA Network will provide unprecedented postseason coverage of Maryland high school sports that will be made available to fans in a variety of live and on-demand platforms, according to a news release. "The MPSSAA is excited to have a partner like PlayOn! Sports to enhance coverage of high school sports and athletes in Maryland," MPSSAA executive director Ned Sparks said in the release.

Debbie Yow — Career highlights  (1994-2010) • Named by Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal as one of the 20 most influential people in intercollegiate sports • Served on U.S. Department of Education's Commission on Opportunities in Athletics to review Title IX regulations • Balanced budget and reduced debt from $51 million to $7.6 million •...

ON MY VISITS to public schools over the years, I've routinely asked students how many of them expect to play professional sports.Invariably, half the hands of the classroom's male population shoot skyward. Most of my unscientific surveys have been at elementary and middle school, but I'm guessing that the response from high school students wouldn't be much different.Many children dream of becoming the next sports legend -- and that's fine. Dreams often help to sustain reality. Besides, have you ever tried telling a 14-year-old who can stick three-pointers that he'll never play in the NBA?

The recent accusations aimed at the University of Miami's athletic department are just the latest example of moral failure involving educational institutions, athletics and athletes. Every scandal seems to debunk the myth that sports builds character. Instead, these stories reinforce the need for student-athletes to be taught right from wrong with the same diligence that they learn their playbooks. Sports — at every age and on every level — seem to have become the victim of a "win-at-all-cost" culture.

A year after being celebrated as one of the top college football coaches in the country, Towson's Rob Ambrose has been accused by a disgruntled former player of breaking NCAA rules and making offensive remarks to help pump up his team in a pre-game pep talk earlier this season. In a letter to the school newspaper, The Towerlight, Trevor Walker wrote that Ambrose lied to the athletic department's compliance officer about the number of hours the team practiced this summer and that the fourth-year coach used inappropriate language on many occasions, including before a game against St. Francis last month.

As we get into another batch of "Q's and A's," let's focus on two important items, academics and sportsmanship. Remember, any "Q's" or answers you have are always welcome on the 24-Hour Sportsline, 647-2499.* Isn't it good news to learn that the 1.67 grade-point average requirement for extracurricular activities is not etched in stone andthat the school board is looking at ways to raise it?How about this idea from school board member Tom Twombly?"We're looking at a weighted scale for grade-point averages," said Twombly, who is a known advocate of the 2.00 GPA for student-athletes.

New Nebraska law limits NCAA aid rulesNebraska Gov. Ben Nelson signed a bill yesterday to prohibit athletic governing bodies from imposing rules limiting financial aid to student athletes on Nebraska colleges or universities.The Legislature voted, 32-10, last week to send the bill to Nelson, dismissing fears that the National Collegiate Athletic Association would impose sanctions against Nebraska schools.The bill removes caps on how much aid student athletes can receive from other grants if they accept athletic scholarships.

PASTOR JON FREGGER of Crofton's Prince of Peace Presbyterian Church is leading a Wednesday evening study series for the next six weeks on the topic, "And Jesus Taught Them: Discovering How to Pray." The sessions will be held from 6: 15 p.m. to 7: 15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The program will begin with a light supper. Audrey Spolarich will assist the pastor. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish is inviting parishioners to the parish hall at 6: 45 p.m. Fridays for meals of soup, bread and good conversation.

In his recent column ("Student-athletes need a degree, not a paycheck," May 6),Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.makes a persuasive case for the bargain available to students who are talented enough to win an athletic scholarship to a college or university. They, as Mr. Ehrlich was, are in college primarily to prepare for a career in something other than professional sports. However, for the student-athletes with professional prospects, I believe that we can design a better system. Although some might find this approach a radical change, I believe that it is practical in they way it effectively utilizes the existing infrastructure and would actually make the jobs of coaches and athletes clearer and simpler.

All right, sports fans, it's "Q's Without A's" time again.Your calls to the 24-Hour Sportsline, 647-2499, provide most of the fodder in every "Q's Without A's" session.So, let's get rolling because I've got quite a variety this week.* Did you see where a panel is studying the irresponsible decision made by the school board on academic requirements for student-athletes and is expected to recommend fair changes?Basically, what the school board did with Tom Twombly as the team captain was to ram through a 2.0 GPA requirement with a no-fail clause targeted at only student-athletes.