Touching moment in Final Four

On Saturday night, I was watching a rather mediocre Final Four game when I saw a series of events that I won’t soon forget. During the second half of the West Virginia/Duke game, West Virginia senior guard Da’sean Butler rose up for a contested layup, and when he landed, not only his ACL, but also his NBA prospects were ripped apart. I can’t explain what it was, but for some reason the image of the inconsolable Butler being cradled by his coach Bob Huggins resonated with me in an unexpected way. I’ve never met the guy in my life, but watching him writhe in pain actually prompted me to say a brief prayer for his future. The uncertainty faced by many college athletes is an often-overlooked aspect of the student-athlete experience. A lost scholarship or a horrible injury can drastically change the lives of people who are consumed by the sports they play.

Our natural inclination is to not feel any sympathy for these high-profile NCAA athletes. But after four years of college, I now sympathize with student-athletes more than ever. Consider Butler’s case. For four years, his entire life has been basketball practices, games, interviews, workouts, film sessions, summer regimens, etc. The fact that he was injured in his final college game and that his future job prospects were severely compromised is devastating. I can understand his tears. Imagine if you were an economics major, you meticulously monitored the stock market, killed your internship for three straight summers, and generally let finance consume your life only to find out that you that you weren’t going to get hired after graduation.

NCAA sports are truly a business. It really irks me when I hear people say that college athletes should be forced to stay in school. Those statements are made under the false pretense that academics are the central focus of collegiate athletics. Coaches don’t recruit kids because they have the potential to be exceptional philosophy majors—they recruit players based on their athletic talent. If academics were the reason we praise student-athletes, then members of the debate team and Quiz Bowl would be walking around campus with groupies. No, make no mistake about it, most student-athletes are recruited with the express purpose of playing ball, and anything else they give you is gravy. Butler is still going to get his Bachelor’s degree from West Virginia, but I guarantee you he would instantly trade that degree for guaranteed lottery status in the NBA draft.

The most lasting image from Butler’s injury was created by Huggins. Watching Huggy Bear cradle the head of his fallen star elicited laughs from my friends, but it was actually a very tender moment. The fact that Huggins is known as a tough man and a hard-ass coach only amplified the emotional impact of his embrace. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, so I’ve been watching Bob Huggins coach for years. In fact, I used to spend summers playing ball in the Bob Huggins Basketball Camp. He’s the last guy I would expect to see showing deep physical love in front of millions of viewers. There was nothing fake or contrived about the love shown between player and coach on Saturday night. I guess that more than anything, that moment humanized Butler as more than an athlete. In his moment of pain, he was just another college senior like myself, and I could relate to him on a more intimate level. While student-athletes hustle on the court, off the court, they participate in the same everyday hustle that consumes the rest of us. I can’t knock that.

Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College senior majoring in history.
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