Alabama's importing Kenyans has gotten far too out of hand

Don't forget the way UTEP and Washington State dominated XC back in the mid 70's to early 80's with their stable of mostly Kenyan and a few Tanzanian athletes.

The generosity of the US tax payer is amazing.

They are not bringing 5 star athletes from 4:05 to 3:55. They are importing guys who already run fast enough to compete at the top level

The difference between old Bamy and Providence is that those 5 Kenyans from Alabama are their top 5, not only that but they are all from one country. Alabama isnt recruiting around the world. No, they just take Kenyans because that's all they need.

It's not about American runners being tossed aside, it's about competition, and as another poster pointed out taxes pay for this

To clarify - Top level of the NCAA

Tax payer with no say wrote:

The generosity of the US tax payer is amazing.

+1

You know none of them will go back "home" and improve things there.

Tax payer with no say wrote:

The generosity of the US tax payer is amazing.

1) As a concerned tax payer, you must have started numerous threads on letsrun regarding concern for the $750,000+ annual salaries some public university football coaches are paid.

2) As a concerned tax payer, you must have started numerous threads on letsrun regarding 85 athletic grants for football players. Do know: many universities in 1970's had over 150 athletic grants for young men on football team. There was no cap in the early 1970's. [In early '70's some college football teams had over 150 scholarship athletes while NFL teams in early '70's had only 40 men on NFL rosters. See NFL players from '60's and early '70's saying, "40 for 60." Forty men for 60 minutes.]

3) As a concerned tax payer, you must have asked for an audit regarding expenses of football teams at your public universities in your state? As you may know, we have been told the lie so often how profitable is college football, five year olds walk around saying, "College football generates so much revenue, college football pays 100% for all other athletic teams."

I agree with all three of your points.

NCAA athletics is out of hand at many levels.

The US tax payer has no say in any of it yet funds much of it.

rightwegetit wrote:

Bcuz Bama wrote:

Alabama is fair to single out as they seem to be one of the top teams in the country this fall, and it also seems as if their entire top 5 will be Kenyan

So even though Providence and Nova are loaded with Aussies, Kiwis and various other imports, it's okay to give them a pass since they don't actually go all the way with their imports?

Nova has zero Aussies and zero Kiwis on their team. Haven’t had any since Tiernan graduated.

Sliding Scale wrote:

No age limit.

There is a 5 year clock that begins with post secondary school college enrollment, or one year after completing secondary school if a student does not initially enroll in college.

In Kenya and some European nations I have talked to plenty of students who finish secondary school at 19 (sometimes 20) years of age. Euros commonly use the gap year as well, unlike Americans.

This effectively puts a 25ish age limit out there, but missions an military service can stop the clock. BYU does it.

I have always wondered why Americans don't enlist for two years and train regularly before college. Clock stops, you age and pick up federal aid as well, that you can pocket in addition to a scholarship. Seems like a good idea to me if you want to compete with the older runners.

If you wonder why Americans don’t enlist before college, do some research on what the military has been doing the last 15+ years. Most runners want both of their legs.

Haha. You need to check out tennis rosters, particularly women.

messi wrote:Haha. You need to check out tennis rosters, particularly women.

Alabama is CHEATING wrote:

Pretty cheap considering the age cheating which goes on in Kenya, and the whole thing is a just a major dick move by the Alabama coach.

Doesn’t Alabama have a history of importing Africans?

Alabama is CHEATING wrote:

NCAA does have age limits......

This statement is false. Down load NCAA manual and ready it.

^ this

Anyone who denies the obvious difference between importing some runners from Australia and a teamful from Kenya is being deliberately contrary.

Yes to this wrote:

^ this

Anyone who denies the obvious difference between importing some runners from Australia and a teamful from Kenya is being deliberately contrary.

Wow! You are going back to 1992. Pat Buchanan campaigned for US President in 1992 largely based on restricting immigration of Africans and Latins. Pat Buchanan said Africans and Latins do not adhere to western values as do Europeans, Australians and other white people. The world competes best from 200m to 1500m. Stop complaining about Kenyans and find an event 200m to 1500m in which you may do well.

Any scholarship that goes to a foreign athlete is one less that goes to an American. Don’t give me the crap about the coach wanting to recruit the best athlete. If everyone works off the same pie (USA only) then it is even.

Don’t come here wrote:

Any scholarship that goes to a foreign athlete is one less that goes to an American. Don’t give me the crap about the coach wanting to recruit the best athlete. If everyone works off the same pie (USA only) then it is even.

Have you ever been on a campus of a large research university? Universities are about exchanging ideas. People from all over the world get together in a cooperative manner. University of Alabama is a large research university. Do you want University of Alabama to be open and available for international cooperation but you want the same university to exclude people of certain nations? Not a logical post. You make no sense.

I'm happy that these young Kenyans will at least get an education, but not overly optimistic for their future athletic prospects. The NCAA burns out some of the best Kenyan talent and other than one or two exceptions, nobody few make it through intact.

Nobody wants to exclude smart foreign students from attending US colleges. Foreign athletes are typically much lower academically than the rest of the student body so these students are not enriching the student body.