ATHLETES FOR SALE

Recruiting violations -- whether illegal offers of money, cars and clothes, altered transcripts, or alumni-sponsored slush funds -- don't seem to have changed much since the early 1900's when they represented a ""widespread abuse."" The Washington Post co-authors mirror the reactions of two highly sought-after basketballers -- Adrian Dantley of Notre Dame and Bruce Buckley of North Carolina -- as an example of the psychological ordeal top high school athletes are subjected to. Others who are equally susceptible to bending the NCAA rules include win-or-else college coaches, middlemen who scour the playgrounds in search of talent they can recommend for a fee, and well-heeled alumni boosters whose sports appreciation takes the form of C-notes. ""Legislating morality does not seem the answer, nor does increased enforcement. The cheaters will continue to cheat. . . ."" The best solution might just be to pay the athletes a realistic sum now to supplement the fifteen dollar a month laundry money they're currently allotted. In the words of one star center's father, it's a ""nasty dirty business."" This isn't the whole story -- but there should be enough here to make you flinch.