RandBall friend and occasional contributor Jody believes in stretching properly before athletic endeavors. He believes very much in iPhone lists. But most of all, he believes in sending us quality links. As such, he directed us to the Freakonomics blog, which puts forth a modest proposal: a sin tax on college football and basketball. To wit: Let's impose a sin tax on the revenues intercollegiate football and basketball generate for everyone but the players. This money could be set aside to provide funding for the ex-players to return to earn a degree, enter a graduate program and/or start a small business. Fans and universities benefit enormously from this exploitation. It is no stretch to treat this as in the same category as smoking, drinking, gorging ourselves on hot dogs and nachos, most of which we do in the stands or our family rooms while these exploited workers toil for our entertainment and the coach's yacht.
It's hardly revolutionary in building off the "pay these exploited college athletes" theme that has been gaining steam, but the notion of some sort of escrow, while a little out there, is not the most daffy notion we've encountered.
The world, by the way, needs the word "daffy" used more. And lunges. Always lunges. Feel that deep burn.
