Just getting into the Amway Arena to see the Orlando Magic in its run to the NBA finals has been tough enough. Getting a floor-level seat has been Herculean task.
Which brings us to Tim Tebow.
Tebow was among the 17,461 crammed into Amway Arena on Saturday to see the Magic defeat the Cavaliers, 103-90, to advance to the NBA finals. Tebow was booed when he was shown on the Jumbotron.
But that's not the point. Larry Brown Sports is asking the tough questions, like how did Tebow get his prime seat? Wasn't former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo busted last year for getting comp tickets to a Lakers game from Carmelo Anthony?
Brown writes: "Now I'm not sure about his family’s financial status, but I'm guessing they don't have that much extra money laying around for their son to attend one game. When you're talking about similar seats to the ones that Tiger Woods occupies — and he's a professional athlete — something doesn’t sit right.
"Wasn't it O.J. Mayo who was busted for going to a Lakers game thanks to tickets provided by Carmelo Anthony? How is it that Tim Tebow — an amateur college athlete unable to work at a job — was able to afford such prime seats to such a big sporting event?
"Yeah, I realize it's kind of menial, but the whole thing seems pretty fishy to me."
Yeah, the whole thing is fishy, but if anything can be learned by the fiascos at USC, Texas, and Oklahoma as of late, it's either
a) the NCAA either doesn't care as long as you're at the top of your game and are bringing in money and butts in front of TVs
or
b) the NCAA is too incompetent to investigate and enforce it's own rules and regulations.
Unless the NCAA puts their big girl britches on an enforces what they've got on the books, things are going to spiral out of control until the point where schools are flat-out paying players again (if they aren't already).
Hasn't the sport learned anything from the crooked and contemptuous ways of the SWC? This kind of crap killed their conference--letting this crap flow into the national landscape will ultimately kill the sport.
Posted by: Matt | June 01, 2009 at 09:40 AM
His mom bought him the tickets. The family has plenty of money. Way to cast completely unfair aspersions - really impressive journalism!
Posted by: Heath | June 01, 2009 at 06:42 PM
I wish my mom bought me courtside tickets to see the Lakers while I was in college.
Posted by: Larry Brown | June 01, 2009 at 08:40 PM
Tebow was also in the Luxury Suites at Raymond James Stadium for the Superbowl. Wonder if "mom" popped for those too.
Posted by: George P Burdell | June 02, 2009 at 03:19 PM