As has become all too commonplace in our lazy, attention-seeking mass media outlets, we now have CNN playing the role of concern trolls on a spectacularly low level.
In a world that is seemingly in the midst of a financial crisis, with ongoing wars, poverty, and other issues too big to discuss on this blog (even if we would do it far better than those hacks, since we're Bruins), CNN apparently feels the need to discuss the merit of one student's scholarship (HT to Grampa Bruin). That student is none other than Justin Combs, son of entertainment mogul Sean Combs.
I was holding CNN in somewhat higher esteem after the pieces on LRMAM and Natalie Nakase...but I guess that was CNN International and we can't expect the mothership to maintain much dignity.
Follow me for the rant after the jump.
We all get that P. Diddy is a big name. As with all celebrities, news that pertain to them often get a lot of attention, which is more or less fair for professions that rely on fame. I always cringe when that attention extends to their kids though, I find it creepy, invasive, and frankly not all that interesting.
But why did CNN decide to pick out this story? A big hot button in the media these days is the issue of "fairness", it's a tool they use to rile up people and get them to watch their show. But in this case it is completely misguided.
Justin Combs is a good football player. So good that he had scholarship offers from other D1 programs.
Justin Combs is also a good student, with a 3.7 GPA.
That earned him an athletic scholarship at UCLA. He is good enough at football and certainly qualifies academically. So what has gotten CNN's fairness patrol all giddy? The fact that his father is very well off?
What a crock of hypocritical B.S. First of all, an athletic scholarship is not a need-based scholarship. So before even taking this further, CNN's concern is completely irrelevant.
But let's humor them for a second. Is CNN trying to imply that any athlete who qualifies academically should not get a scholarship if his parents can afford to send him (or her) to school? That is simply ludicrous. Tell that to Joe Montana's son, Barry Sanders' son. Why didn't CNN pick on them? Why didn't they investigate every single athlete who comes from a wealthy family and question their scholarship? This is simply a case of CNN taking advantage of Sean Combs' celebrity and wealth status to generate an emotional response from the audience. It's pathetic.
A few years ago, Mike Roll declined his scholarship so that the basketball team could bring in another player. That was a very noble thing to do, but it should not be expected. If the time comes, Justin may do the same thing to help his team, but I for one do not expect it from him or his family. He has earned his scholarship and has every right to benefit from it. And I have every right to not watch CNN...US edition.