In honor of the mess that all started with a couple of UNC football players being questioned by the NCAA, I wanted to take a closer look at just how sound the world of "big time" college athletics really is.

At the basic level, we all understand a few fundamental things: student-athletes are considered amateurs, athletic scholarships provide compensation for athletic achievements, and universities rake in huge piles of cash from their money-making programs like football and basketball.

As fall camp approaches in the coming weeks around the state of North Carolina, every school has something to prove. For UNC, it's proving that an ACC title and BCS birth are within reach. For N.C. State, it's proving that Tom O'Brien can live up to the hype and make the Pack a legitimate player in the conference. For ECU, it's proving that Ruffin McNeill won't allow a major letdown within the Pirate football program after Skip Holtz left for USF.

In Boone, N.C. this fall, App State can't escape questions surrounding the Mountaineer football program either. The graduation of four-year starter and All-American, Armanti Edwards, has left a massive question mark on the team as many wonder what direction the program will turn after the departure of the catalyst for one of the nation's most potent offenses over the past four seasons. The questions are fair, given the context of Edwards' thumbprint on the team.

The United States' run at the 2010 World Cup came to an abrupt end on Saturday afternoon. Just days after shocking the world against Algeria in stoppage time to advance to the knockout stage, the U.S. continued their lackluster play early in matches as they fell behind early to Ghana 1-0 in the opening minutes of play. The Americans' deficit within the first 5 minutes marked the 3rd time that occurred in 4 World Cup games and the U.S. officially gave up the two quickest goals in the whole tournament thus far. We all know how it played out in the end though. The U.S. rallied but their magic-well ran dry in extra time as Ghana prevailed 2-1. 

Americans everywhere hid their faces in their palms and wept tears into their U.S.A. themed scarfs and blankets as the game came to an end. Well, not really. And when I say not really I mean not at all. Trust me, I'm not about to go on a tirade about how soccer will never be embraced by the American sports culture. In reality, that argument is a bit tired and not grounded in fact. But what I am getting at is that soccer still has a long ways to go in this country before it is relevant more than once every four years. 

The NBA Draft kicks off tomorrow night in New York City, and the Charlotte Bobcats are in a rare position among the rest of the league's teams. Not so much because of where they pick in this draft, but rather because they lack any picks whatsoever. The Cats have taken on some bad contracts over the past two seasons, in an effort to improve the talent level of the team, but in doing so they've traded away some valuable draft picks and now find themselves empty-handed heading into tomorrow night and also approaching the luxury tax threshold.