Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote rants against the McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Games taking place in Miami. Cote writes:
The McDonald's game is the overglorified culmination of a dubious, sleaze-tinged underbelly of All-American excess and greed, in which certainly not all but far too many AAU “coaches” often are closer to self-promoters brokering deals for themselves to steer their star players to certain agents or colleges.
You wonder why so many athletes have inflated egos and a sense of entitlement by the time they reach college? Look no further than the McDonald's game, whose AAU teams are bankrolled by sneaker companies and flown all over the country to audition at exclusive tournaments.
The players -- who you would think should be concerned with a chemistry test or preparing for a prom -- are outfitted from head to toe in free gear and coddled like superstars at 17.
Anybody else find it strange that the ''Amateur'' Athletic Union allows its ''amateur'' athletes to receive, in some cases, thousands of dollars in free perks and gear? …
Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy before Monday night's Magic-Heat game here about the McDonald's All-American Game phenomenon and what it represents. The topic worked on Van Gundy's face like a bite of lemon.
''I don't think it's healthy if you even know the kids out of your area,'' he said. ``Who gives a crap who the best freshman in the country is? The kid's 15! Youth sports in this country are going down the wrong path.''
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