UT:  Putting the "HO" in hostesses!

Feminist disclaimer:  I am appalled at the shameless use of women to service men....as usual.

Plenty of people have mentioned on other sites that hostessing is an old tradition found throughout college sports, and one not unique to UT.

And we're probably getting the attention because of Kiffin's repeated secondary recruiting violations, which are minor.

But that's all beside the point to me, as the hostessing tradition is worthy of examination regardless of what school ends up taking the first fall(if any). 

What seems clear to me is that regardless of what hostesses are paid to do (yes they are paid employees of most universities), which is give campus tours and talk to recruits and their families when they visit...there are different interpretations of that role among different hostesses.

Some don't go beyond these formal roles, while others do.  It seems the UT athletic department has a responsibility to educate hostesses about what their role is and is not, and to let them know in no uncertain terms when they have stepped over the line.  UT is after all an educational institution, not a sports/entertainment institution.

This is especially important considering the unspoken primal urges driving this whole thing.  Sex sells (or recruits) plain and simple.  If sex wasn't driving this, hostesses wouldn't be predominantly female (recruiting male athletes) and universally cute.

Having said all this, I'm still waiting for the smoking gun, which would be something like anyone in the athletic department either encouraging or doing nothing to counteract an understanding among hostesses that they should be doing anything more than giving campus tours and talking to recruits and their families about UT.

If a smoking gun does emerge, then UT athletics should suffer some significant consequences.  If not, not.  Regardless, we will still left with a schizoid university, part of which thinks it is here to educate, part of which thinks it is here to serve up gladiators to the masses and to potential donors (to the athletic department that is, not the university). 

Lets be clear on what these players are though.  They are gladiators who sacrifice their bodies, and often their education, for our enjoyment and who are treated, pretty much like the original gladiators were, as slaves.  Sure there's a few perks thrown in for the best ones, but most get very little for what they give out.  An education?  Maybe, if you consider a degree in something un-employable and a largely perfunctory attitude towards learning as an "education". A life outside football?  Hardly. 

And indeed, most have worked away throughout much of their youth for this opportunity. 

Why then don't we take the final step and create a minor league for pro football that is separate from universities?  Ok that's not going to happen.

But could we at least cease the practice of letting the athletic department reserve donors for themselves?  Donors who could be benefiting the educational wing of the university but who are instead shunted into funding the next athletic dorm.

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher) "X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

Statement from UT:

"KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee confirms that there is an NCAA review under way. University Administration and Athletics are cooperating fully.

We are concerned about the alleged activities of some members of the Orange Pride. Both university and NCAA guidelines are a part of the Orange Pride’s orientation and training. If those guidelines were violated, we will take appropriate action. Because of federal student privacy regulations, we can’t comment further.

Orange Pride is one of three student admissions groups that serve as ambassadors for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Orange Pride’s responsibilities include staffing university-wide admissions programs, providing campus tours, and hosting prospective student athletes and their families. There are 75 students, both men and women, in the group. These ambassadors interact with hundreds of students across the campus."

which the folks at the NYT and ESPN have noticeably failed to mention.

I'm not in favor of it btw...if the NCAA chooses to ban it I'm for that but UT shouldn't be singled out.

My guess is a couple of the young ladies will confess to doing this on their own, they will be fired, UT will get a slap on the wrist from the NCAA and the whole thing will blow over and disappear.

Some provocative commentary and somewhat provocative photos

(link...)

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher) "X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

I'm not the one who compared football players to slaves who were compelled to murder each other for the entertainment of others. That's really callous. Stupid, too.