**1. Do universities put too big an emphasis on college athletics?**

Honsen

Yes, colleges put too much emphasis on athletics, but why not? With the system as it currently stands, a lot of universities make most of their money off football and basketball games, especially if their teams are doing well.

Evan

My head says yes and my heart says no. College athletics — particularly football and men’s basketball — are often an integral part of the college experience for students (myself included) and are often huge money makers for the universities. However, the academic integrity of the institution should not be sacrificed for athletic success.

Ben

Too big an emphasis? No way, not at all. The only way that one can honestly say that NCAA sports are being too hyped would be if college athletes were somehow receiving non-scholarship benefits for playing at certain schools, and we all know that that doesn’t happen, right? I mean it’s not like we see high school kids making verbal agreements to accept contributions from organizations that wish to represent them when they go pro after leaving a highly-publicized program. Right?

Maks

When you look at schools like Oregon and the amount of money that is spent on athletics, yeah, paying more than $3 million for a football locker room is going too far. But successful sports programs can put a school on the map. Just look what happened to Gonzaga since it made the NCAA tournament for the first time not too long ago. Seattle University is trying to get the same recognition by returning to D-I sports. Besides, if it wasn’t for its sports program, what would a school like Oregon be anyway? Oh yeah, just everyone’s safety school.

**2. The championship game of the Stanley Cup is underway. Do you think it’s going to be more experienced Detroit that comes out on top or Pittsburgh’s highly talented roster that will be victorious?**

Honsen

With two blowout wins already, Detroit has beaten up on the Penguins like Michael Keaton did in Batman Returns. This will be a short series; in four or five games, the Red Wings will be immortalized on the Stanley Cup once again.

Evan

Well, seeing as Detroit already has a 2-0 in the series and the Penguins have yet to score a goal, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that the Red Wings have the upper hand. While nearly every fan outside of Hockeytown would like to see the young and exciting Pens win this series, the Wings should take it in five.

Ben

Of course Pittsburgh is going to lose the championship in Detroit. Oh, wait, we’re not back in 2005 rooting for Seattle in the Super Bowl? Shoot, if that’s the case, I’ve got to say the Red Wings are going to win. They’ve got way too much team chemistry to be defeated by a group of young, relatively inexperienced guys. The Penguins have a huge window of opportunity for a championship with their young talent, though.

Maks

They say the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby is the NHL’s version of LeBron James, so I’m going to go with the Red Wings.

**3. Who do you think the Sonics should draft with the fourth overall pick in the NBA draft?**

Honsen

Jerryd Bayless, the combo guard out of Arizona. With the fourth pick in the draft, the Sonics will be out of the Derrick Rose/Michael Beasley scenarios, so Bayless will probably be the best value they get. The former freshman would also be a good second scoring option behind Kevin Durant.

Evan

Somebody we’ve all heard of. Before drafting Kevin Durant and Jeff Green in last year’s first round, the Sonics’ first-round picks from 2004-2006 looked like this: Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Mouhamed Sene — not exactly key ingredients for a successful team. Jerryd Bayless seems like a decent fit for a team with two backup point guards.

Ben

With the fourth pick in the 2008 NBA draft, the Sonics select … Brook Lopez? Nope, sorry. No more drafting big men after the past few years of disappointments there. I think the best bet here would be to pick up Jerryd Bayless. He’s a Gilbert Arenas-like guy who can bring the ball up the court and is a legitimate scoring threat, which should draw some attention off Durant. They could always take O.J. Mayo, but I don’t know if his alleged representatives will be too happy if the Sonics move to Oklahoma.

Maks

Let’s set the scene. NBA commissioner David Stern: “With the fourth pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Tumbleweeds — I mean Seattle SuperSonics — select Nikola Pekovic out of Serbia.” I can see it now.

**4. Miami defensive end Jason Taylor missed voluntary minicamp, and it is said that he also plans to boycot the entire offseason’s workouts. Do you think the Dolphins and other NFL teams should allow this kind of behavior from Taylor or other professional football players who miss workouts?**

Honsen

The NFL teams shouldn’t even be allowed to do anything to players like Jason Taylor; there’s a reason why they are called “voluntary” minicamps. If the teams don’t want players to skip these workouts, they should make them mandatory and work out an agreement with the NFL Players Association and give set pay to make the players come to the minicamps.

Evan

As good as Jason Taylor is and as much as he’s meant to the Dolphins franchise, this is ridiculous. He’s clearly looking to market himself as somewhat of a Hollywood presence once his playing days are done, which is fine. However, the fact that he’s skipping team-related activities to do so shouldn’t be tolerated. Adding this to his already-icy relationship with Bill Parcells probably means that Taylor has played his last game with the Dolphins.

Ben

While most guys couldn’t get away with a stunt like this, I think Taylor can. This is a guy who’s been to six Pro Bowls and was just about the only consistent player on the Dolphins throughout all of last season. This being said, he’s the leader of that defense and should be with his team. In a worst-case scenario, Taylor is let go from the team by Bill Parcells. Now Taylor can go to a team that actually has a shot at winning this season, or he can become a professional salsa dancer.

Maks

I don’t think the Dolphins should even allow a player to participate in offseason workouts if they lose to a 5-foot-1-inch ice skater in something, or if they want to follow in the footsteps of a terrible actor like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Has anyone else seen Walking Tall?