One would think the goal of colleges and universities around the country would be to cultivate a student-body that will flourish after graduation. However, when it comes to collegiate athletics, it seems the bonds between universities and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) are ones that are concerned more with winning and profit and less with the long-term success of student-athletes.
In fact, the inception of the term “student-athlete” is revelatory. The student is, first, a student, and second, a participant in an extracurricular activity. It was strategically coined “student-athlete” as opposed to “employee” to characterize students on athletic scholarships in the 50s. The term protected schools from workers’ compensations claims in the case an athlete was injured. Basketball player Kevin Ware suffered a gruesome fracture to his leg during Louisville’s NCAA regional final victory. Is Ware’s injury much different from a college employee who slips and falls and breaks his or her leg performing work? One receives a scholarship and the other a paycheck. Both are doing the school’s work.
The NCAA justifies and qualifies their actions through its players receiving free education. However, there is a caveat: athletic scholarships are not certain and are renewed on a yearly basis. The categorization “student-athlete” and the yearly scholarship renewal structure foster an environment that places a disproportionate amount of power in the hands of coaches. The yearly renewal makes the scholarships more of a bargaining chip for winning-obsessed coaches to hold over their athletes’ heads.
What happened to Division 1 Varsity baseball player, Sean Olenek, provides insights into a system that can easily be manipulated by coaches at the expense of student-athletes. It relegates players to positions of employees in fear of losing their jobs instead of athletes following a trustworthy leader. Winning is everything and the health and well-being of players is irrelevant.
Sean Olenek played left and center field at Mercer.
In 2007 Sean signed his letter of intent and acceptance of a baseball scholarship with Mercer University. Previously, he had spoken to a laundry list of colleges from University of South Carolina to Stetson.
“I took my official visits at NC state, Mercer, and Florida Gulf coast and they all offered me scholarships but Mercer gave me the best offer $32k out of $34k. I was talking to eight major league teams and went to two major league workouts my senior year for the Colorado Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals. The White Sox called and asked me how much money it would take to forego four years of college,” Olenek told Sweet Lemon.
He was on top of the mountain.
Sean began his college career on the summit of the mountain, too. In his first at bat, he singled. As a college baseball player, Sean hit a home run off of two-time MLB All-Star, Chris Sale. During this first at bat of his sophomore year, he homered. Little did he know, however, that his mountain was eroding. He explains: “In the next game after the homer I went 0-3, and the next game I was sitting…and what was more surprising was how the coaches would repeatedly tell me how great I was and how I was the best player to come through there but then sit me for going 0-3?”
Promptly pulling a player was the norm for Head Coach Craig Gibson and his colleagues. Sean said about Coach Gibson that he “wanted to win at all costs.” Brent Shade, the Mercer pitching coach, “put the most pressure on everyone to win and, would pull his pitchers faster than you could blink,” Sean said.
The atmosphere concerned primarily with winning at all costs was not conducive to players’ futures. Sean said that he wanted not only a college education but also ultimately to be drafted to play professional baseball. “Bottom line: No one is going to get drafted if you don’t play.”
The prospect of getting pulled from a game would lead players to sacrifice their bodies to field impossible hits. In May of 2010 in a game vs. Savannah State, Sean was unable to field a line drive hit, and Sean alleges that Coach Shade castigated Sean and informed him that missing a ball was unacceptable.
“So two innings later, same ball hit, I dive for it, I lay out as far as I can, don’t even really come close to the ball, end up rolling over my wrist and breaking my wrist,” he explained.
Sean suffered a scaphoid fracture in his left wrist that left him in a cast for 13 weeks. Sean’s scaphoid fracture was not his only injury. He endured his worst baseball injury during an alleged “optional” practice in January 2010. The “optional” practice is quoted because full team practices are illegal before the spring, according to NCAA rules. As baseball is a spring sport, team practices would begin sometime soon after the New Year.
“I can’t tell you how many times the NCAA gave us rules and regulations that we didn’t even pay attention to,” Olenek told SLM. What is ironic is that Sean explained that the NCAA did go through the motions to educate athletes. The NCAA assembled Mercer’s Varsity athletes in an auditorium at the beginning of the year and delineated rules and showed a compliance video. Each team also had a compliance officer. The men’s baseball team was essentially under a tacit understanding that what the coach said and did was absolute and incontrovertible. “It was an unspoken rule that you don’t rat out your coaches that are breaking the rules.”
The scholarships, however, allowed the coaches to wield excessive power that eclipsed NCAA standards for players who were concerned about obtaining playing time in the next game or suffering a punishment practice in addition to the illegal practice session.
“There are a certain amount of hours that you can practice in the fall, we went over them every week. They called it ‘optional,’ but if you’re not at that optional practice, you are gonna be sitting, at a coach’s meeting, or you’re gonna be off the team.”
In fact, Sean recalled when a senior pitcher spoke out to the compliance office about the unreasonable hours of “optional” fall practices. The compliance officer neither went to the NCAA nor the athletic director, instead she marched to the head coach.
He continued on the fate of the outspoken senior: “That senior, one of our best pitchers, was running laps probably every practice. The coach was extremely angry at him and punished him for it, even though he was right, technically.”
While Sean’s compliance officer failed to report practice hours, one draw a line to other universities that saw breakdowns in the reporting process. The administrators at Penn State, for example, remained hesitant to report and are even alleged to have covered up the allegations of Jerry Sandusky assaulting young boys. Certainly, the severity of the wrongdoing is different, but the conspiracy of silence and protecting coaches who cause injury are harsh realities that directly affect players.
Sure enough, in January, the Bears had a full team scrimmage. A foul ball hit Sean in the face. The result? A hyphema in his left eye with a permanent 180-degree tear where the cornea meets the Iris that can never be fully fixed. He has a 50% chance of developing glaucoma and a possibility to developing early on-set cataracts in his left eye because of the practice. Sean was on bed rest for five days and unable to leave his room. As if an injury that would last his entire life were not enough, the coach threatened Sean for his appearance afterwards. “The first thing coach said to me was, Sean, if you don’t shave that beard I’m taking away your scholarship.”
Sean explained, “that’s how they control you – through scholarships.”
Exacerbating Sean’s athletic career on the field were his parents’ health problems at home. Sean reached out to his contacts at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). The assistant coach, Rusty Mckee, had been in contact with Sean (this communication between Sean and Coach Mckee is illegal according to NCAA guidelines), but the coach told Sean they had a scholarship and spot waiting for him in right field.
According to NCAA rules, players are not allowed to transfer between Division 1 schools without sitting out for a year unless they have a waiver. Sean claimed hardship to be closer home. FGCU helped Sean with the waiver and got it passed through the NCAA. They helped Sean knowing not only that there was an agreement for him to play, but also that the agreement was not in writing. Meaning, FGCU had a star player but did not have any written guarantees for scholarship, just Coach McKee’s word.
Sean started playing baseball and attending classes at FGCU in the fall of 2011. Throughout the fall, Sean continued to ask the coach for something in writing regarding his scholarship. Coach McKee assured him on a weekly basis that his scholarship was “set in stone.”
Before winter break Sean went into his player’s meeting. Coach McKee informed Sean that they did not have scholarship money for him.
“Right then and there I quit baseball for good,” he said. “I felt so betrayed by the game, I worked my whole entire life for…Coach lied to me the entire fall…The integrity of Coach McKee, he lied to a 21-year-old kid and took my dreams away.”
Sean’s baseball mountain crumbled.
The NCAA’s “student-athlete” paradigm that enabled it to profit and shield itself and schools from lawsuits set up a structure that exists for the primary purpose of increasing profits for schools and the NCAA. The system allows players to be taken advantage of on many levels. Scholarships create an illusory democracy of fair play—they enable coaches to be dictators over their athletes. “Being a Division 1 athlete is a job,” he said, “I really see the scholarship as more of a salary because it is a full-time job.”
The power structure that the NCAA abets must be changed to protect student-athletes. Coaches who break the rules and harm student athletes should be removed.
“I really wanted to tell my story, because I don’t want this to happen to any other kids and have their dream taken from them…or to at least know what kind of world they will be dealing with.”
Update, August 9th, 2:23pm: Request for comment has been extended to both Coach Gibson and Coach Shade. Responses have not yet been received.
Update: Read the follow-up to this piece, “Dreams Deferred: The Unintended Consequences of the NCAA,” including an interview with former Coach Tim Boeth.
By
The views and personal experiences expressed in this piece are those of Sean Olenek and do not reflect the views of Sweet Lemon Magazine.
Roberson
This is the biggest exaggeration I have every seen. In fact it is all lies. Well besides the fact that Brent Shade is kind of douche.
Did the NCAA force you to take Viagra with your roommate in attempt to drill vulnerable freshman coeds?
Or did they force you to smoke weed all throughout the offseason? How about popping paibn killers and drinking codene at the baseball house?
METO
Unless you played for those coaches you don’t know all the facts. I would not suggest anyone go play baseball at Mercer if they are wanting to look at getting drafted. What he said is 100 percent true. And there is a lot more that need to come out, which I hope does.
Former Bear
This article is a joke. Anyone who knows anything about baseball knows that if this kid was a legit prospect and wanted to play pro ball he would’ve gone to juco and the scouts would’ve encouraged it. The fact that he didn’t, shows that most believe he was at least three years away. If he was so good and “the best player to come through Mercer” he would’ve signed with a D1 powerhouse. Nobody passes up D1 offers and pro ball for a mid-major. I played for Gibby and out of all the coaches I had, he was the softest. Even softer than my HS coach who learned under Mike Martin (he will also win at all costs and bench your butt faster than you can blink). It’s probably a good thing you didn’t go to a powerhouse. I’m not on good terms with Gibby and don’t donate to the program but that has nothing to do with his coaching style. This kid was a mental midget who dives for balls he can’t catch. To blame a coach for you not making a play, then doing something stupid is ridiculous! He should be glad Gibby gave him his “waiver”. One former player that transferred to FSU didn’t and had to sit out a year. This kid obviously wasn’t nearly as good as he thought and made stupid decisions like transferring without paperwork. If he was such a stud, FGCU or anyone else would’ve made room. I suppose a home run in your first game warrants starting for life? It was your third game you got benched- you hadn’t earned a longer leash after TWO GAMES! It’s a good thing he’s out of competition because it looks like he wanted a cheerleader to coach him. He probably cuts his sandwich in triangles and wipes his butt with wet naps.
midnight meat train
Cut the crap, Olenek. I don’t like you and you don’t like me. Just don’t blame your bum knees when I take your job.
dealt
Dealt!! Go Mercer Bears!! Drop and drive! Get wet. do something mama
weezy
TBD DOG
This article is a fabrication beyond belief. Frankly, it reaks of arrogance, lies and stupidity. Grow a pair meat.
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
WOW
This story is fabricated beyond belief (At least the Mercer part). Frankly, it’s full of lies, arrogance, and quotes from a kid who still hasn’t grown up.
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
METO
Most kids have not grown up at college till about that last yr. Coaches should build on talent not rip it apart. These young men come to school to play baseball and are looking for truth and guidance from there coaches, but want get it from Mercer coaches.
Byong Chang Min
Great article! Many are already on board hoping the college athletic system will turn into something that better protects the athletes. When college kids get into trouble for getting a ride home while the same college makes money off of jersey sales, something is amiss.
Grin&BearIt
When Jose Canseco stepped forward and told the truth people attacked his character and dismissed what he was saying. Turned out he had no character, but it also turned out he was TELLING THE TRUTH. I don’t know anything about this young man, but he felt strongly enough to put his name in the article. If this is true the University or this publication needs to investigate in order to protect the students! Disturbing read.
Grin&BearIt
Btw the part about the other school might be true , but the part about Mercer is fabricated? How is one point true and the other should be dismissed. This story needs more information.
METO
Just ask any former player, players there now can not say anything because they will either have there money taken away, or sit the bench, or let go.
Former Bear
I’m a former player that was there the year before this kid- this story is BS. TBD is a former player too
Grow up
You should use quotes from his teammates instead. and…
-If he knew how to dive he wouldn’t have broken your wrist.
- Complaining about extra optional practices? Quality athletes want optional practices because they allow you to get better. If you don’t want extra practice then take a seat.
-Unlike “employees” scholarships are merit based. You EARN your spot every day. Mercer, like every other university, doesn’t promise you a tomorrow. I wouldn’t want my school giving away money to mediocre players.
- Its baseball getting hit with a ball happens. Did Shade to catch (or at least protect yourself from a foul ball) hit the ball at your eye? You’re a baseball player- learn or go play for Savannah State.
BSisBS
In response to grow up:
1. If he knew how to dive he would not have broken his wrist – aren’t coaches supposed to teach that? And even if you know how to dive you can still break your wrist.
2. Attend “Optional Practice” or take a seat? does not sound optional. Sounds like players exceeded the 40 hour rule referenced in the article or else.
3. Earn your spot every day at Mercer? Plenty of players on the roster that have done little to earn their spot. Do you tell the parents of your players they are not promised a tomorrow? Sounds like you are treating these players like objects and not people.
4. Any parent would be upset if their son was injured during a mandatory “optional” practice that was not being supervised by coaches. Kids getting injured in unsupervised practices on school grounds sounds like negligence.
5. What does Savannah State have to do with this?
Grow up
Optional means more time on the field and a chance to get better. And I am pretty sure college coaches shouldnt teach you to dive… you should already know how to dive especially an outfielder.
METO
Not true about wrist. Accidents happen, I guess you could say the same about other players who have got hurt, you don’t know how to run, or slide, if you get hurt doing it. Stupid comment.
Former Bear
You’re exactly right- he broke his wrist accidentally. Don’t blame the coach
Misleading
I believe there are several political based issues with college sports, but politics will follow you EVERYWHERE. If you can’t handle the college political game, then there was no way in hell you would have survived the minor league politics or the major leagues for that matter.
Some of these claims contradict each other and I do not believe there should be any claims thrown out there without hard FACTS. If the team was ONLY about winning, and you were the BEST player to ever come through these school systems (which is how this article portrays you) then why would they sit you? I can actually answer this for you….because you were not performing better than someone else could in that same position. How can this article first complain about coaches wanting to win and then say that they just sat him bc who knows why!
Also, the only person that can take a dream away is yourself. This is an unfortunate situation but they didnt kick you off the team, they just didnt give you money. If this was what you truly wanted, then money would not be the object, but that is what it turned into. In the end, I dont believe this former player had the last laugh….he just made himself look like an ass.
METO
That is not true about only you can make your dreams go away. I have seen first hand how Shade and Gibby has made several players want to stop playing ball but the parents talk them into staying. You people who have not been there need to do your research on all this stuff. It is true and there is a lot more that has not come out.
Craig Gibson
^ Thanks Brent, appreciate you looking out for my job. Not surprised, another one of Booty’s recruits.
Craig
Unbiased Opinion
Unfortunately Mr. Gibson, this comment seems to typify you as the troglodyte that the article & subsequent commentary makes you out to be. Perhaps, you would do well to remember that if you wish to repudiate the claims made against you. It speaks volumes about Mercer’s program that the head coach of the baseball team exhibits so little integrity. That being said, this article is clearly a desperate and infantile attempt to get your attention; however, it worked.
METO
Amen. That is how it works at Mercer. There( Gibson & Shade. door is not open like they say. The truth will be told.
BushBears
First off… Why would someone think Sean doesn’t know how to dive?
https://sphotos-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/2658_138737800391_7749119_n.jpg
Secondly to Grin&BearIt… WOW is clearly a member of the young Mercer Bears that don’t know Sean, or a member of the staff. Most likely the latter with the Teddy quote.
Grow Up- not that your quotes aren’t accurate.. they just seem to lose validity without having names to go with them. for example “You’re a baseball player- learn or go play for Savannah State.”- Brent Shade. It would appear you are just trying to bash this kid as immaturely as it was done to your program.
Next… Is the sole purpose of playing college baseball to get drafted? I don’t know much about baseball, or the draft… but taking a cycle or two at a JuCo would seem more beneficial if that is the goal.
If the allegations of this young baseball “star” doing drugs are true. (Which would also be common practice on college campuses) Then a salary to play would most likely only increase the amount of recreational drug use. With no responsibility, no bills, no worries… the Good Times would just keep rolling with some sort of salary.
We wont get into the distances between fgcu/orlando/mercer…. or bring in Tallahassee where Sean ended up after that horrid fall as an Eagle. But we should bring up how the Big Bad NCAA was willing to not only allow Sean to transfer Division 1 schools, but to a Conference Rival as well. And with the above mentioned help from FGCU staff? They were clearly doing someone a favor.
I’m not saying this article is fabricated. “Optional” practices are held at every legitimate or hoping to be legitimate university. No big deal. This article just appears to be publicly bashing not only the Mercer Baseball program or the Gulf Coast program, but actual individuals inside these programs as well.
In next weeks issue lets get some quotes from Chris Sale himself, who will probably soon have One Hundred Million reasons why attending one of these universities was the best decision hes ever made.
METO
Wow Great picture. I have seen a dozen of those thru the yrs. of different players, show those picture to not just this one shot of him missing the ball. I bet every player has missed a ball. Very low of you BushBears.
Go Noles!
Doesn’t the NCAA have a strict drug testing policies along with random drug tests constantly done by the University? Wouldn’t he have failed the drug tests? If they tested for Big Mac’s Roberson would fail miserably. …let’s get real, this isn’t just about this player but focusing on the lack of integrity with these coaches. Hopefully this shows kids that they need to have a trusting relationship with their coaches and vice versa. Ithe coaches are mentors and can’t be lying to kids and making false promises….
Grow up
Or it should teach kids that they have to work hard and earn their spot and that no one is just gonna give it you.
METO
Players know they have to earn a spot. Coaches need to own up to the truth, there are more out there that know it than those who don’t , but they will hope before it is to late.
METO
Coaches tell you and parents what you want to here. Your there best player till after your second yr. Then they have you or you go to another school sit out a yr. or go to JUCO. Players need to talk to players before they sign, or talk in depth with coaches.
Sweet Lemon Reader
Dear Emily,
You go, girl! You wrote a great article and it seems you have hit a nerve. As a student athlete alumna, I can assure you that these issues do not happen everywhere. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I also enjoyed all the ignorant and illiterate comments. They are pretty funny! I look forward to more interesting articles from Sweet Lemon Magazine
METO
Great story which is true, the Mercer part. Don’t know about FGCU. Coaches at Mercer tear down talent more than they build it up. Getting there records is all they are worried about. Another mark on the paper for them.
METO
Typo above. tare down talent
Go Noles!
It’s also RUMORED that Chris Sale smoked weed not only during the off-season but during the season….and since the MLB doesn’t test for street drugs, it is rumored that him and many other White Sox players still smoke weed! Who knows! Who cares! Integrity is the more important issue here…
KarwattsRevenge
An article about hitting a homerun of pre-cape Sale? There should be a book written about the nukes I hit off of current big leaguers. WAKE UP THE SQUIRRELS!!!
JTuck
I can’t tell you how many times the NCAA gave us rules and regulations that we didn’t even pay attention to,”
Chris Sobh
This article is very true. It is a shame that a player cannot trust his coach anymore. Coaches are supposed to be leaders and looked up to in all levels of play including professional athletes. To threaten a player by taking away his scholarship is trying to show that you are in POWER and not interested in making that person better in life. Coaches are now focused on getting ped’s for their players rather than a tutor. COOL ARTICLE!!!!!
Why so serious
Just a random thought but if this article was as fabricated as some of you say it is, then how would they be able to publish it? If it was full of lies they would have to take it down for slandering the universities in question. That right there tells you that there is truth in the article. Also if that is actually the coaches of the university, why are you on here trying to bash the kid? Shouldn’t you just come out with a statement regarding the issue and say that mercer has stayed within the regulations of the NCAA? Or are you on here bashing this kid because you know you have constantly broken rules and you are upset that somebody has actually called you out about it? Whatever the reason, this article has definitely struck a nerve and people don’t normally get upset about something like this unless it is an ugly truth about them. I personally I am very curious about the situation now and would love to see a follow up story that dug deeper.
Sweet Lemon Reader
Well said!
Former Bear
It struck a nerve because it’s a journalist and one source. Pretty well rounded, no? So your logic is since it was published on a blog, it has to be true… riiiiiiiiiight
JTuck
Why so Serious, yes, the article has truths.
What you see is very likely the coaches responding. The arrogance exhibited by Gibson’s reply and the behaviors you called out are a fact of life in Mercer Baseball. The coaches (Gibson and Shade) are snarky about and to their own players, players on other teams, fellow coaches that do not see things their way (unfortunately this applies to any Mercer coach other than themselves -Shade and Gibson and Coaches on the other teams. From my perspective the following items are absolutely true-
1. “In the next game after the homer I went 0-3, and the next game I was sitting…and what was more surprising was how the coaches would repeatedly tell me how great I was and how I was the best player to come through there but then sit me for going 0-3?” Absolutely true!! You can bat 400 and have one bad game; the coaches will be in your face belittling you in front of everyone and you will sit with spittle on your face and the f bomb ringing in your ears.
2.“I can’t tell you how many times the NCAA gave us rules and regulations that we didn’t even pay attention to,” – where oh where does the food money go???? The players are fed 1/2 cheese pizza and no drink when on the road. Oh to switch it up they have had $1.00 roller dogs. If the coaches are pissed they get a loaf of white bread and a jar of peanut butter (no knife, no drink). So much for “you are what you eat”!
3, .” Brent Shade, the Mercer pitching coach, “put the most pressure on everyone to win…. having a bad outing often resulted in “if you don’t shave that beard, cut your hair, not hang out with so and so I’m taking away your scholarship.” Absolutely a true and frequent occurrence. Five players running around with longer hair or beards but yours is a problem.
Things not mentioned but happen repeatedly at Mercer, just check with the Major League Recruiters. Letters are given to the coaches from the major league teams, these letters let the players know they are being considered etc. Gibson and Shade do not pass the letters on to the boys. This has occurred over and over.
Mercer Baseball is what it is, the boys should do their research prior to signing or joining the team. You have to LOVE baseball and be very secure within yourself to participate in baseball at Mercer. The coaching staff does not have the skill to help you grow. Gibson is for Gibson, his concern is promoting himself. Shade runs the team and covers Gibsons backside. Shade is possibly one of the weakest pitching coaches at any college. If you only grow from strong positive, instructive and supportive coaching; Mercer is not the place to play baseball. The coaches are old school and believe that the beating with the stick is the way to get the best out of people -there are no carrots. The Coaches have been fortunate, they have players that play for each other – the coaches be damn. In addition, NCAA does not give a damn and the Athletic director is a puffed up joke. He is only around when a camera is on the premise.
METO
Very well said. Wow if the air could talk, what would come out.
Stephen
Mrs. DiCiccio,
I feel that you should offer a follow-up story with interviews from other players and coaches to back-up Sean’s claims. I do not doubt that they are true and this story will be much like the peeling of an onion. Also, I’m sure that the Compliance Officer, Athletic Director, and President of Mercer University would offer great resources for the follow-up. There is no doubt that Sean’s story is not the only one. Some may come on to defend Gibson and Shade, but the true nature of the program should be brought to the light. Gibson and Shade may be right in everything they have done, but it should be investigated. I’m sure the NCAA office would love to see a copy of this article as well. You have opened the gates here and I would like to see you follow through with it, no matter the outcome. Also, I am sure that there is a former Mercer assistant coach who would be willing to give you the entire truth on the nature of the Mercer program. Best of luck.
Go Noles!
From the article, it looks like Rusty McKee and Fl. Gulf Coast U were the biggest rule breakers….offering a player a scholarship behind another coaches back in the same conference, then lying to the kid! Wow, how do you sleep at night…well probably because you do it all the time…I guess lying about scholarships is a regular thing at FGCU.
Judging by the Mercer coaches comments, who the hell would want to play for the Bears….what a joke….telling my boys not to go to either of these schools unless they want to be mentally screwed and have the game of baseball taken away from them…
Still think people are picking out bits and pieces(just like me above)…the big picture is Integrity! Some people have it and some don’t but when your coaching kids, it’s a mandatory factor a coach needs to have…
Sean, stay strong bro…proud of u for stepping up to the plate to raise awareness about how important having a strong, trusting relationship with your coach and mentor as you progress as a player and more importantly a person…maybe a little “whining” will be the squeaky wheel that makes these dicks check their character and the way they run their programs….
METO
There are a lot of former players and players parents that I bet would get together if asked. I know there has been a lot of talk about it.
Watt
Well hey guys.. Looks like my alias has already posted.
Sean i just don’t understand the need to “get your story out there”. To me it screams “whiney kid couldn’t make it at 2 schools”
You and I are boys I’m just telling you how this comes off to a dozen or so exmercer players I have talked to..
I don’t think long hours and optional practices really being mandatory are far from the norm…
Most wanted to be at optional practices especially as an underclass men. I remember when a certain pair of twins never showed to the optional shit and nobody was really happy with that(teammates I mean).
The thing about getting hurt bc they didn’t yeah you how to dive is an absolute joke. You are a division one athlete that is stupid as hell
Going 0for3 then benched- happened to everyone, not just u. Gibby was super high and low and was obsessed with match ups.. Nobody was picking on Sean.
Hell I had to sit there for a third of the season and watch Johnny mo set the pun hout record before putting you clowns on my back to barely make the tournament.. Was it bull shit hell ya! Was I pissed at gibby you bet, I wanted I fight his ass! He will tell you that too.. Was he wrong for it? Yep!
Did I call some chick from some fake publication and throw everyone under the bus? Nope
I guess the guys you played with are a little confused and pissed… Not bc we love shade and gibby, or bc some of the stuff said isn’t true. But bc it strikes me as wtf? Really, attention grabbing whiney bs… The NCAA didn’t make I stop playing baseball.. You transferred to a better team and didn’t hit on the fall do they banged you!
Daddy has to go drink some beer and watch golf, later ladies
METO
Boy you are in a little group. There are more people and players that agree with Sean. I stand behind him 100 percent. I bet there more that will stand with him than against him, unless your are still there playing and then you can’t , because you will be gone or sitting the pine or money is gone, gone, gone.
METO
Oh or you are Shades boy
Cole
Well I can speak for dozens of guys that played with him. I don’t see any “standing with him”
No coach ever wants their best players not in the lineup!
NCAA baseball is a grind and players like some coaches and hate others. Ultimately even the worst coach will play his best 9 guys because its his job to win.
Put it this way if Sean was lighting it up at the plate why would two schools screw him over?
METO
Oh there are many more. This has opened the door. He speaks only little things that have happened. Mercer needs to wake up to what is going on. Shame on you. I would not recommend anyone to Mercer for baseball till there is change. How about threatening to suspend a player if they don’t throw at a player. Is that the kind of coaches you want?
Chester
Don’t confuse thinking this article is stupid with siding with the coaches…
It’s not very hard to figure out how a former player can think this is a stupid idea that comes off as a pathetic attempt to get sympathy and talk about how great he was. It’s an article that all of us could be featured in, but it’s also one that none of us would ever allow anyone to write about us.
Former Bear
i read this article with a little violin playing in my head
Robert Wren Gordon
First of all, I think this is a well-written article by a great young journalist.
Secondly, I think some of the commenters have allowed themselves to become mired in the small details of the article, which is completely understandable given that names are mentioned.
This said, it seems as if the goal of the article is to expose a gaping flaw in the relationship that the NCAA fosters between collegiate athletes and their coaches. Besides a scholarship, and potential fame, collegiate athletes receive virtually no remuneration for their services, despite the fact that their actions on gameday generate millions for their respective schools. Thus, it seems as if the author is simply using an anecdote (Sean’s story) to generate discussion on this topic and raise awareness of the issue.
Congratulations on a well-written piece Emily! Hopefully the coaches will afford you the opportunity to write a follow-up or response article delineating their stance.
METO
Coaches are playing with the future of these men who are still looking for the truth and guidance in there coaches ,only to see it isn’t there. The coaches have had there time let these young men have that same dream you had at there age.
John
The NCAA takes advantage of athletes? Groundbreaking!
Sean Olenek
First off, Thank you Emily for writing this article so well. I know your goals are in line with mine. We aren’t trying to become famous, we aren’t trying to whine, and we aren’t defaming any programs/coaches that haven’t done anything wrong. The goal of this article is simple: educating the up and coming college commits on how important it is to go to an athletic program that has extremely high integrity and that has coaches who are willing to build trusting relationships with their players to make them the best people they can be.
This article reeks of the sad truth of a lot of collegiate athletic programs. Frankly, it is sad that this is such a common theme between coaches and players. Grow a pair and speak up if this has happened to you….You don’t have to do an interview or write on Facebook. All you have to do is spread the word around where you live. Tell younger kids that are playing baseball or any sport for that matter about what can and will go wrong if they aren’t proactive in talking to potential coaches and players. Why not try to make the next generation the best they can be? The facts are I gave it all I had once I stepped between those lines. I did everything the coaches asked of me whether it was wrong or right. I put my body on the line and have to live with various injuries for the rest of my life. …50% chance of developing glaucoma in my left eye because Coach Gibson wanted to supervise and illegal full team scrimmage before the season….Are you kidding me Gibby? It was probably Shades idea since the guy is more nervous than a slug in a salt factory. Take a chill pill Shade and start doing some soul searching. Start leading by example and making better individuals instead of constantly tearing players down so you can have a more fulfilling ASSISTANT coaching career. Rustydick McKee says “Sean, you don’t need anything in writing, it is set in stone buddy”…time after time I heard that come out of his mouth. Karma is going to hit you harder than a Mike Tyson punch Rustydick. Stop wasting your time recruiting out of Central Florida.
Like I said before, this isn’t a lame attempt to get back at coaches that do things the wrong way, rather a catalyst to make them realize the wrong way isn’t the best way. When a person feels pressure, their brain releases chemicals that tighten up their muscles. This is a natural defense mechanism the body creates. I would be willing to bet my $64,000 scholarship for 2 years at Mercer or my promissory note( still in the mail I guess) of $8,000 from FGCU that none of these coaches know that. That being said, kids will play better when they are relaxed and don’t have to worry about every single at bat. I tell the kids I coach all the time, Baseball is a game of failure. In the GAME, you aren’t going to make every play or get a hit every time but if you anticipate well and play relaxed, good things will happen.
The compliance office needs to hold coaches accountable. The players need to hold coaches accountable. The schools need to look past a coach’s win/loss record and start looking at their integrity. If we want better people for tomorrow, we will start making changes today. If this article can save a kid from being betrayed or having to live with permanent injuries, than I will have succeeded. The truth hurts meat.
The REAL Sean Olenek
Hi Everyone,
I have tried to stay away from commenting but I feel that I need to say a few things. First of all, I am sorry if I offended anyone by giving Emily an interview. My intentions were good in that I wanted to make people more aware of kids having trusting relationships with their coaches and coaches having high integrity. I have had more bad coaches than good coaches but I am now a coach and realize the responsibility that comes with being a coach. Coaches have the ability to positively impact a lot of kids lives. In fact, that coach may be the ONLY positive thing in a kids life. I didn’t want to gain fame or whine or throw anyone under the bus. Trust will always be earned and having good character is what makes people want to trust you. Hopefully, we will continue to see coaching as a vocation to make positive impacts on kids lives.
-Sean Olenek
Dreams deferred: the unintended consequences of the NCAA | Sweet Lemon Magazine
[…] Olenek’s narrative featured in NCAA: Dreamcatchers illustrated how the NCAA’s rules–or lack thereof–can foster an environment with […]
Fluff mcguff
This story is bogus. I was a player for mercer and, in my opinion, had it just as bad as Sean but you don’t see me whining about it. I had line drives hit at me after practice while everyone watched with no glove on from the pitchers mound and had to stop them. Came away with a broken finger. I dealt with all kinds of criticism from the coaches and still played almost every game during my career. We all took criticism. That’s college athletics for you. Some could handle it and some couldn’t. Sean had been the best his whole life and didn’t like the fact he was now an average player on a college team. If anything the coaches criticism made me stronger and pushed me even more. They helped me grow up, something Sean never did.
MU Bear
“2009 (Freshman): Saw action in 39 games, including 24 starts in his initial season at Mercer … batted .231 for the year as the team’s fourth outfielder … clubbed four home runs, collected nine RBI and scored 22 runs … collected his first multi-hit game by going 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored against ETSU (March 29) … hit his first collegiate home run against FGCU (April 4) … had a breakout game with two home runs, two RBI and three runs scored in a 9-5 win over Belmont (May 14).”
This kid should have been in the line up everyday. Look at those numbers(.231 in 39 games)! He never got a shot to show what he can do.
On a serious note, why does this article point out the few highlights of Sean’s career and not mention the struggles? Oh, because the story wouldn’t have sounded as good if the author pointed out that he wasn’t very good. I don’t know many .231 hitters that keep getting opportunities.
wowthisiscrazy
man reading all this stuff on here is something else…i never got to play college due to injuries but i had always wanted to play but i have had numerous college ball players tell me its not as good as i think…lots of nonsense and politics..i didnt believe until i saw this here..smh btw i played against olenek in high school and struck him out..not for nothing he did have tools but was hitting ball over a centerfield fence that was like 330 ft (not much to brag about)..batted only .338 his sr year..he was not ready for pro..wasnt even the best kid in the district..not saying he wasnt good but def not the best