<p>I read "I am Charlotte Simmons" and I was sure that the portrayal of athletes (basketball players) was grossly exaggerated. I mean the rampant sex, new cars, etc. Recently though, I was talking to someone who's a student at a nearby college and really good friends with the players on the men's basketball team. She's talking about how you can't even blame their for infidelities right now, and cites one player (probably shouldn't name names) who has a "really sweet" girlfriend. He and his girlfriend both drive cars payed for by female fans (major NCAA violation?) and after a big win he had girls lining up outside his dorm room... Maybe I'm naive, but I was completely shocked that all of this was actually true...thoughts?</p>
<p>I remember when a player on the women's team was injured fans were warned not to send even flowers, anything of greater monetary value than a card, because it was considered benefitting from being a college athlete, which the NCAA doens't like.</p>
<p>i read "i am charlotte simmons" after i finished my first year of college just to see if any of it was true. there were some parts that i could relate to and some that just seemed absurd. you have to keep in mind that this is fiction, meant to entertain and the plot might not have been as good if the stories about the athletes had been omitted.
i'm guessing that you haven't been to college yet, so don't think it will be exactly the way tom wolfe described it. remember. it's just a book.</p>
<p>No, that's what I'm saying. I thought it was just a book and a lot of parts seemed really stupid to me, and then I talked to people who knew the basketball players and were going on about all this stuff...that I had thought was ridiculous and untrue. Thanks though.</p>
<p>If the fans bought the car for the players, it would be considered a violation b/c those fans would be considered boosters and boosters can't give players money or goods (Chris Webber).</p>