Every professional basketball fan loves watching the NBA. It’s where the world’s most supremely gifted players showcase their talents on the hardwood’s grandest stage for all to see. Watching the games in the crib in TV is cool, but there’s nothing that can duplicate the feeling of witnessing an NBA game live in the flesh. Sure, tickets can be pretty expensive depending on how good the team is, but it’s still an NBA game.

 Now imagine if a friend gave you some free tickets. Free tickets to see the some of the greatest ballers in the planet do their thing? What basketball junkie could refuse such an enticing offer?

 Southern California freshman O.J. Mayo couldn’t, and he subsequently had to pay for his actions.

 After accepting tickets from longtime friend, Denver Nuggets all-star forward Carmelo Anthony for a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the NCAA ruled Mayo had violated the student-athlete bylaw. The law states student-athletes may not receive “free or reduced-cost admission to professional athletes contest from professional sports organizations, unless such services are also available to the student body in general.”

 To avoid having being suspended, Mayo donated the $460, the value of the tickets, to a charitable organization. Now everything is alright, and Mayo can go back to leading his the USC to the NCAA Tournament. Or is it really all good?Over the years there have been numerous egregious acts committed by universities in their attempt to become successful.

 Who can ever forget Colorado University’s infamous sex recruiting involving the Buffalo football team in 2003. Although Colorado was justifiably blasted by the media and got probation for their lewd sexual recruiting practices, don’t think it doesn’t go on across the country.

 Minnesota, Fresno State and South Carolina basketball teams were busted for academic fraud, as it was learned weren’t just assisting, but actually completed assignments for players. Remember South Carolina assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr. taught a basketball course a few players attended? The class included such intricate conundrums as, “How many halves are in a basketball game,?” or “How long is a three second violation? You gotta love it. Education doesn’t get any better than that.

 I understand the NCAA wants to do everything within its power to protect the integrity of its athletics, but suspending a kid for accepting tickets to an NBA game is absolutely preposterous. Being the recipient of special privileges is what makes something special. If Carmelo wanted all USC students to go his game he would have made tickets available for the entire campus. Why didn’t he? Because he specifically wanted Mayo to go the game. Simple as that.

 This isn’t even remotely similar to when Chris Webber received more than $280,000 in illicit inducements from deceased Michigan booster Ed Martin, ranging from houses, cars, jewelry and money for Webber and his family during the “Fab Five” years of 1991-93. Nor is it close to when Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby accepted over $28,000 during Massachusetts 1995-96 Final Four season.

 These were deliberate NCAA violations and both schools deservedly got stripped of their Final Four banners (though I think NCAA student-athletes should get broke off with a little cheddar which could minimize the number of these incidents, but that’s another column).

 If Mayo had received the tickets from an agent then the alarm would be understandable, because the agent has a vested interest in Mayo’s future NBA career, which would clearly violate NCAA rules, but that isn’t the situation at all. Mayo and Carmelo have known each other for years Carmelo simply hooked up one of his homies with tickets to a game. And honestly, who would turn down the chance to see Kobe Bryant go at it against Melo and Allen Iverson? Three of the premiere ballers in the league today and future hall-of-famers? You got to be sick to turn that down.

 A couple of weeks ago I was helping host a welcome meeting for prospective graduate students in the print journalism program at my university. I was talking to a recruit when the Director of Financial Aid, with whom I’m friends, generously slipped me a couple of tickets to a Boston Celtics because he’s a season-ticket holder. I was shocked, but excited he gave me the tickets and I gladly accepted them.
 
 But wait. This may have been an infraction of NCAA code number 2044: No grad student ambassador can accept tickets from any member within the Communications Department to professional athletics, unless the offer is made available to all other grad students. Oh snap! I’m guilty y’all. The penalty: I have to either relinquish my ambassador position or pay the value of the tickets for to regain my eligibility and be reinstated.
 
 The NCAA is an exemplary governing body for the most part, but they’re totally off here. This is a petty, archaic regulation that need sot be abolished, not now, but right now. A student-athlete taking offered tickets to a professional sporting event from friends or associates doesn’t jeopardize their amateur status, or tarnish the sanctity of the game. It’s ridiculously dumb, and is a hindrance rather than a help.

 In addition, this “infringement” further mars Mayo’s image, who has been reviled and labeled irreverent for being suspended as a senior at Huntington West Virginia for bumping an official as a senior. By all accounts, from teammates, head coach Tim Floyd and Dick Vitale Mayo has been misunderstood and matured significant since arriving at USC.

 So please NCAA, in the best interest of future-student athletes get rid of these trivial, dogmatic laws, and raise up off Mayo and let the my man live.