“In the collegiate model of sports, the young men and women competing on the field or court are students first, athletes second.” In light of recent events, many have come to doubt the sincerity of this statement, once made by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Add in the number of scandals involving collegiate level athletics that have surfaced in the past few years, and it becomes no surprise that there is growing skepticism surrounding this institution. What was once regarded as an enjoyable and positive experience which allotted students both a free education and the opportunity to develop greater responsibility while pursuing their love of athletics, many college sports programs have evolved into an atmosphere which promotes excessive partying, academic fraud, and illegal financial dealings all in the name of the game.
In one of the most recent unearthed scandals, it was discovered that the University of North Carolina had been guilty of inflating the grades of over 1,500 student athletes over a period of nearly two decades. It appears that many struggling athletes were directed to “independent study courses” which entailed no class attendance or other semblance of academic effort outside of a “research paper” to be handed in at the end of the semester. These papers, it appears, were then reviewed by a professor or secretary who handed out high grades regardless of the quality of work. Records suggest that over 3,000 students were enrolled in these “shadow” classes which required little to no work, many of whom were student athletes who needed the GPA boost in order to remain eligible to play sports.
So how exactly did the NCAA respond to the revelation of this scandal? After receiving a lawsuit from former UNC student athletes who claim they did not receive an adequate education from the University, the NCAA claimed no responsibility “to ensure the academic integrity of the courses offered to student-athletes at its member institutions.” What the NCAA once deemed an integral part of its mission state held little value in a courtroom, it seems.
Although the results of this scandal have yet to be seen, it has sparked discussion between supporters and critics of collegiate sports alike, begging the question: What role should college athletics play in the life of a student? Is a student truly a student, first and foremost, or is their main role to bring athletic success and notoriety to their college or university? Or is the true answer a combination of the two, as many would like to believe? In an ideal world, student athletes would truly split their time evenly between their academics and their sport, reaping the benefits of both roles during and after college.
Unfortunately, and much to the support of critics of the NCAA, this equal balance does not seem to be the case. Numerous reports have suggested that many student athletes do not receive the education of their non-athlete peers, as coaches and advisers strictly control each athlete’s schedule and academics in order to ensure that they are fully focused on their athletic career. A former Northwestern University player reported that not only was he discouraged from pursuing a pre-med track, but also that players were not allowed to schedule classes before 11 A.M. Large numbers of student athletes at UCLA and the University of Oregon are bunched into “social science” or history majors which allow optimum time in the gym or at practice. These issues are widespread.
Ultimately, this issue is one which seems only to be growing. As the popularity and presence of college athletics expands, with issues such as payment of athletes coming to hand, it seems likely that some of these programs will only move student athletes further and further away from the education that college is designed to provide.
Although I have heard numerous controversial topics in relation to college athletics and the NCAA world, the news that colleges were inflating the GPA’s of athletes is truly very shocking. In America, the role of sports often times supersedes academics in comparison to international nations. As the NCAA has evolved into a enormous money-making industry, seeing that it has begun taking a role in shaping the life of students career goals is beyond belief. The simple concept of sacrificing one’s life for the enjoyment of others is bizarre in and of itself. However, although this problem is growing throughout the country, I honestly don’t see an end to this trend anytime soon. With the NCAA rising in popularity every year, and students are placed on bigger, more competitive spotlights, the pressures placed on students will only continue to increase.
The fact that college athletes aren’t getting a great education is not really that surprising to me actually. Many kids get accepted to division one schools that are also highly ranked for their academics even if they aren’t up to the standards of the school. This means that the school must compensate in some way if the student athletes aren’t as successful in their classes because they want the players to gain glory and pride for the school. It is really sad though that student athletes that can and want to balance sports with a challenging education are not allowed. Many of the best athletes are also extremely intelligent and they should not have to sacrifice their education for sports.
I have always felt highly of students who are able to combine both college sports, as well as still maintaining high grades! I think it is awful that many students have to choose between pursing a career they may actually enjoy, and playing their favorite sport during college. I think that most athletes in division one schools are more involved in athletics than in education itself. I cannot believe that the young man at Northwestern was not allowed to schedule classes prior to 11 AM due to his sport! I cannot imagine need having a class prior to that time, as I always have had classes before that. Hopefully something can be done to fix this!