No More Money?

Money, money, and more money is what the issue of college athletics seems to focus on. It has been established that there is clearly a problem with student athletes not actually taking the student part very serious. So, does the solution lie in the money or does the problem?

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An ongoing debate throughout the country and the NCAA has been whether or not to pay college athletes in an attempt to solve the student athlete dilemma. However, that is going to be another topic for another post. The opposing and often overlooked aspect of this debate is eliminating the financial compensation given to them in order to attend the universities. In other words, eliminating the usage of athletic scholarships.

A special interest group referred to as the League of Fans has been advocating for this solution for years. The argument is that by eliminating athletic scholarships it would restore academic integrity for athletes in a college campus. Without scholarships, athletes wouldn’t possess the win at all costs mentality. This mentality is often what leads to sever injury. Athletes who have received major injuries or head damages often continue to play. If they are unable to they risk losing their athletic scholarship in certain situations. This results in players pushing their limits and often resulting in more serious and traumatic injuries.

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If student athletes are truly students first then perhaps they should be treated the same as every other student. They should receive only need based or academic based scholarships in order to help cover the cost of tuition. This is part of the argument made by the League of Fans. If only academic scholarships are made available then perhaps athletes will focus more on their academic careers in order to further pursue their athletic ones.

Additionally, athletic scholarships actually hurt the wallets of everyday students. According to Communities Digital News, the rising tuition rates across America include a specific “student services” fee. This fee can often be substantial and the purpose of this fee is to generate revenue in order to give out athletic scholarships. Therefore, every student attending a university is actually subsidizing athletic scholarships as part of their tuition. Most people question the morality of this expense. Why should hard-working students have to sacrifice part of their money in order to pay for athletic scholarships or new athletic equipment that they won’t ever get a chance to receive or use?

In the eyes of groups like the League of Fans it seems the solution lies either in eliminating athletic scholarships or requiring universities to operate their athletic programs as separate businesses entirely that are not tax exempted. This is a more extreme measure. However, some members of society do feel as if this may be the only solution is universities are unwilling to eliminate the usage of athletic scholarships.

Now, there are obviously people who argue against the elimination of athletic scholarships. The argument here is that athletes and universities simply cannot afford eliminating them. Elimination of these scholarships would jeopardize college athletics as a whole. Athletes would be less inclined to go to college. Most would simply try to go straight to the professional level. Additionally, by eliminating athletic scholarships it may be eliminating some young adults’ chances of ever going to college. As pointed out by the Guide to Athletic Scholarships, a majority of athletes come from low income families and are not often ingrained with strong academic backgrounds. Therefore, this would make it nearly impossible to receive academic or merit based scholarships. Due to their lack of wealth and education, their college and professional dreams may be ruined.

Members of society who advocate against the elimination of athletic scholarships also argue that these scholarships act as compensation for the time athletes have to put into their practices and workouts. This could be time otherwise used to maintain a job and help pay their way through school. Therefore, the money lost by losing this opportunity should be gained in the form of athletic scholarships.

Whatever the case may be it is clear that there is great debate over the “solution” of eliminating athletic scholarships. Does it do more damage than good? Perhaps the solution lies in giving the athletes money, money, and more money, instead of taking it away. 

Student Athletes or just Athletes? 

The practicality of integrating sports into a college campus has been questioned for decades. This has included branching out questions of many kinds. Should student athletes be paid for their contributions to the university? Should there even be college athletics in the first place? Do college athletics draw away from the educational aspect of college? These questions and several others are going to be the center of the next five blog posts. Sports are at the heart of nearly every university. Perhaps if students are able to grasp the complexity of some of the issues surrounding college athletics, then this can lead to better and more well-rounded campuses across the nation.

In order to dive into the depths of this conversation, the most important part is understanding what a student athlete is and what the meaning behind a student athlete attempts to accomplish. The term student athlete implies exactly what it says. Athletes who have been chosen to play at a collegiate level are students first and athletes second. In other words, education should be the primary focus of each individual. However, this is simply not the case. The student athlete system has failed most collegiate athletes.

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A survey in 2011 conducted by the NCAA found that a large majority of athletes identified themselves as athletes first and students second. Most admitted to spending up to double the amount of time they have on their athletic training compared to their educational studies. This was found to be the case even in the off-season. In fact, during the off-season, athletes were sometimes less likely to perform well academically because all they needed was to be eligible during the season. This is simply not the mentality intended to be placed in so called “student athletes.”

Furthermore, athletes are picking their schools based on what team they want to play for, not what educational system fits them best. Often, athletes are recruited solely based on their athletic ability. At times they may not even meet the educational requirements for a particular university. In instances like this exceptions are made and athletes are given admittance.

Perhaps the worst part about the student athlete hoax is that most student athletes don’t even pick their own major. They are placed into a very low level major. One that would be difficult not to succeed in. So, universities and the NCAA may be throwing around numbers with high graduation rates for athletes, but how much is their degree really worth. The majors they are placed in and the amount of work placed in their academic careers does not set them up for success in a life outside of sports. Their degrees are intended to be a fall back or back-up plan to their professional careers. However, in today’s modern world the degrees they receive may not even be that.

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Additionally, a large percentage of student athletes don’t receive a degree. For basketball, only one year of college enrollment is required to proceed on to the professional level. Previously, no college was required at all. Stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant never attended college. They went immediately into a professional career. Comparatively, in football athletes must be at least three years removed from high school. This is a better system but still reveals the problem that at very young ages, of perhaps 19 or 20 years old, student athletes are making life altering decisions with absolutely no fall back plan even if it may be a meager one.

Overall, the student athlete system is seeming to fail in today’s society. Academics have often become obsolete for these various individuals. The media and other outside influences have pushed athletes to only focus on their athletic careers so that they can make the “big bucks” as soon as they can. Perhaps the solution lies in giving athletes monetary compensation for their efforts. Perhaps the solution lies in getting reducing the importance of collegiate sports all together. Whatever the case may be it is clear that the value of education needs to be instilled in college athletes. Otherwise, the majority of them will end up forgotten and jobless.