Athletes Are A Good Thing For Academics

In the article, Class and Cleats: Community College Student Athletes and Academic Success, Horton first examines the statistics of evidence showing college athletes and their underachievement. There are many instances of concern about college athletes and their poor grades having an affect of their athletic responsibilities, though this belief is usually denied due to a student always being a student before anything else. This study researches the idea of the way that college students and college athletes view success. Many college athletes tend to state that success is passing all courses and being more successful in their sport, rather than academics coming first (Horton, 2009).

The NCAA believes “that a student-athlete is a student first and athlete second.” Student-athletes benefit more than from playing a sport that they love. The graduation rate is higher among the student athletes than the general student body. “NCAA studies show that student-athletes enjoy high levels of engagement in academics, athletics and community: have positive feeling about their overall athletics and academic experiences: attribute invaluable life skills to being a student-athlete: and are more likely to earn similar or higher wages after college than non-student athletes.”

The impact of college athletic programs on academics has always been a controversial and contentious topic. It seems that athletic programs have some contemplative effects on academics of colleges and universities. Different people have different ideas about how college athletic programs should be carried on. College presidents, administrations, student athletes, parents of students, and athletic trainers are along with these people who point out different facts about the fallouts of athletics on academics. A bunch of people suggest that athletic programs should be dropped from college system, while another group suggests that athletic programs should be taken care with more advertence. An analysis on the effects of college athletics on

Athletic programs in college have grown tremendously since they first began years ago, and now some believe that collegiate athletics have no place in higher education. Contrary to this, if one takes a closer look they see that college athletics do play a valuable role in higher education and should continue to play a part in the college experience. Students who participate in college athletics help carry out their school’s traditions, and by competing at such a high level they have the chance to put their school on the map. While competing, these people handle the load of a full-time college student and learn to be responsible and reliable. Some see college athletics as just a business, but truly they provide an opportunity for young adults to compete in the sport that they love, while getting an education and learning lessons that will last a lifetime.

There are these ongoing stereotypes that student athletes are “dumb,” “lazy,” and “privileged.” It’s understandable that people believe these stereotypes, news magazines and reports are always talking about how athletes are “coddled” and “cheat” their way to success. Though it is nowhere near true for the majority of student athletes, a select few situations encourage this negative categorization of us, thus putting student athletes under even more pressure to perform. Student athletes are constantly misjudged and the assumptions are affecting us.

Throughout these articles, the main ideas were athletics taking precedence over academics, transitions from high school to college, why athletes cheat, fairness of regulations, and reform of NCAA policy. While all of these are very different concepts, they come together to help audiences understand all facets of college athletics and the relationship with academics. Although these topics are common through all of the articles, not all authors shared the same views on issues, nor did they all regard them with the same level of

Student athletes have two jobs to do when they are in college, one is to be an overall great student in the classroom, by maintaining a good grade point average, studying hard for any upcoming exams and pay close attention during class. Their other job is being a phenomenal player in the sport that they play. To do this you need to, work hard and attend every practice, study your playbook or any type of strategy, and to compete at the highest level. This is a lot to handle for a college student. There are over 460,000 student athletes in all of the divisions in the NCAA today. With this large number of student athletes it seems

The NCAA creates and regulates thousands of perplexing playing rules, amateurism standards, academic requirements on eligibility standards, regulations concerning recruitment of student athletes, and countless others. The primary and sole purpose of the NCAA is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of a member institution’s overall educational program (NCAA). Whether that statement is true is left to be seen. Where the NCAA stands and the motives behind what they do are constantly in question because of its

We as “normal people” put athletes on a pedestal. We forget the bad things that they have done when they score our team’s championship winning touchdown or the winning basket or goal. We forget that it is also important for athletes to be successful students because they are the role models for the future generations. We forget that to get into these top colleges most students must have high ACT scores and have an outstanding GPA with multiple college courses or AP courses, while for athletes it takes a coach wanting them to get them in. With all of this in mind, Scott A. Broadhead, argues that:

This notion is not applicable because athletes are encouraged “not to take courses that might require real effort or interfere with the primary reason they are on campus” (Nocera par5). Athletes are pushed toward taking classes that are not demanding as to not interfere with their eligibility. These steps taken by athletes are not beneficial to their future educational path. Athletes are viewed by colleges as a way to make money from sports. After an athlete's eligibility is up, they are tossed aside, often with little knowledge because they were encouraged to take easy classes in order to fit their busy schedule (Nocera par24). If the NCAA wanted to treat athletes as students, they should implement ways for them to be able to attend actual classes that will challenge them. Universities should adopt a six-year scholarship program in which athletes receive two years of free schooling after their eligibility runs out (Nocera par26). Because not all athletes will go on to play professionally, they need to be able to rely on other skills. The six-year scholarship will allow athletes to gain knowledge to help them get a career in the

Student athletes have an opportunity to excel in education while still being productive in sports. Taking education seriously and understanding the consequences of lacking education should constantly be communicated to student athletes. The students have commitments that deny them the chance to take part in education actively, but this is normally used to excuse the students for failing to take education seriously. Colleges should realize that student athletes are first students then athletes second. If the students were not in college, they would not take part in sports activities involving the college. This is why the college should instill discipline in the athletes from the time they join the college. College administrators should monitor the performance of student athletes and deny those who fail the chance to play. Many athletes excelled in education and on the field. Joe Thomas is a good example, a football play he currently plays for Cleveland Browns (Doherty). Thomas excelled academically, and he was an honorable student for four years. Thomas was awarded a postgraduate scholarship worth $18,000. This does demonstrate that a student can excel in education and on the field.

No one should fault the school alone because the pressure that some of these student-athletes undergo is enormous, and they find it hard to keep up with schoolwork. All universities have minimum academic requirements that they should adhere to when selecting freshmen students. Gurney (43) posits the N.C.A.A. has specified the minimum academic requirements for universities selecting first-year student-athletes. Some of these requirements are followed, but since the high school test scores are low, the students find it difficult to cope with college academics (Gurney 42).

For many years, academics and athletics at the NCAA Division 1 level have been guided by different priorities, admitting college athletes who are unqualified for an education of that level just because of their ability to perform on the playing field. Now more than ever, professional teams are scouting student athletes well into their high school days. In a lot of cases, these athletes need to spend anywhere from one to three years in college before they can be drafted. This has caused many to wonder what kind of an education colleges are really providing these student-athletes. In many cases, students are given special classes with less work, so that they can pass. There needs to be steps to fix the problem. But first, we must see why

In today’s society there is an ongoing debate if college athletics play a valuable role in higher education. First, when and where did college athletics start? Historians trace the origins of college athletics to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire when Harvard and Yale had a boat race in 1852. This evidence suggests that schools have been competing for over 160 years which means they need to have rules in place to keep order. The NCAA does have rules in place for athletes. Some rules include scoring a 1010 in the SAT or a combined score of 86 on the ACT along with maintaining a GPA of 2.0. This shows that the NCAA has rules so an athlete must do school work to keep their grades up but, what does the NCAA do to enforce their rules.The NCAA

There has been amplified debate on the treatment, education, training of the college athlete. To avoid exploitation of athletes, “The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), formed in 1905, set bylaws requiring college student-athletes to be amateurs in order to be eligible for intercollegiate athletics competition” (Schneider n.p.). Intercollegiate athletics have dramatically changed over the last several decades. Currently, intercollegiate athletics generate tremendous amounts of revenue, remarkably in football and basketball. College sports in America is a