Athletics Before Academics?

Do student athletes make the most of their opportunity to obtain a post-secondary education? Do they have the same academic success as those students that are not athletes? Are student athletes just “dumb jocks?” The answers to these questions might surprise you. Much research has been done to dispel the myth that athletes going to college are only there to play sports with little regard to their education. Programs have been created to assure that colleges and universities hold athletes to the same standards as the everyday student. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has decided that the “magic number” to put the “student” back into “student-athlete” is 925 (Hamilton).

In the reality of being a college athlete, “student” in most cases does not come first in terms of priorities.

Many people believe that the college athletes are just like the professionals because they train and work just as hard as hard as the pros. First of all college students are working and training so hard because they want to make it to the major-leagues some day. “Students are not professional athletes who are paid salaries and incentives for a career in sports. They are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports, for which they earn scholarships to pay tuition, fees, room and

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.”

Its no secret that college sports brings in the big bucks, and without the athletes preforming day in or day out universities would lack the funds to support a school needs. The college sports industry makes 11 billion in annual revenues (Mitchell, Horace, U.S. News Digital Weekly). 11 billion dollars made off of college sports alone is enough its self to pay these student-athletes for their contribution to a school’s success because without them there wouldn’t be this much income. They need these athletes and the NCAA should quit exploiting them for their talents and compensate them. Student-athletes are amateurs who choose to participate in intercollegiate athletics (Mitchell, Horace, U.S. News Digital Weekly). Indeed, they are amateur but in sports the word professional has a different meaning since in all sports there is a 1-2-year stint before an athlete can go from the college level to a professional standpoint. Meaning it only takes a year or two

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

Sports and academics should be held to the same standard. Schools expect top notch performance on and off the field. In the Los Angeles magazine it states, “Berkeley graduation rate for its student-athletes has been as much as 11 points higher than the average for all Division 1 schools… the school cuts it’s top athlete no slack, but provides ample academics support for those who need it”(Cohen paragraph 13 & 27). Schools are expecting 100% from their athletes in academics and sports so they give their athletes no wiggle room and give them the academic help they need. That being said they need to work hard.

The NCAA has relied heavily on the age-old characterization of college athletes as “amateurs” who are first and foremost “student-athletes” (Sanderson and Siegfried). Because they are considered students and

Many athletes spend lots of hours dedicated to their sport of choice. They do this by practicing in their free time, team practice, team meetings, and traveling. Then, they have to study for their classes. This to me is like working a full time job with a heavy load ofn classes you have to attend to and do well. Dave Anderson stated, “College athletes spend an average of 43.3 hours per week dedicated to their sport” (Anderson 1). Also, Anderson stated, “This means that college athletes have to work 90 hours per week just to remain in school on their scholarship. This is the equivalent to working two full time jobs with a side job on the weekends just to pay their bills” (Anderson 2). Sports can put a lot of stress on a student’s school work achievement goals. People should know that college for student athletes demands a lot out of them and basically drains them physically as well as mentally. This is based on all the time they spend on sports and

Over the years, we have seen colleges and universities benefit extremely from their sports programs. Every year a great team brings tremendous amounts of revenue for their university. However, as these universities increase their finances, their athletes are falling behind financially, academically, socially and personally creating a huge burden upon them. College/university athletes practically work overtime for their academic institutions. While many perceive student athletes as living ‘the life’ because of sports, the reality remains that they suffer from social, personal, academic and psychological stress. They constantly live their lives by strict schedules to avoid falling behind in their multiple responsibilities .Student athletes face various pressures, yet they are not frequently rewarded; therefore their academic institutions should reward them financially, beyond scholarships for their participation in collegiate sports.

According to Horace Mitchell “collegiate athletes are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports.” Yes, but it’s not like they are VIP's. Most athletes still have to pay for some of their tuition and all athletes have to go to class. They do everything a non-athlete would do but, they have more stress upon them because they have to maintain a B average in order to play their sport. Athletes are under a tremendous amount of pressure not only from their sport but from keeping up with their studies also. All of that hard work deserves a

Because of the immense amount of hours devoted to their sport, college athletes find it extremely difficult to make time for their studies. While having the title, student-athlete, education should be the first priority for these young men and women. However, as of now, athletics seems to be their biggest priority and their studies little to none. This is where the principle of Amateurism comes in. Amateurism is what distinguishes these young men and women as student-athletes, not professionals. Amateurism helps keep academics the main priority, and sports second. Additionally, Amateurism does not allow for any employee relations or benefits such as professional contracts, salary, prize money, benefits, or other affiliations with professional teams (“Amateurism”). Since they aren’t getting paid as employees for all of their hard work, why put in so many hours? College athletes clearly lack the necessary time to devote to their education

Most of the other non-athlete students get stuck paying after a long four years of education. Student-athletes are non-professional athletes that choose to engage in college athletics as a part of their college experience. Although, the student athletes must maintain a variation amongst student-athletes who take part in college athletics and those who are professional athletes, are also considered graduates. A basic obligation presented by the NCAA under the college athletics department is to maintain the athlete’s improvement, while the university or community college has the full control to create and keep an environment in which the athlete’s recreation is organized to motivate the student’s educational success as a part of the student’s college experience. Another responsibility of the athletic department is to convey educational guidelines.

Despite the many stereotypes that are connected with being a student athlete, student athletes in general are held to much higher standards by their institutions. Before a prospective student athlete even enters college, they are made fully aware of the academic standings and requirements of the college they choose. Although the academic requirements vary from college to college, the standards are still held high for all student athletes. The transition into college can be exceptionally difficult especially for the

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