For almost two decades the NCAA has been trying to put the”student” back in “student athlete” bydemanding that schools meet tougher academic standards.
The latest NCAA figures show that 62 percent of Division Iathletes who entered college in 1996 have graduated. That is 2percentage points higher than the previous year and three pointshigher than the rate for students overall — a record.
That’s very good news — more athletes are going tocollege energized with the old-fashioned goal of earning a diploma,and meeting their goals. But for some students, college is aboutsports and by “sports” they mean the “bigmoney” sports: men’s basketball and football. And thesport that draws in the most male athletes with professionalaspirations — football — is the sport that most oftencauses a desperate situation with school and athletics.
Whoever said college was about learning something or earning adiploma? Oh, and did we mention that the sport most at odds withbeing a student or gaining a diploma also gets most of the athleticmoney. At SMU we pay our football coaches more than most of ourprofessors. Something is wrong here.
Football players are prevented by NFL rules from playing in theleague for at least three years after they finish high school,making college one long recruiting season, and these athletes partof the showcase.
Ohio’s star running back Maurice Clarett mentioned in arecent ESPN interview that he might challenge the NFL’s ruleand try to enter the draft early. Why stick around?
Athletic scholarships are meant to enable one to use athleticprowess to help pay for an education. Any student-athlete will tellyou that college athletics is difficult and demanding, but worth adiploma earned by the sweat of their brows, and then some.
But for those football players who enroll only to run out theclock until they can flee to the NFL, college remains more of ahindrance than help.
The NFL is delighted to have the free farm system that NCAAschools provide.
And the colleges appreciate the star athletes who are obliged toplay without pay, even as they attract millions of dollars intelevision and ticket revenue.
So why not get rid of the NFL rule, and make college athleticsmore about, well, college? Fielding students who played a littlefootball on the side instead of players who deal with the nuisanceof school to prepare for a pro career would mean losing millions ofdollars in TV contracts.
College football teams have become franchises and businesses;it’s hard to tell them apart from pro teams. Is this whatcollege sports should be about?
It’s time to drop the pretense that all athletes are incollege to get an education. College classrooms are intended forthose who want to be there, not to help potential football starspretend to be serious students.
