The Athletic Advantage in a College Education - 984 Words

Attending college is not only a chance for students to further their education, but it also allows them to experience the lessons life has to offer. One of the hardest lessons to learn is how unfair life can be. Students who work diligently to achieve academic success in the classroom may quickly realize their academic efforts do not â€Å"pay off† as much as the student-athlete who possesses the ability to kick a football fifty yards. There is an evident failure in the educational system when the student-athlete’s performance and how they contribute to a winning season, is more valuable to the university, than the academic student who strives to graduate with honors. Students who focus their efforts on an academic based education are not†¦show more content†¦In contrast, they suggest the burden lies on the faculty. In order to fulfill the student-athlete’s special needs, they must extend deadlines, create make-up work, and conform to the infamous â₠¬Å"special privilege† stigma surrounding athletes today (Jensen et al.). Many researchers believe million dollar coaching salaries and the commercialization of college athletics are destroying undergraduate education (Finn). The Knight Commission is a research group who unveiled that many universities spend over $100,000 annually, per athlete, to provide support services and special arrangements for them (Finn). This does not include what is already being spent on housing, food, and tuition (Finn). Those who oppose this frivolous spending, see it far more important to invest in the education of our students, rather than investing in a win for the athletic department. Some people will continue to profess that our society needs to be geared towards entertainment. However, the primary purpose of attending college should be to obtain an education, and that is being lost along the way. We need to take a moment to reflect on the decisions we make as a society. When the locker roo m is nicer than the entire medical department, or the head football coach is paid more than the governor of the state, it should be evident and clear that a major problem exists in the university’s policies and priorities. Having said this, it is illogical to think that athletics should beShow MoreRelatedThe Athletic Advantage in a College Education981 Words   |  4 PagesAttending college is not only a chance to further one’s education; but an opportunity to experience lessons in life. One of the hardest lessons to learn is how life is not always fair. Students who work diligently to achieve academic success can realize all too soon how countless hours of studying to achieve the grade, may not pay off as much as the ability to kick a football fifty yards. It appears the ability of the student athlete to contribute to a winning season is valued much more than theRead MoreCollege Athletes Should Be Paid For Their Participation1056 Words   |  5 PagesThere is a b ig debate whether college athletes should get paid for their participation in a sport. I believe that college athlete should get paid. College athletes are taken advantage of in college athletics and deserve to be paid for their time, hard work, and dedication in a sport. College athletics are growing very fast and they are beginning to bring in more money. The highest revenue by a college right now is $196,030,398 by the University of Oregon. College athletes are not seeing any of thisRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1539 Words   |  7 PagesBrett Ott Argument Paper Rough Draft 11/20/15 One of the biggest debates in sports right now is whether or not college athletes should be paid. They spend an extensive amount of time between classes, workouts, practices, and games. As an NCAA Division III athlete, I can relate to having a demanding schedule. Everybody has to go to their classes and practice every day. In addition, we have skill workouts between classes depending on the day, as well as lifting four days per week in the offseasonRead MoreAthletes Should Not Be Paid1025 Words   |  5 Pagesgame to beat the #2 seed Michigan. The unexpected 75-72 victory took the Kentucky Wildcats, #8 seed, to the final four and was a victory en route to the national championship game that they ended up losing. For Harrison’s game-winner, Kentucky Athletic Director and basketball coaching staff made $329,166 in bonuses. This money is only a fraction of the revenue that was created for University of Kentucky throughout the tournament. These schools generate millions of dollars yearly, because theyRead MoreThe Consequences of Paying College Athletes1240 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican intercollegiate athletic system†¦ adopted amateurism, claiming it developed competitors who were morally superior to professionals† (â€Å"Amateur†). Amateurism is the concept that athletes should compete without payment. Until recently, playing collegiate sports as an amateur was thought to be a noble calling. As time surpassed, college sports became a commercialized industry, generating billions of dollars in revenue. When this became apparent, the implementation of athletic scholarships became moreRead MoreThe Effect of College Athletics on Academics 1304 Words   |  6 Pagesto take summer school classes in order to fulfill my requirements in four years. This is just one example of how academics are put on the back burner for student athletes. Dave Meggyesy, former Syracuse all-American linebacker, said â€Å"These (college athletics) are mo re than full time jobs. When I played at Syracuse, it wasn’t like that. We had a regular season and twenty days of spring practice. Now it’s year round. It’s a more cynical system now than when I played.† Social Along with the clear academicRead MoreThe National Collegiate Athletic Association1227 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Chronicle of Higher Education recently estimated that college athletics is a $10-billion marketplace† (Suggs). With huge sums of revenue generated from college sports teams, players for the successful teams appear to be very marketable. â€Å"The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the largest collegiate sports organization in the United States, oversees much of the business of American college sports. For 2011-12, the NCAA reported $871.6 million in revenue-- 81 percent of which came fromRead MoreThe Impact Of Intercollegiate Athletics On American Education System1311 Words   |  6 PagesIntercollegiate athletics in America got its start as student-run activity clubs loosely organized for competition against other local clubs. Eventually these clubs were taken over by college administrators looking to control what was perceived as a less-than desira ble aspect of the college experience. Faculty sought control of athletics in order to regulate dangerous events, promote events that would interest alumni, and utilize athletics as a vehicle to promote culture at their colleges. Colleges and universitiesRead MoreElimate Athletic Scholarships1030 Words   |  5 Pagesfor our college athletes to be true students on campus, not athletes on athletic stipends with sports – not education – as their top priority and obligation†¦ By eliminating the athletic scholarship, †¦ we could de-professionalize college athletes, reestablish athletic departments as part of the educational institution, and be able to use the term student-athlete without snickering.† (Ralph Nader in League of Fans Proposes Eliminating Athletic Scholarships to Help Restore Integrity on College CampusesRead MoreAthletes Should Not Be Paid For Their Skill1703 Words   |  7 PagesDivision I intercollegiate athletics is no easy feat. Whether it is basketball, softball, baseball, soccer, or gymnastics, athletes devotion and sacrifice is innumerable. Athletes spend countless hours throughout the year training and performing in competition. According to the NCAA bylaw 17 .1, athletes can only spend 20 hours a week with a maximum of 4 hours a day on athletically related activities. This rule excludes pre-season and post-season training which account for the other 50% of the year