They Are Student Athletes

This morning I was reading along through Sports Illustrated.com and came across an editorial by Mike Fish: Graduation rates still a problem. And as I look through at the list of worst schools for graduating athletes, I find my alma mater, the University of Central Florida, on the list at #6.

Now I can sit here and explain why that number for UCF is probably a bit deceptive. Bit that would ignore the more important point:

These are the numbers for the student-athletes.

Most of these kids are attending school on our (the Public's) dime via an athletic scholarship. We are not (in theory) paying them to play football or baseball or track or softball or soccer or whatever. We are giving them an opportunity to gain an education. If they happen to be able to turn their opportunity into a professional contract, great.

But while they're in school, they should be studying. Earning that degree that we're paying for has got to be their top goal. A scholarship is not an opportunity to go play - it is an opportunity to go and learn, to gain that education that is going to put you ahead in the world if, like over 90% of all student-athletes, you don't get that multi-million dollar pro contract.

Yes, football brings in huge amounts of money. Yes, fans and alumni want to see the best athletes on the field, not necessarily the best student-athletes. Yes, you can lose huge amounts of bowl money by sitting out your star for a week or two.

But at some point the question arises: what is the goal of the university? Is it to produce educated students or is it to produce professional athletes?

The goal of the university is to educate. Sometimes the goals of the university’s purpose and the athletic department will be in opposition. Sometimes a special athlete comes along who is academically challenged. At what point does education trump athletics?

Most universities do a good job of providing tutors for those athletes that aren't having an easy time in class. And I have absolutely no problem with the athletic department using its funding to provide these tutors as it works towards the overall purpose of the university. And for those athletes that just can't make the grade, the NCAA does have a standards requirement which will force the athletic department to remove from the program an individual who is not living up to the student-athlete name.

But what about a department that isn't graduating its students? Should there be sanctions against a school that manages to graduate less than half of its student-athletes in six years?

I think that there should, but that the statistic should be modified somewhat to take into account the players that have gone on to the professional leagues. The percentage needs to be figured based on the number of athletes whose future earnings will be based on their educational exploits, not their athletic ones.

Bottom line, however, is that a school that is now graduating less than 45% of their students won't make the grade even taking out the kids that went on to the pros. And with the ultimate goal of the university experience being to educate, an athletic department that is failing in that primary job needs to be penalized.

College athletics may be a big business for the university, for the conferences, and for the NCAA, but in the end they should not be allowed to trump the purpose of the school. They should not be allowed to take precedence over education.