The Shame of College Sports

[jackrabit1]

Just finished reading this article yesterday. Normally, most things I read tend to get lost in the shuffle. But this has stuck with me for the better part of a day.

Whether you agree with it or not (and I'm still reserving judgement myself), you should give it a read. Fascinating stuff.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...e-sports/8643/

By the way, grab a cup of coffee... it's a pretty long read. But well worth it.

[JackJD]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

Thanks for the post and the link. I listened to a short discussion about the article on the radio this morning.

[zooropa]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

I've got three beefs with that article:

1-judging the entire spectrum of college athletics on the basis of what goes on at the biggest BCS schools is wrong.

2-the NCAA allows, and in fact provides grants for impoverished college athletes.

3-the NCAA is not wholly to blame for a diseased culture that presents young black men with only two paths to respectability--music and sports.

[91rabbit]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

An article like this does a great work in highlighting the real concerns and problems in college athletics, yet the NCAA largely pretends in doesn't see them while focusing with laser-like precision on bad (read politically incorrect) schools like UND. Potentially offensive nicknames are so much more fun to eradicate than actually tackling real problems like education and graduation.

[jackrabit1]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

Or prohibiting schools from providing cream cheese and peanut butter for their athletes' bagels.

[zooropa]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

An article like this does a great work in highlighting the real concerns and problems in college athletics, yet the NCAA largely pretends in doesn't see them while focusing with laser-like precision on bad (read politically incorrect) schools like UND. Potentially offensive nicknames are so much more fun to eradicate than actually tackling real problems like education and graduation.

The NCAA has spent little time over the past 6 years in dealing with UND.

Additionally, paying college athletes would--if anything--likely further reduce the graduation rate and academic achievements of poor black athletes, the vast majority of whom will not be able to earn a sustained living as professional athletes and who have little opportunity awaiting them as high school graduates.

If the biggest problem with college athletics is the failure to provide useful educations to star athletes with limited future earnings potential, then by all means address it head on.

Basically, IMO, paying athletes in college amounts to a 'give a man a fish' solution. Disabusing these players of the notion that the only way for them to succeed is on the field, and providing incentives to graduate is a 'teach a man to fish' solution.

However, it is far easier to just pay the kids and perpetuate the problem, so I expect that's what will happen--if anything.

[JimmyJack]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

What are scholarships? Chopped liver? Are they worth any money? The SDSU Athletic Department pays $12,000 to $15,000 a year per scholarship. The student athletes pay less for their educations or pay nothing if they get a full ride. The story mentions nothing about that. Seems valuable to me. Ask the kid in my Intro to Mass Comm class, the kid who pays for his college education by working at Domino's, whether a full ride scholarship would be valuable.

[Prairiehaas]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

Universities exist to transmit knowledge and understanding of
ideas and values to students not to provide entertainment for spectators or
employment for athletes.
Milton Friedman

[jacksfan29]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

What are scholarships? Chopped liver? Are they worth any money? The SDSU Athletic Department pays $12,000 to $15,000 a year per scholarship. The student athletes pay less for their educations or pay nothing if they get a full ride. The story mentions nothing about that. Seems valuable to me. Ask the kid in my Intro to Mass Comm class, the kid who pays for his college education by working at Domino's, whether a full ride scholarship would be valuable.

Excellent post.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

What are scholarships? Chopped liver? Are they worth any money? The SDSU Athletic Department pays $12,000 to $15,000 a year per scholarship. The student athletes pay less for their educations or pay nothing if they get a full ride. The story mentions nothing about that. Seems valuable to me. Ask the kid in my Intro to Mass Comm class, the kid who pays for his college education by working at Domino's, whether a full ride scholarship would be valuable.

Great post!

I have said it all along, the free education a university is giving an athlete is very valuable. What the athlete chooses to do with this education is his choice. Just because some "star athletes" don't utilize this education does not mean the system is broken.

I had student loans to help me get through school. I am now paying these loans back. I would have loved a full ride.

[Nidaros]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

Universities exist to transmit knowledge and understanding of
ideas and values to students not to provide entertainment for spectators or
employment for athletes.
Milton Friedman

Shame on you Milton you are being selective in your quotation. The market has many forces such as providing entertainment for spectators and employement for athletes. Its the wonderful invisiable hand of the market at work.

[filbert]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

Shame on you Milton you are being selective in your quotation. The market has many forces such as providing entertainment for spectators and employement for athletes. Its the wonderful invisiable hand of the market at work.

How, precisely, do you disagree with Friedman's statement?

Should universities not exist to transmit knowledge and understanding of ideas and values to students? Should universities consider their core mission to include entertaining spectators and employing athletes?

If so, you should start writing letters to a whole lot of Division III institutions, not to mention a whole horde of higher education institutions which do not support any athletic programs at all--such as South Dakota's technical institutes.

[JimmyJack]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

I have said it all along, the free education a university is giving an athlete is very valuable. What the athlete chooses to do with this education is his choice. Just because some "star athletes" don't utilize this education does not mean the system is broken.

And it is not like athletic departments aren't doing anything to try to make student athletes successful in the classroom. They expend a good bit of money to create academic support systems for student athletes: Academic counselors, study spaces, computer labs, etc.

[Nidaros]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

How, precisely, do you disagree with Friedman's statement?

Should universities not exist to transmit knowledge and understanding of ideas and values to students? Should universities consider their core mission to include entertaining spectators and employing athletes?

If so, you should start writing letters to a whole lot of Division III institutions, not to mention a whole horde of higher education institutions which do not support any athletic programs at all--such as South Dakota's technical institutes.

Well my comments about Friedman are tongue in cheek. His attitude towards social goods was the private sector run by the forces of the market could do a better job. Just south of Brookings about 250 miles, there is a very powerful market ran by the U of Nebraska at Lincoln who does just what Friedman said should not happen at a university. So I guess the forces of the market do work in Lincoln on six or seven Saturdays each fall. The institution seems to do very well thanks to the market forces related to entertaining spectators and employing athletes. I rest my case.

[Prairiehaas]

Re: The Shame of College Sports

Sorry Nidaros, I must disagree. UNL exists to educate young Nebraskans and others. To pass knowledge and understanding on. Even through their athletic program, as is also the case at State, knowledge and understanding of ideas and values is being disseminated. It just so happens that a large number of people also like to watch the athletic events as compared to say a chemistry lab exercise (seems strange to me too). In both cases though we see the students participating are either paying for the privilege or are receiving scholarship monies to pay for this privilege. There is no direct payment to the student to either play football or study chemistry. Nor should there be.