This week is all about education while playing sports. It is extremely overlooked and really should never be. There are not enough players fulfilling both parts of their title (i.e. student-athlete) and more emphasis needs to be put on academics. We have a couple articles this week revolving around academics in college. The first is about a potential change in the NCAA's policies regarding junior college transfers, the second is about an overwhelming number of players "majoring in eligibility", and the third is about the success story that comes when a player successfully perfects the combination of academics and sports.
Transfers' academic performance is on NCAA radar
The NCAA’s potential direction with its proposed regulations of junior college transfers will change the face of college sports if passed. Currently, junior colleges are used by many programs, as almost a JV program of sorts, to prime their players for game-play without needing them to sit the bench or redshirt their first few years. Players can go to a junior college and play for two years while they are “maturing” and then transfer into a Division I program to compete right away. With these new, potential regulations, it may be more difficult for programs to use this strategy. For many players, it will result in more time on the bench early in their careers.
However, if student-athletes simply remembered the student part of their classification, this would all be solved. The NCAA is considering a “year in residence” requirement only for athletes who are deemed an academic risk-- student-athletes who are no more prepared for a college degree than they were coming out of high school. This has had adverse consequences for the programs, as these "at-risk" student-athletes' inability to complete college courses brings down the programs Academic Progress Rate and causes scholarship cuts.
So in the end, it is about the student-athlete being able to uphold both aspects of their very prestigious title. By fulfilling this obligation (to academics), the student-athlete will be unaffected by virtually any regulation the NCAA seeks to pass.
College athletes studies guided toward 'major in eligibility'
Here we have another article harping on the relationship between college sports and college academics. This subject seems to be, and rightfully so, a growing concern for administrators, coaches, and players alike. The article goes through many statistics regarding the overwhelming number of players in major sports taking “easy” majors in order to maintain eligibility to play. With more and more players wanting more from their lives outside of sports, a strong pressure is being put on academics and it seems many schools are not listening.
The article gives one such example of a player who graduated with a liberal arts degree despite wanting to be a veterinarian. He enrolled in the biology major as a freshman and when he struggled, the athletic advisor “advised” him to switch to a liberal arts major instead of providing him with guidance and further tutoring to assist him in reaching his goals. He has since graduated, and in order to pay for school, as he still wants to be a veterinarian, he is working construction to start all over again.
Players need to stop having the attitude that the only reason they go to college is training for the pros and take the classroom more seriously. A vast majority of college athletes will never even see a professional sports contract, nevermind sign one, and they need to consider alternate options. And for the ones who do have a professional career, they need to see past it and realize it is not infinite, and prepare for the after-life with the education being provided by their athletic abilities in college.
For Florida State Player and Scholar, Game Day Is Different
This article is a great one and should be an inspiration to ALL college athletes AND universities. Myron Rolle of
As always, this blog is for you, so if you have any comments or questions, send them to tim@accessathletes.com and enjoy the games this weekend!
