Should College Athletes Get Athletic Scholarships?

This is based off a sentiment I read in another thread...

I personally have no problem with athletic scholarships...

I'll admit, it's kinda garbage when you have athletes who get "hooked up" as far as grades go, but, for an athlete who puts their physical being on the line, and, as a result, brings money to their school, AND they keep their grades at a sufficient level to maintain their scholarship, why shouldn't they get one?

Also, sports is the safest bet for some of these guys to come up and escape a negative environment that some of them are in through their youths, and it's nothing but positive as long as they do it right...

I'd like to hear some of you guys' input on the subject...

 

I completely agree for most schools, but I was happy MIT and the Ivy League schools did not give out athletic scholarships.

 

Prolly wouldn't do much good huh?

 

You would be surprised. MIT hardly had any talent (although we had a good track team), but the Ivy League has had some solid athletes. Take a look at Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Athletic scholarships can run the gambit from a $few hundred toward books to as much as full rides for football/basketball and girls volleyball.

IMHO, when most people think athletic scholarships they instantly think "full rides" which are far and few vs smaller stipends to offset a small portion of the cost.

With respect to the obscure sports such as lacrosse, track, soccer etc the players get a little discount on tuition which removes some fo the sting on the parents. Those kids tend to play because of passion for the sport but they also tend to have good GPA's and are good students


It's the money sports where I see the corruption occur. Look at any of the bigger school programs be it the top football and basketball programs.

With football, the schools bring in a lot of money from TV, merchandise, endorsements as well as ticket sales. Coaches earn in the $ millions to produce winning teams.

Many of the kids who play the sport may never have been accepted to a large university if it weren't for sports. Sure, they could attend the local community college to learn but for some, sport is the only motivation and maybe they will discover learning while they are there.

The kids are too young to understand the money machine around them called Division one sports and some get caught up in scandals taking a few "gifts" while the coaches and school itself benefit from the bruises and bumps the athletes get. it's really a very complicated topic

 

You're right...

I was making a generalization...

I was thinking more along the lines of b-ball & football...

And that, still, is another generalization...

I'm sure the athletes are there...

But, curious, do you know why they don't give athletic scholarships at these schools?

 

Money seems to have the ability to corrupt anything, doesn't it?

But, you are correct that it is an extremely complicated issue...

And, oddly enough, it's the school (and by that I mean athletics depts. etc...) pushing the money issue most of the time I think...

That's why you have the constant recruiting scandals...

Shame really...

 

I cannot speak for much of the Ivy League, but MIT was adamant about keeping to a "merit-only" scholarship program. I got the same impression from Harvard.

 

Nothing wrong with that, esp. since those schools are so exclusive...

 

And it's a mixed bag of parents. I've been there as a parent of a student athlete and watched other parents.

This doesn't just begin with college. It has trickled all the way down into youth sports. You must attend the "correct camp"

You must attend the correct tournaments and play for the correct teams and pay for extra training. For some families, youth sports cost in excess of $10,000 per year and more by the time you pay for all the travel etc.

Think about this. If you did that for your kid starting at age 10 and end at age 17 then you spent $70,000 to try and get about $20,000- $30,000 total scholarship.

For football and basketball players it's even more competitive. The decent players think they might be a pro. Some with the passion just want to play at the college level even if it's div 2 or div 3.

Div 1 schools are where you see all the corruption being discussed because it's big money. For some parents it's the only way their child could attend a big school. The pressure put on the players to train and workout is immense leaving little time for study.

I don't think the kids should get paid although full ride scholarships are as a good as a salary.

 

Oh yes, the parents are definitely at fault in some cases as well...

 

One couple we know has a kid playing Div 1 college football. Sometimes they get aggravated and say their kid should get paid because of all the money the school rakes in but then they settle down and are thankful that they pay nothing for his education. The kid gets warm ups, sneakers, trainers, athletic clothing, tutoring etc.

They are in conflict and see both sides of it. I won't get into details but the kid does start. As for me, my kid plays soccer so we don't see "full ride" scholarships. My kid gets a stipend like the others but all the players are 3.0 GPA and above and that is a headline on the team's page at the college web site. I rarely hear anyone discuss GPA when speaking with a student athlete.

Funny isn't it? The name is "student athlete" but the media never discusses the student portion

 

The GPA should definitely be looked at as more important than it currently is...

 

that would be a problem for the big schools football programs and maybe basketball as well. The coahes get paid to win. TV pays money to broadcast games of winning teams. 60- 90k screaming rabid fans (I'm one of them) go to watch their team win. Sometimes we all forget that those are 18-22 year old "kids" out there on the field or on the court.

For some programs i'm sure the student is viewed as nothing more than a tool to be used by the team. How he/she does at school is of little consequence to them. It makes for a very interesting conundrum. What is better, having a kid not attend college at all or having a kid attend and focus on athletics and hope they at least learn something while at class?

 

name dropper!

My college had no athletic scholarships...either.

Regards to the big time programs, just pay the athletes a salary and be done with it. Treat them
as representatives of the school but not as students...if they want to attend class, let them.
but it wouldn't be mandatory. Employees so to speak for the years they play football.

 

I'd like to see co op students from poor families.They benefit from education and work experience.

 

that then kills the entire NCAA qualification where you must be an amateur.

 

Calling them amateurs now is a bit of a ruse isn't it?

That's the root of most of the scandals, they get paid under the table
with gifts and girls.

Who are we kidding here.

The big time programs are corrupt, we only hear about it when they get caught.

 

that may be true but the OP is about student athletes and athletic scholarships. For every big time school there are 2-3 division 2, 3 and lower schools where smaller scholarships are awarded. Yes, the big name schools do seem to be a problem and all you need to do is follow the money

 

For a legitimate student athlete, I see no problem with athletic scholarships.

Play a sport in exchange for tuition room & board etc.

I've got no problem with that concept.

I had a 2 year ROTC scholarship myself, of course I committed to a military contract
iin exchange for that which a student athlete doesn't do...but I still have no issue
with a student who plays a sport for a school to get something in return like a scholarship.

 

I have no problem with athletic scholarships--the athletes bring in a lot of money to the school, the least they can do is get tuition/room/board. The thing is, there should be a mandatory class for student athletes. That class should teach them that their chances of getting a pro contract are low, and that the best thing they can do is get a 4 yr degree for free.

 

That is an excellent idea...

 

Not gonna argue w/ you there...

 

Thats one heck of a class. Is it going to be about 5 minutes long? Or would you just repeat the same 5 minute message over and over for a semester?

 

I don't think they meant to beat just that point into their heads...

There's a lot that could be beneficial for aspiring athletes to know...