Crytical Anaylasis Essay, Research Paper

Games Colleges Play

Parents that have children who are involved in intercollegiate athletics should be concerned about their child?s education. College athletics have taken a toll on their athletes and it is being seen in the classroom first. In 1991 the Knights Commission Report called for a new model whereby intercollegiate athletics would ?keep faith with the student athlete? ideal. (Thelin 1980) Today colleges are recruiting and spending more money on athletes then they are scholars. This might not seem like a big deal because most of the public loves to watch intercollegiate sports, but do we really want athletes to be working in our community or do we want scholars?

John Thelin realized that intercollegiate athletics were out of control. Players no longer considered themselves student-athletes, and were even asking for a share of the coaches? earnings from endorsements. He then decided to take a poll of what Americans thought about this 48 percent thought that they were ?out of control?, this was a 30 percent drop from the previous 78 percent. The Knights commission believed that reform was taking place, but this was not the case the fact is that they are becoming far removed from any educational activities. While most parents believe that there is a definite need for education most don?t realize that their children aren?t really getting one. When Robert Hutchenson was explaining his concepts of college, he discussed what college wasn?t like in reality:

College is not a great athletic association and social club, in which provision is made merely for intellectual activity on the part of the physically and socially unfit. College is an association of scholars in which provision is made for the development of traits and powers, which must be cultivated, if one wants to become a well-balanced member of the community.

Surveys were sent to the parents of athletes asking if they thought that the sport was taking away from their child?s schoolwork. The majority of the parents responded by saying that they were concerned with their child?s grades, and they believed there was definitely some room for improvement.

This book was very well written and was easy to understand due to the organization of the chapters that were divided into categories. Thelin?s goal was to help athletes and teacher?s realize what is happening. He made a very convincing argument and definitely convinced me that intercollegiate athletics are taking away from education. Thelin also made me realize that there are other problems with college athletics besides education. He sums one of his articles up by saying:

The court is not saying that athletes are incapable of scholarship:however they are given little incentive to be scholars and few people care how the student athlete performs academically, including the athletes themselves. If this situation causes harm to the university, it?s because they have fostered it and they should be the ones to suffer.

The statements that Thelin offers support my thesis that intercollegiate athletics promote scandal make the school a ?booster? college, and they have an effect on the athlete?s education. The findings from this book also validate my feelings towards the fact that athletes should be winners in the classroom as well as on the field.

Thelin, John R. ?Games Colleges Play? Scandal and Reform in Intercollegiate Athletics. (1980) 3-61.