College Sports Essay, Research Paper

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.