If you lose your athletic marketability–whether by injury, being replaced, or whatever else arises–what is my value to (fill-in-the-blank) University?
Dear Parents:
This a true story.
A college athlete entered a major midwest, nationally recognized college program. He was successful and placed 4th as a freshman, and then won back-to-back national championships. His senior year he did not place. He had to study to graduate, so he could not spend as much time practicing as he had his first three years. He graduated and (last heard) was a volunteer coach at a small D-1 school.
College coaches are paid well. A D-1 coach of a nationally ranked program easily earns a six-figure base salary. He is paid to win games, not to educate–except in his sport. He will keep your son eligible.
But considering the recent UNC/NCAA episode concerning oversight of academics, there is a probable chance that your child’s courses will not be much. The old joke of a degree in ‘basket weaving’ seems all too real.
Two recent articles in The News and Observer highlight the careers of several local athletes. All six of the athletes appear to have superior skills in several sports, but all seem to be planning to be recruited for football, which is a major moneymaker for many universities, the NCAA, and coaches. The draw of a major sports program with its separate dormitories, special food, training facilities, and fawning attention is glitter that proves difficult for high school athletes and parents to resist.
The paper also printed an excellent editorial disagreeing with the NCAA for not having the ethics needed to oversee academics and, instead, allowed UNC to police itself.
Parents are responsible for their child … or should be. They need to ask probing questions about academics of any coach who visits their living room. They must remember that the recruiting coach is visiting to recruit their son or daughter as an athlete. The coach sitting on the sofa is all about winning games, not about what courses/major an athlete takes. Staying eligible is the goal, and that may mean taking classes that do not demand rigor–at least not the same difficulty that’s required on the field or in the gym.
Courtesy: Next College Student Athlete (ncsasports.org)
If parents and athletes ignore their son or daughter from acquiring a meaningful education, then that athlete will graduate with little to offer an employer. He or she will have little to fall back on in real life when a difficulty arises.
Parents and high school students must withstand the dream of being the “next” Williamson at Duke, who leaves after one year for a huge contract. The harsh reality is that there are few Williamson’s or Wood’s or Iverson’s in college sports. And, injury is a constant worry because a serious one can end a career. That makes education even more critical.
The reality for parents and students is this: If my son or daughter loses his/her athletic marketability–whether by injury, being replaced, or whatever arises–what is his or her value to (fill-in-the-blank) University?
Everything I read in The News & Observer about the athletes who were profiled impresses me. They are talented youngsters. But let’s face reality: they are commodities to the NCAA and its member universities/colleges. Their abilities to run, throw, and catch are valuables to be exploited.
Parents, protect your child’s interests. Make sure that (before signing) he or she will be allowed and encouraged to obtain a degree of value.
The young man at the beginning of this article found that he could not compete at the top level of his sport if he wanted to graduate. He made the right choice. But what price did he pay for his first three years of college?
