Let the athletes lead. Let them take ownership of their education—because no one knows what they’re capable of better than they do.
Let’s try a thought experiment. How many college athletes have been told by an academic advisor not to take a class? How many have been subtly (or not so subtly) pushed away from a major that interests them? And here’s the kicker—what does that cost those kids?
For decades, the academic advising apparatus within college athletics has operated under the guise of guidance and support. In reality, many advisors function as gatekeepers, steering athletes away from serious academic pursuits under the pretense of “helping” them balance their workload. The true objective? Keep them eligible, keep them playing, and keep the revenue flowing.
But here’s the truth no one wants to admit: advisors shouldn’t exist. Not for athletes, anyway. They’re not helping. They’re hurting. The people who know athletes best—the only ones who understand their struggles—are the athletes themselves. It’s time to let them run the show. Period.
At most universities, the athletes are the stars. They pack the stadiums, light up ESPN, and make their schools millions. They’re the ones who inspire donations, drive enrollment, and end up on billboards across town. Yet somehow, they’re treated like liabilities in their education. If you’re a star quarterback, you’ll be asked to sit in a room with someone who has never played a sport at a high level, never juggled 30 hours a week of training with a full course load, and never felt the pressure of carrying a program on their back – and that person will tell you what you “should” major in. That’s madness.
Advisors see athletes as problems to manage, not as students to empower. The unspoken rule is to keep them away from the hard stuff. Engineering, pre-med, law? There are too many labs. Too much writing. Not “athlete-friendly.” Instead, they’re nudged toward “safe” majors—those reliably soft academic cul-de-sacs that let them maintain eligibility but offer no real challenge or marketability.
And it’s not just about course difficulty. It’s about control. Athletes are subtly infantilized—told they can’t handle sports and rigorous academics. It’s insulting, condescending, and, frankly, a joke.
If athletes were allowed to choose their academic paths without the “help” of advisors, they would do just fine. They’d probably do better. No one understands their struggles better than they do. They know the late nights, the road trips, and the physical and mental exhaustion. They know the sacrifice it takes to balance both worlds. They don’t need to be told which classes they can or can’t handle by someone with no skin in the game.
Imagine if a university forced its star violinist or lead actor to consult an advisor before choosing their courses. Imagine that advisor saying, “Maybe stay away from music theory—it’s tough with all your rehearsals.” The backlash would be instant and ferocious. But for athletes, it’s just business as usual.
Here’s the real tragedy: this paternalistic coddling robs athletes of genuine academic exploration. It ensures they graduate with a degree that is little more than an eligibility certificate, not a ticket to a meaningful career. And the consequences are dire. Only a tiny fraction of college athletes will ever go pro. The rest will enter a workforce where their diploma—what was supposed to be their lifeboat after sports – will be lighter than their peers.
Without the freedom to push themselves academically, athletes have fewer career options, lower lifetime earnings, and a nagging sense of “what if?” What if they had been allowed to try pre-law? What if they had been encouraged to explore physics? What if they had been trusted to make their own academic choices?
It’s time to abolish the entire system of academic advising for athletes. It serves no one but the university’s bottom line. Let athletes choose their classes, pursue the majors they want, and own their education. Does that mean some athletes take on more challenging majors and struggle? So be it. That’s the point of education—to be challenged. Does it mean a little practice to finish labs or internships? Good. They are students first, right?
Or at least, that’s what everyone claims when it’s convenient. College athletes already demonstrate more discipline, time management, and grit than most peers. They are the most prepared students on campus for rigorous academic work—because they already know how to handle failure, fatigue, and pressure. They are the stars. The ones filling stadiums and funding multimillion-dollar programs. If any group on campus should be empowered to chart its academic course, it’s them.
So let’s eliminate the middlemen: no more advisors, nudging, or eligibility babysitting. Let the athletes lead. Let them take ownership of their education—because no one knows what they’re capable of better than they do.
