Student-athlete academics at Michigan

[lcjjdnh]

Thought this might interest some folks. Following up on Jim Harbaugh's comments before the football season about Michigan's athletic department steering him (and other athletes) away from majors that were deemed too academically challenging, the local Ann Arbor News decided to take a closer look at student-athlete academics at Michigan. The four-part series began today:

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/academics/stories/index.ssf/2008/03/athletes_steered_to_prof.html


Obviously, this type of stuff isn't only happening at Michigan. And there are clearly larger institutional problems with the NCAA, its member institutions and how they treat student-athletes. But still, an embarrassing story, if you ask me. The athletes should certainly get help learning many of the basic skills they need, but some of the things in the story (adding classes a month before the term ends) are pretty clear abuses of the system. And although I can understand where the professor was coming from, he allowed these classes to go on in a manner that is clearly not in the spirit of what the independent studies classes are intended to be.

Anyway, figured I throw this out there to see what people think. Even if the thread just discusses the relationship between the NCAA and academics in general, I think it's a useful one to have.

[RPI-Fan]

There is a professor at RPI (also a psych professor incidentally) who has a similar reputation with hockey players. RPI is the last school anyone would think of as giving preferential treatment to athletes, and what's described in the article happens here, so I really don't think Michigan is doing too badly...

[Klinglerware]

RPI is the last school anyone would think of as giving preferential treatment to athletes,

Except when it comes to the hockey team, of course. ;)

[molson]

This forced connection of big-time amateur sports to colleges and academics is still just so odd to me when you look at it at a distance.

The big-time athlete is ONLY at the school because of sports. So why do people stress out about how many classes he goes to? It's such a weird fiction that we've created - the importance of big time college sports and this myth of the "student athlete" as a something relevant at that level.

Colleges have figured out how to make crazy money off these kids, and they're perpetuating the myth and this very odd and fake combination of classrooms and athletes and money. I wonder if the whole system will ever collapse.

[Noop]

While I agree with most of what Molson said I will say that their are actually some athletes who want to get a degree and use football to get it for free. Christian Ponder of Florida State will have his Master's next season for example.

However I am infavor of the NCAA getting rid of the facade that is college football and create a legit farm system for the NFL. For every player that make it to the NFL there are a few that get career ending injuries or worse they get injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives. They are never the same player they once were and the college refuses to honor the scholarship leaving the player out in the wind.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

This happens everythere.

I remember a safety at Michigan a few years back who was a very good player that was ruled inelligable for his senior year due to getting a D in some insanely difficult course. I applauded his reasoning for taking the course, in that he was there to get an education.

It is a sad thing when it is necessary to punish students who want to challenge themselves in order to keep the students who don't even show up for "Basket Weaving 101" in line.

[Young Drachma]

I do hate the NCAA. But the way I look at it, the overwhelming majority of these recruits are being exposed to things they'd never otherwise be exposed to and are getting opportunities they'd never be afforded if not for their athletic prowess. Even if they get hurt, they can still stay in school and finish their degrees and make something of themselves. Is it hard? Sure it is. But so is paying for school and working two jobs.

I think in the grand scheme of things, while the athletic/academic boondoggle is a shameful blight on higher education as a whole, the whole nature of the Ivy Tower as a beacon of hope for the common man ended a long time ago. Schools are cautious institutions who are far more concerned about their bottom line and ability to operate as a business, than they are anything else.

It prevents them from being sensible and precludes them from staking out their missions as forward-thinking institutions that can grow and thrive.

As far as students are concerned, if more kids were pressured by people who raise them or who mentor them to consider academics more and challenge them from an early age to be more than just athletes and to be nurture the other part too, then this would be less of a problem and kids would choose a school because of other considerations like "gee, their gym is really big" and "look at all the hunnies" or "man, I'll jump start my career to the league here."

Not that those are factors, it's just that "well, they have this one professor who I really want to work with." Of course, since coaches are technically members of the faculty, that might already be the case.

It's all shameful, but not surprising. And it gets worse at schools where even the "real" students are barely learning anything. Until there is a compelling reason for it to change, it won't. And given the decrepit state of public education in this country, I have no doubt that it will get worse before it gets better.

[molson]

While I agree with most of what Molson said I will say that their are actually some athletes who want to get a degree and use football to get it for free. Christian Ponder of Florida State will have his Master's next season for example.



For players with the skills/ambition to take advantage, they can definitely benefit in a big way.

But not everyone can benefit from what college offers, from an academic standpoint. One of the ways we try to make ourselves feel better about this ridiculous system is we say, "well, if they're not going to take advantage of the education, that's their own fault". But that line of thinking ignores the fact that a huge majority of Michigan's athletes just don't have the skills and aptitude to benefit at all from a school like Michigan. Without sports, those athletes may have attended a lesser school, learned a trade, or would have otherwise had to of figured out how to make a living. Michigan gives them a few years of glory and then spits them back out, completely unprepared for life, having wasted years that they could have used learning a trade or at least working and earning money and experience at some level. And yes, I realize that's the player's choice, I'm not blaming anyone, just trying to point out the absurdities of the system.

If we insist on professional sports using colleges as their farm system (because college sports is so ingrained in our culture), those kids should be paid what they're worth, and given the OPTION to attend free classes or even pursue a degree, if they have the interest and ability to do so.

My opinions on this are limited to big-time football/basketball, at the big schools. I know many here have benefited from scholarships at lower-level programs in less profitable sports, and I'm not talking at all about those experiences.

[Noop]

Player's get paid nowadays. Some of them still get financial aide(Pell Grant, Loans that the government pays for the interest) also players get free food and they recieve a stipend that ranges from 150-250 depending on the college.

However I agree if they want to cut the bull they can pay these kids a portion of the revenue they generate. I am also in favor of healthcare after football for the players that don't make it pro.

[molson]

Player's get paid nowadays. Some of them still get financial aide(Pell Grant, Loans that the government pays for the interest) also players get free food and they recieve a stipend that ranges from 150-250 depending on the college.

However I agree if they want to cut the bull they can pay these kids a portion of the revenue they generate. I am also in favor of healthcare after football for the players that don't make it pro.

Giving these kids financial aid as payment for their services is like my employer giving me tuition to an auto mechanic school - it's completely worthless, because I don't have mechanical aptitude to go in that field in the first place, with or without training.

Joe Smith, star football player from Florida who didn't do much in high school off of the field isn't suddenly going to benefit sitting through a lecture on Physics. It's a joke.

[lcjjdnh]

For anyone interested:

Part 2
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines<wbr>/academics/stories/index.ssf<wbr>/2008/03/kinesiology_reserves<wbr>_slots_for.html (http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/academics/stories/index.ssf/2008/03/kinesiology_reserves_slots_for.html)


http://www.mlive.com/wolverines<wbr>/academics/stories/index.ssf<wbr>/2008/03/basketball_star<wbr>_regrets_not_pu.html (http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/academics/stories/index.ssf/2008/03/basketball_star_regrets_not_pu.html)