For Many Schools, Athletics are More Important than Academics
April 27, 2010 | Alicia Ostarello
Now that college acceptance letters have gone out, seniors aren’t the ones waiting anxiously by their mailbox; it’s the university’s turn to nibble hangnails and tap toes as they wait to hear if any of the athletes recruited to play sports accept their invitation to join the school. Where top student athletes head to school is such a big deal, even the New York Times is reporting on where budding sports stars will be practicing (and maybe even studying) for the next four years. But what about the top students in science, art, math and other talents? Is anyone else concerned that colleges and society glorify athletes for their impressive skills, but do not shower attention on other students enrolling for degrees?
In the case of Josh Selby, earlier this month the media was a-buzz with what school the high school basketball hot-shot would commit to. In a story only about the choices Selby has to make, the New York Times notes, “It is the culmination of years of anticipation for a player who has dazzled coaches since he first took to the court and has attracted a bevy of suitors.” In hopes of finding comparable articles about the merits of academic elite, a Google search performed right after I read this article bore little fruit. Neither “top high school musician,” “top high school science student,” or “top high school writer” found me any results. Hmm.
I can’t help but wonder if this sort of coverage (or lack thereof) of a young person’s life is a gateway to trouble of a few different varieties. For the ball players, they come to expect that someone will always care about the choices they make; for the unassuming brainiac, they’ll always assume it’s going to be a fight to find the spotlight. Neither outcome seems favorable.
College is supposed to be about learning and about intellectual development. More and more though, college seems to be about pumping out pieces of paper for students to adorn their office walls with, partying like rockstars, and determining the best football, baseketball, and softball teams in the country. It seems that celebrating the minds of the students who are making waves in technology, innovation, and artistic endeavors, is more in line with the mission of a university…maybe that’s just me.
What do you guys think? Is there too much emphasis on the non-academic side of college in the media?
I love this piece!
I am currently attending a university well-known for its basketball program and besides the people that go pro early, I am very surprised at the ones that actually get a degree after 4 years. I had a male volleyball player my French class that always arrived 15 min after class started or that would miss quizzes or exams when he did not have games and was clearly struggling.
How he made it to the next level of French the following semester? I am still scratching my head…
Thanks for reading, Dea!
I went to a Pac-10 school, and was occasionally surprised by the way athletes were treated in the classroom. What really fried me though was when I learned that so many of them come to college on scholarship, and then don’t even graduate, instead opting to go play for the pros. Why are we paying for these “student-athletes” to go to school when they’re not actually holding up that “student” part of the bargain? Is the point of a university prestige due to sports or scholastic aptitude? Hmmm.
I’m certainly not saying all student-athletes fall into this category. It’s just frustrating that they get so many accolades while students who excel at math or science don’t seem to have the same respect.