Why are we treating obvious athletes as "students"?

[SJHooper]

After all these ineligible cases (the most recent being Thomas who won't play) it really begs the question: WHY are people pretending these kids are here for academics? They simply are not. Most of these athletes at major schools in major sports i.e. basketball/football are dumb as a doorknob. As we saw with UNC, some can barely read at a 3rd grade level. And that's UNC one of the hardest schools to get into nationally. We would be totally freed of all this BS ineligible crap. Fake transcripts, fake grades, cheating probes, fake classes, no attendance, etc. ENOUGH! Just admit these are athletes who play sports and that's it. Time to separate sports from academics. It causes such a headache pretending they are real college students when all they know how to do is play hoops.

[FriarsForever]

Oh boy. Hooper, I don't post much, but I read all the time. You need to take a step back. You're obviously a young fan, and it seems like you may even attend St. John's. That puts you about the same age as me. You are the reason people think our generation is helpless. Moron.

[SJHooper]

Tell me what I said that you don't agree with. I knew someone would challenge the obvious.

[robinreed]

After all these ineligible cases (the most recent being Thomas who won't play) it really begs the question: WHY are people pretending these kids are here for academics? They simply are not. Most of these athletes at major schools in major sports i.e. basketball/football are dumb as a doorknob. As we saw with UNC, some can barely read at a 3rd grade level. And that's UNC one of the hardest schools to get into nationally. We would be totally freed of all this BS ineligible crap. Fake transcripts, fake grades, cheating probes, fake classes, no attendance, etc. ENOUGH! Just admit these are athletes who play sports and that's it. Time to separate sports from academics. It causes such a headache pretending they are real college students when all they know how to do is play hoops.

If they are not students and they are at universities then they must be employees. If so they should receive a salary, pension, medical/dental/vision insurance, unemployment compensation, paid vacation and sick days etc. They also should have the right to strike and bargain for their salary. There is really no way for a university to win under this situation. I agree that many (not all but many) are as dull witted as a tree stump however it is the fault of the coaches who recruit people who are incapable of doing college work more so than the fault of the players. It is also the fault of the schools who knowingly put up with these dimwits and dullards.

Please remember however that there have been college athlete graduates who have gone on to the U.S. house and senate, to become jurists, to found and lead business' both small and large, to become even astronauts (at least one), engineers and scientists. Yes they are a relatively small minority of student sports players but they do exist. I appreciate your concern but on balance it is not the worst of the many evils our nation faces.

Essentially I do not have a good answer to this problem but I recognize it is a problem.

[Hall2012]

So let's just forget scholarships and academics and just pay the kids to play basketball/football. Wait, that sounds familiar...it's called professional sports.

[Gibbsyonemoreyear!]

There are plenty of high-profile athletes that value their education and their families do too. Unfortunately public schools in many parts of the U.S. are not in great shape. Kids, not just athletes by the way, are coming to college severely underprepared for the rigor of higher learning. There needs to be additional scaffolds in place to help these kids out (free, effective tutoring and study skills courses offered to the students) perhaps subsidized from NCAA sports profits now there's an idea. Even the most promising athletes can have career ending injuries before going pro or even after. And then what? We as a whole society suffer from these failings. This is much more important that wins and losses for a college basketball team.

[marquette]

I don't think this is a door you want to open. Will you support a non-student athlete the same way you do a fellow student? The shared experience matters, even if it is a sham. It helps students and alumni feel more connected to the team. We already have minor league sports teams, and they receive very little support.

[FlyJays]

After all these ineligible cases (the most recent being Thomas who won't play) it really begs the question: WHY are people pretending these kids are here for academics? They simply are not. Most of these athletes at major schools in major sports i.e. basketball/football are dumb as a doorknob. As we saw with UNC, some can barely read at a 3rd grade level. And that's UNC one of the hardest schools to get into nationally. We would be totally freed of all this BS ineligible crap. Fake transcripts, fake grades, cheating probes, fake classes, no attendance, etc. ENOUGH! Just admit these are athletes who play sports and that's it. Time to separate sports from academics. It causes such a headache pretending they are real college students when all they know how to do is play hoops.

You're describing professional athletics.

Also, awesome job of making sweeping generalizations of college athletes. "Dumb as a doorknob", huh? Surely, there are examples of college athletes who struggle in the classroom. But I can say that some of the smartest people I've ever met are former major college athletes; and playing a sport is just one thing they excelled at. You seem to have an incredibly close minded view of "athletes who play sports and that's it". I'm sure each school on here has examples, but there are a whole handful of relatively recent Creighton players, who were good players, and are now MDs or attorneys.

[Amase2]

Watched any D leauge games lately? How bout the gulf coast league? No? yea me neither.

[Professor_Bulldog]

This should be in textbooks regarding the nature of reactionary behaviors/statements. Well done hooper