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College Athletes Making the Grade or Making a Buck?

A comment in another thread got me thinking about something I've pondered for years.

Do you think that some college athletes receive grade padding from their universities? Or receive money or other compensation for their athletic skills?

I played just a touch of college football, I really wasn't very good, but many of the starters drove new Cadillac Escalades and had very high GPA's even though I don't think they knew how to read and came from some extremely poor areas.

What about players at U of M, Notre Dame, Duke, UNC, and other schools with amazing athletic programs and very tough academic standards?

Do you think their is some manipulation of the system?
 
A comment in another thread got me thinking about something I've pondered for years.

Do you think that some college athletes receive grade padding from their universities? Or receive money or other compensation for their athletic skills?

Yes. I know of at least two specific instances (sorry, won't spill details). For every NCAA violation re: recruiting malfeasance and athlete compensation that comes to light through an investigation, I've been told separately that there are at least a hundred that you don't see.

I played just a touch of college football, I really wasn't very good, but many of the starters drove new Cadillac Escalades and had very high GPA's even though I don't think they knew how to read and came from some extremely poor areas.
There's so many loopholes and under-the-table tactics that can get money into the hands of players' families through boosters, alumni, and even their high school coaches. In these cases, I'd bet dollars to donuts those Escalades aren't titled in the name of the player. Athletes also get a lot of special treatment in the form of one-on-one tutoring, paper "proofreading" services, deadline flexibility, etc provided by the university (these aren't against the rules per se, but aren't things that are equally available to non-athlete students).

What about players at U of M, Notre Dame, Duke, UNC, and other schools with amazing athletic programs and very tough academic standards?

Do you think their is some manipulation of the system?
In many cases, regrettably, yes. In some cases, no. There are a lot of high profile student athletes that have earned the right to be where they are and work hard to meet the standards of their team and their school. I know several past and present that I respect very much. I wouldn't go so far as to say manipulation is the rule rather than the exception, but these kids, even if they aren't up to snuff academically, are pretty street smart. They know what they can squeeze out of the system on their own. Sure, there's manipulation -- but when you're one of hundreds of big-name universities fighting for prestige, TV time, booster money, etc, you've got no choice but to compete.

I've heard it rationalized by "____ is going to drop out and declare for the NBA draft next year anyway" and "____ isn't going to use his degree anyway." I don't really buy either excuse from an ethical standpoint, but in practice, it reflects the reality of the situation.

Sad, but the moment a school decides to raise the status quo for their scholarship athletes, they'll just decide to go someplace else. And then they'll be stuck with football and basketball programs about as competitive as your average Ivy League school. The Ivy Leaguers, can of course get away with this because their academic prowess attracts the best students regardless of their sports teams' performance. They're unique. However, you see the real battle for enrollment when it comes down to the B/C-ish students who apply to big state schools and enjoy attending their sporting events. Attracting the best athletes benefits a school across the board, and with the competition and budget crunches currently going on, I can't think of many schools who'd be willing to risk that much.
 
M

modern man

Kick backs and grade advancemet for college athletes? Say it aint so!

But Yes I belive it happens.
 
When will the NCAA finally admit that college sports is a business and not anywhere close to amatuer sports? The only difference is that the atheletes do not directly receive any of the profits. It's about time they paid their employees.
 
I should follow that up by saying that I have three degrees and feel very highly of education, but if someone can make a living playing sports, I'm all for it.
 
I've never understood what would be so wrong with supplying college athletes with some form of living stipend. Between classes and practice there is no way that they have time for any kind of job.

While I am sure there are some 'grade padding' examples, athletic departments do what they can to help the athletes by hiring tutors to be available for their use.

Oh, and schools have also invented the Communications Major.
 
A different twist on all of this is that I think some of the academically superior schools with good sports programs, such as Duke and Stanford in basketball, have a leg up when recruiting the small number of great athletes who happen to be smart. Those kids understand that their chances of making the pros are small, and that a degree from a prestigious university is really worth something. And in basketball, as well as some positions in other sports, the smarter players are more "coachable" and will think before making dumb plays. I think this gives Duke's basketball program an unfair advantage, and I hate Duke!!
 
I know for a fact that the grade padding happens. At my school, the biggest sport was men's basketball, and these guys never went to class, ever. I knew that because many were in my classes and all in the dorm i stayed in. They were always dressed very fashionably and drove very nice cars, despite the fact that the program was not very good. In the end, every single one of them graduated. If you ask me, most athletes that get contracted to come to a school get a pre-set GPA just for being there.

Shane
 
I just posted this but perhaps it belongs here as well.

While I won't be so naive as to believe that nothing illegal ever occurs in athletics, I find it sad that people think these instances are the norm.
 
The Athlete's who are getting the help are the ones that are going to make it to the pros and get the money anyway. They do not give that help to all athletes on the team equally.

But along with Kyle's post..The athletes in my High School and most High Schools that I have seen have higher grades than the non-athletes. You usually see the honor society full of your top athletes. And studies have shown that those who participate in extra curricular activities tend to do better in school. There are exceptions. But like I said above. only the really "gifted" athletically recieve the help and benefits.
 
The Athlete's who are getting the help are the ones that are going to make it to the pros and get the money anyway. They do not give that help to all athletes on the team equally.

But along with Kyle's post..The athletes in my High School and most High Schools that I have seen have higher grades than the non-athletes. You usually see the honor society full of your top athletes. And studies have shown that those who participate in extra curricular activities tend to do better in school. There are exceptions. But like I said above. only the really "gifted" athletically recieve the help and benefits.

Wow, you went to a completely different HS than I did then. We had a fairly large number of people with high GPAs but the only athletes that I would say were frequently found near the top were the female athletes. Most of the football, wrestling, men's basketball, baseball, etc. players were the ultimate slackers of our school. There were several male athletes that had GPAs high enough to qualify for National Honor Society and a few more that just missed, but most of them didn't come close.

ada8356 said:
I've never understood what would be so wrong with supplying college athletes with some form of living stipend. Between classes and practice there is no way that they have time for any kind of job.

I would have to disagree. There are plenty of people I knew in college that never had a job during the school year and recieved little to no spending money from their parents. Many athletes already recieve plenty of money in scholarships and I would heartily oppose the school just giving them money to use however they feel.
 
I would have to disagree. There are plenty of people I knew in college that never had a job during the school year and recieved little to no spending money from their parents. Many athletes already recieve plenty of money in scholarships and I would heartily oppose the school just giving them money to use however they feel.

That may be true, but I don't believe the athletes have the option of working a job... they are basically serving as an athlete as their job and being 'paid' in the form of scholarship.

I think if a stipend was a part of their scholarship it would actually help prevent some of 'under-the-table' scandals that we've seen in the past.
 
Aaron, you are partly correct in you statement about athletes not having the option to work during the regular school year. The exact NCAA rule on this leaves me right now (thank goodness we employ a compliance officer). I have worked at the division 2, I-AA, and I-A levels of college football, and the rules are different for all levels, but in each, the athletes are limited in the amount of money that they are allowed to earn. While this exact number escapes me, it is so ridiculously low, that athletes usually don't bother unless they are trying to help financially support a mother, siblings, or children of their own.

An argument that regularly comes up in discussions such as these (and it already has) is that the athletes don't deserve money because they are getting paid by scholarship. There is certainly some validity to this statement. In contrast, it is important to consider a non-athlete student who is on full academic scholarship. The only requirement for that student to retain their funding is GPA based. Athletes are typically asked to do quite a bit more.

I honestly don't know where I stand on the issue. There are many great pluses and minuses to both sides of the argument. While there have been some concessions made for the student-athletes that are eligible for government funding, I don't see this practice becoming commonplace for athletes across the board. Perhaps in our lifetime this will all change, but it won't be anytime soon.
 
Just that I've never seen a Title IX expert weigh in on the issue of paying student-athletes. A while back, in New York state I believe, a school was sued for not bussing cheerleaders to sporting events involving the female teams. And they lost. I've heard over the years horror story after horror story about how colleges are quicker to axe men's programs(wrestling in particular) rather than add women's programs. If paying student-athletes leads to a further imbalancing I'd expect more of the same from the ADs and presidents. Everything I know about the issue is anecdotal(bupkis) which is why I'd love to hear what your Title IX person would say pro or con.
 
I see what you're saying now.

Certainly there has been a lot of knee-jerk legislation as a result of Title IX, and many institutions have reacted so strongly with efforts to comply that they have crippled their men's programs as a result. While the intended purpose of it is just, the implementation has been haphazard at best.

Believe me, if any concessions are made to collegiate athletes in the future, both male and female athletes will receive the same benefits.
 
I also believe much pressure is increased for these top D1 programs to cheat is because Football and Men's BBall are THE cash cow. All of the other sports in a program either get lucky and break even or lose money. These two sports alone pay for all of the others. For example, I live in Arkansas. We are a football state, but we are THE track and field school. We've one like 20+ national championships, but nobody cares about that here. Sure, we're proud, but it wouldn't be the same as if we a NC in CFB.
 
Just FYI, but our scholarship students in music not only must manitain above a 3.0 GPA to retain their financial aid packages, but are also required to perform in several music department ensembles, many of which rehearse up to 10 additional hours per week (and most scholly students are in multiple ensembles).

The hours can really add up if we are producing an opera or a big jazz production.

I'd guess that other disciplines have similar kinds of obligations attached to their scholarships.
 
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