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Make Collegiate Athletics Honest Again
| Article
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16426 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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5 / 1989 |
842 Words |
| Author
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Morton A. Kaplan
Editor and Publisher |
The recent dispute between John Thompson, the coach of Georgetown University's basketball team, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) raises interesting questions about collegiate athletics and education, a relationship that is highly corrupt. There is, however, a proposal that, if adopted, would reduce corruption in collegiate athletics, maintain educational and athletic opportunities for deprived youngsters, and restore the meaning of a college education for athletes.
A year ago, the NCAA established minimal standards with respect to high school grades and scores on the SAT as requirements for participation in collegiate athletics. Colleges and universities were permitted, however, to offer athletic scholarships to students who did not meet these standards as long as they did not participate in competition. If their collegiate work was satisfactory in the freshman year, they could then participate in competition in subsequent years. This year, the NCAA removed the freshman exemption, a move protested by Thompson on the ground that it would cause too many youngsters from deprived backgrounds to lose their chance for a college education.
Although I share Thompson's desire to expand educational opportunities for youths from deprived backgrounds, the NCAA standards are ridiculously low to begin with, and the freshman exemption allowed many schools to make their candidate eligible with such courses as basket weaving. Georgetown and Thompson take education seriously and graduate a high proportion of their athletes, but their concern is not the general rule.
Furthermore, major collegiate athletics are corrupt. The
... (1989 of 5356 Characters)
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