Higher Education and Athletics



Athletics is an important part of an educational experience because sports and exercise in general help balance the mental with the physical. I have always enjoyed playing sports, and it continues to be a part of my daily life.

I am however, a little suspicious about the true motivations of giving scholarships to student athletes. Do not get me wrong, athletic scholarships allow people to attend school who normally would not have the chance, but we are missing the something here: student athlete and scholarship.

We are not serving our student athletes properly if they are not getting a good education.

Education can never be taken away, and it has been proven to propel you further in life. Sports are games, and as such, they are not forever. Most college athletes will not make it to a professional league, no matter what dreams they are sold, so we need to put the student back into this equation.

“Emancipate the Black College Athlete”

“History was made on April 25 as the scholarship athletes of the Northwestern University football team, led by the former quarterback Kain Colter, cast their votes on whether or not to unionize after a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that they could be considered employees. The results won’t be known for weeks or even months, as the university appeals the decision to allow a vote. But if the students are successful, college athletics as we know it could change drastically.”

 

“The regional ruling indicated that college athletes in the high-profile and high-revenue sports have a right to unionize and, thus, to bargain collectively over health-care coverage, transfer rules, and even practice time. (Testimony indicated that football players can spend 40 to 60 hours a week on football-related activities during the season.) But most notably, the NCAA is concerned that athletes would be able to negotiate for potential compensation for their role in the college-sports industrial complex.”

Here:http://chronicle.com/article/Emancipate-the-Black-College/146273/?cid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en

I believe we are all missing a point here, and that is, the colleges should spend some these millions they are making to set up an environment where the students can truly learn, not starve, and are not being exploited without their knowledge. Help them become students!

In the end, it is always about the best interests of the student

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam