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Do you feel that schools are too lenient on student-athletes? I've heard of teachers passing them just so they could play football. What are your experiences?
Yep where I went football players got greased through, had people write papers for them, etc...
I didn't mind because in reality a number of the nicer buildings and academic equipment we had was because of the football program, universities are like a business they need to generate revenue to succeed. A couple of fall weekends and the university gets a big check. Without that big check, how are they going to expand departments, build new buildings, etc... by raising tuition. So pick your poison some kids getting greased through academically or higher costs for all.
Of course there are easier classes. And they are nothing new,
Heck, even I (a non-athlete) took "Rocks for Jocks" (intro to Geology) back in the 70s... the semester I had organic chemistry and physics.
At my kids' Catholic school we had a couple of kids on the basketball team (we didn't have football) who were on academic probation and missed a coupe of games til they got their grades up. That's according to my son; it's officially confidential but teammates talk to each other. I assume the same happens at other schools and in other sports.
My son was a student athlete. He got no special treatment. He did start college a bit behind because he was not able to take AP classes and focus on athletics at the same time. He will have to go to college for an extra semester as a result.
Do you feel that schools are too lenient on student-athletes? I've heard of teachers passing them just so they could play football. What are your experiences?
Depends on the quality of the school and the level of the program.
The majority of student-athletes don't get the types of cheating you describe but if you get into mens basketball and football at the Div 1 level that's where the vast majority of it occurs.
Several major programs don't just give them boosted grades but have created entire curriculums with ghost classes they don't even have to attend.
There are lawsuits against at least one major basketball school right now for graduating a guy that read at a 4th grade level (among others).
It didn't happen where I was. Also nowhere I've taught. It does happen, but nowhere I've been.
All my siblings were sports standouts and did Div. I athletics, two of them scouted by pro teams prior to opting instead for college. None of them received special treatment, but none of them played cash cow sports, either.
In their respective colleges, D.1 men's basketball and football players got breaks, but those in lower profile, non-moneymaking sports did not. One of my siblings was in an honors program, and there were football players enrolled in his classes who were never required to even attend.
At the college level, whether you are participating in a sport that's revenue-generating or not can make a difference.
Last edited by TabulaRasa; 01-20-2017 at 11:48 AM..
My son was a student athlete. He got no special treatment. He did start college a bit behind because he was not able to take AP classes and focus on athletics at the same time. He will have to go to college for an extra semester as a result.
Which sport?
In some instances I think some sports are given preference over others.
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