<p>[Scout.com:</a> The Bootleg’s Graduation Rate Analysis](<a href=“Cardinal 247 - Stanford Cardinal Football Recruiting”>Cardinal 247 - Stanford Cardinal Football Recruiting)</p>
<p>They got their numbers directly from an NCAA source. It’s actually listed at 45%, so I was a bit low.</p>
<p>You all make some good points. </p>
<p>If you take a look at the roster, there are players who want to become doctors, engineers, etc. Surely they are the ones that graduate. Also they don’t play.</p>
<p>So what you have is a situation where the good players, the ones who play a lot, are either going pro (a very low percentage ever make it to the Big Leagues) or are leaving with no degree or even if they do graduate, likely one without much merit to it.</p>
<p>I know what sleepy sentry means a bit. While it is true LSU highlights its good students, especially the ones who have accomplished nationally recognized scholarships, even I was on the frontpage of the website as an “outstanding out of state freshman,” the thing is nobody cares. If you “follow” the fan page on Facebook, they will list some education acheivements, and all the comments will be related to athletics. It’s as if academics are trivial at times.</p>
<p>And when they brag about an LSU department being ranked highly, they usually twist some sort of ranking to make it sound much better than it is.</p>
<p>A school like Stanford or UCLA that rakes in athletic titles is still always an educational institution first. </p>
<p>I’m just not sure it’s sending the right message to Louisiana’s youth that the only way you will make something of yourself is through athletics. Especially when you consider the state’s education system is floundering.</p>
<p>And it’s mostly a misnomer that LSU athletics brings in lots of revenue to the university. It is self-sustaining, one of the few universities that isn’t losing money on it, but that said it’s not as if LSU winning football games is paying for our scholarships.</p>
<p>I found this release from former AD Skip Bertman. It is a bit dated (2 years ago), but I imagine nothing much has changed. It’s called Rick Reilly… but it’s a Bertman letter.</p>
<p>[Sports</a> Illustrated By Rick Reily](<a href=“http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:qg-PprIfuvsJ:www.lsusports.net/fls/5200/assets/docs/ad/cybersidechats/cyber85.pdf%3FDB_OEM_ID%3D5200+lsu+athletic+department+revenue&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us]Sports”>http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:qg-PprIfuvsJ:www.lsusports.net/fls/5200/assets/docs/ad/cybersidechats/cyber85.pdf%3FDB_OEM_ID%3D5200+lsu+athletic+department+revenue&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)</p>