<p>CGM - one has to be accepted to a school in order to ‘sign’ - so the ‘accepted’ part is a given - IF the headline of that article was written as you posted - blame it on the writer/editor - who has pretty poor taste/understanding of how to make a headline.</p>
<p>The ‘signing’ is basically an acceptance to attend AND committing to play the sport that they were recruited for.</p>
<p>I don’t think that a student/player who is being reimbursed between $60,000 - $200,000 for a free ride to college; in return for playing a sport; is being exploited. There’s very few work programs that will provide they equivalence of a full ride scholarship.</p>
<p>If the student/athlete also happens to be a good student, then they also get a good education to begin their life with. If they were the type of student who might not have gotten to college had it not been for athletics, then they too received a college education that can only improve their chances of success in the real world.</p>
<p>Considering how much money many schools get from their athletic activities, I think a scholarship is a good pay back for their talents. Remember however, that not everyone gets a full ride scholarship. Some get partial scholarships and some get none at all. Each school is different in how much they can spend for athletic scholarships. I do believe that if you play on a college athletic team; in any sport or capacity; and they take in money from the fans for that sport; that each athlete or member of the team should receive something for their contribution.</p>
<p>I believe that most student/athletes don’t believe that they will ever make it to the pros, and that they are using their talent as a means of getting an education. And also for their love of the game and desire to continue to play it. I know there are some people that believe that a college’s purpose is for providing higher education; and therefor money shouldn’t be wasted on athletics. There is definitely some support for that argument. However, the athletic department do contribute financially to the college/university’s income. Both directly in ticket sales and endorsements, as well as in publicity and marketing of the school. </p>
<p>I know some don’t believe it’s fair that a 2.5-3.0 gpa high school student can get a full ride to a named university because of their athletic abilities, while a 3.8gpa high school student might not get accepted; or if they do it’s with little if any scholarships and such. This too has merit for an argument. But it can also be argued that the athletes contribute as much if not more to the university as does the arts, literature, science, etc… departments. People argue all the time that in high school how important the arts and such is and that they shouldn’t be cut first when there’s funding issues. I agree. But athletics too is important. (Imaging the health of our country if we required Physical fitness in schools still like we use to?)</p>
<p>Anyway, I don’t think the players are being exploited. A $60,000 - $200,.000 education is a pretty equitable payback.</p>
<p>As a mom of a player at Stanford :)…it was easy to find this girl’s resume online, and also the press release from Stanford softball (which is what was reported in cgm’s paper). </p>
<p>I hope this doesn’t sound too defensive.
Take it from me, she is impressive academically and personally, with a 3.9 gpa junior year in a competitive private school, 4 APs her senior year, a lot of community service with children with developmental disabilities, a URM, and oh yes by the way a nationally-recruited softball player. </p>
<p>I think, cgm, that your point wasn’t a criticism of the player but a comment on the focus of the paper on only the girl’s athletic gifts. It was probably on the sports page though, so they tailor things to the readership. </p>
<p>Criticism of sports in college is absolutely fair, but Stanford shouldn’t be the target. As a general rule, and not without exceptions, it pretty much sets the standard of how to do college athletics right. Just consider its football team’s record :)</p>
<p>Also, here is a graduation rates analysis, in reference to post #20.</p>
<p><a href=“Cardinal 247 - Stanford Cardinal Football Recruiting”>Cardinal 247 - Stanford Cardinal Football Recruiting;
<p>cgm, I do not understand the attitude of your op. Any student who enters into a Div 1 athletic program has fulfilled a dream. We talk glowingly about passion a lot here. Well an elite athlete has a passion for her sport and has spent countless hours developing it to a very high level.</p>
<p>I see no problem with the article focusing on her softball opportunities at Stanford and ignoring the academics. But we all know that she will be a student and if she is like most athletes at Stanford she will graduate and go on to s successful adult life.</p>
<p>in the minority here, but I think I see the point and can agree with the OP. Recently, before the championship game, the Columbus Dispatch inserted full page ads picturing various “stars” of The Ohio State team, along with many of their stats. Ht, Wt, position, and a few of each players’ top football stats. I noticed none of those featured mentioned their major or g.p.a. I wouldn’t expect to see their gpa in the box score after the game, but I did expect to see it in a full page ad touting each student-athletes’ excellence. I think it is in keeping with the expression that sometimes what isn’t said speaks louder than what is. Positively not to say they’re all dummies, but to say that if it were me or my S, and I was proud of the academics, I’d insist on having that included too. To deliberately omit what might be high academic achievment gives the impression they either are dummies or their education is of much lesser value. Neither may be true, but I do feel it gives that impression.</p>
<p>^^ - If the ads were sports related - there would be no reason - maybe other than curiosity - to include academic information about the athletes - obviously the ads were touting athletic achievement.</p>
<p>It does not give the impression that they are dummies at all - or that education is of lesser value - it is a sports article. I guess if one really wants to see that info - go to the schools web-site and read the blurbs about the athletes - it is sometimes found there.</p>
<p>Articles written about athletes are usually informational and not bragging rights thing for the student/athlete or parents. Yes it is nice to see ones name in print - but not all info is appropriate for every article</p>
<p>younghoss, this isnt so unusual. Go to the Yale football site and look at player bios. Nary a word about their major let alone their academic gpa.</p>
<p><a href=“http://yalebulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/yale-m-footbl-mtt.html[/url]”>http://yalebulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/yale-m-footbl-mtt.html</a></p>
<p>I read sports articles all the time about my D’s sport. No, they do not mention the girls’ academic achievements. These are sports articles. It irks me that someone reading athletic achievements then deducts that the athletes are dummies. Well, ain’t so for the girls on my D’s team. High achievers they are…academically…AND athletically. Like I said, many are Academic All Americans. Many are leaders in other endeavors on campus. Most are headed for professional graduate schools and careers. However, they share a common passion for their sport and have been doing their sport their entire lives. For my own kid, now a senior in college, her competitive career is ending, though not her love for her sport. Her sport is not the focus of her life and does NOT take over for academics at all. However, her sport is very important in her life. I expect articles about her sport at college to focus on the athletic achievements. At the same time, I am pleased to see that at the banquet for the National Finals in her sport, there are awards for Academic All American. This is also recognized. But sports articles do focus primarily on the sport, as they should. Inferring that athletic achievement implies lack of smarts is well, dumb. At the least, it is unfair and untrue for many athletes out there, apparently including the girl this article was about who got into Stanford.</p>
<p>Re: post #28</p>
<p>Originaloog, </p>
<p>Click on the player’s name. You will get a profile which includes information about his intended major. GPA isn’t included, but major is In MOST–though not all–profiles.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I’ve noticed that when there is a full page article about some student or professor who has achieved some great academic honor - say a Nobel prize or Rhodes scholarship for example, they never include his or her times for the 100 meter dash or earned run average. It’s all about their academic achievements. You’d think that in a full page article about academics they would at least include stats about how much weight the honoree could bench press or how many soccer goals he or she scored last year.</p>
<p>SOOZIEVT - very well said :)</p>
<p>There are many folks in the world who just have a thing about students who just happen to be athletes - and for some reason have the expectation that they are ‘dumber’ than their academic counterparts. Such stereotyping is unfortunate and pretty much due to being uninformed as well.</p>
<p>Having had 2 student athletes in my family - that sterotype certainly is not the case - 1 graduated from a very elete LAC - on to grad school (basically on full scholarship - beause of his sport :)) - and is now very successful in his sport at an Ivy - the other graduated - from a State U - is proceeding thru the process to gain experience in her field - and I have NO doubt will also be very successful - and still enjoys her sport alot (had to stop participating in her sport for a bit due to an injury :().</p>
<p>Both did very well academically - both have done very well post-college - as have many many of their friends/team-mates. When either of them was written about regarding their sport success - their major/GPA was never mentioned - sure - it would have been kind of cool to see that - but definitely not necessary at all - as the articles were definitely sports generated/related.</p>
<p>(Personally - I think touting GPA’s is unnecessary (also very personal) - sure for some it is a bragging rights kinds of thing - but in general - not information that makes a difference in life in general)</p>
<p>coureur–LOL :)</p>
<p>Ohio State and Stanford have slightly different standards for their athletes, I think that is a fairly well-known fact. I was thinking about Brook Lopez and his losing his playing eligibility for something like the first 6 games because of his sub-par academic performance. At another powerhouse D1 school, that boy’s GPA would have been magically revised upward and he would have been on the court from the first game.</p>
<p>My favorite athletic/college website (of the ones I’ve looked at, which isn’t that many) is Davidson’s. Click on the players on a given team and look at the academic accomplishments listed right alongside athletics.</p>
<p>Look - lots of those academic superstars end up in the bottom 10% of their classes at these prestige schools, even though they are NOT athletes. The name on their degrees are the same (unless they go to Oxford, in which case their exam results are “classed”.) I think we should applaud the athletes who are NOT academic superstars, who are barely marginal academically, who are NOT Academic All-Americans, who by grit and hardwork put hours and hours into their sports and still come away with a Stanford or Harvard or Brown degree. Some aren’t as bright as those academic superstars who end up in the bottom 10% of the Stanford, Harvard, or Brown classes - do you think that, five years later, anyone cares in the least? The reality is that, if you do the work, graduating from these places simply isn’t that hard. (Boy, do I have stories!) Unlike Ohio State, Stanford, Harvard, and Brown will put in big bucks to avoid someone from dropping out as a result of academics - it reflects poorly on their admissions department, and on their prestige - and it’s easier to simply find a way to ensure the student doesn’t leave. When it comes to this, standards at places like Ohio State are, ironically, higher.</p>
<p>In virtually every case, including Ohio State, the football players academically outperform, and have higher graduation rates, than the non-football players of the same race and economic class.</p>
<p>Academics are WAY overrated (and especially so at the prestige schools).</p>
<p>Some schools are unscrupulous (?sp) when it comes to the standards of their athletes - but most actually follow the NCAA ‘rules’ when it comes to applying those rules to their athletes - some schools will get caught ‘fixing’ it so that an athlete can ‘play’ and suffer the consequences if/when caught - others will have them rightfully riding the bench/suspended from play for not being in compliance with the rules.</p>
<p>MINI - very well said.</p>
<p>Yes mini; excellent post. The problem is the stereotypes. Read a couple of articles of an athlete’s grades being fudged, and it’s assumed that all athletes are “academically challenged”. The truth is; it’s the exception and not the rule. The majority live by the strict academic standards of the schools and the NCAA.</p>
<p>As far as not mentioning their GPA and/or major in a sport article, that’s just silly. It might be common if it is a biographical article of a particular player. If it’s an article about the team, sport, or school’s athletic programs, then it’s silly to HAVE TO INCLUDE their GPA or Major just to reduce a reader’s prejudice and stereotyped opinion of how an athlete performs academically. Our town and high school mentions our student/athlete’s gpa and such when it’s an article concerning their post high school plans or any awards. However, when the article is about a game, the sport, the school’s athletic program, etc… it doesn’t mention their GPA and such.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Am I the only one here who thinks mini’s comments are designed to light more fire under this can of worms? I just can not believe that he did not read the articles on UW football team in our local paper! Having some inside knowledge of UW athletics, I agree with his comment quoted above. Of course they do, since they have private tutoring, mentoring, first dibs on registration for classes, yadda, yadda… “Non-revenue” athletes (swimming, track, gymnastics, etc.) enjoy the occasional crumbs of the same privileges.</p>
<p>“The truth is; it’s the exception and not the rule. The majority live by the strict academic standards of the schools and the NCAA.”</p>
<p>Athletes actually live by stricter academic standards than the would-be nerds and geeks (many of whom inhabit the bottom half of their classes at the so-called prestige schools.) How many of them do you think ever get suspended from the Tiddlywinks Society?</p>
<p>“Of course they do, since they have private tutoring, mentoring, first dibs on registration for classes, yadda, yadda…”</p>
<p>Sounds like Harvard and Stanford football players to me…</p>
<p>I stand by what I said about current graduation rates.</p>
<p>Our local papers don’t mention GPA at all when articles are written about student/athletes - maybe some honors that have been achieved - maybe college ambitions and major - maybe even val/sal - but GPA is never mentioned at all.</p>
<p>CHIRSTCORP - I agree - one bad apple does not make the whole barrel rotten 
There will always be folks out there tho that feel that student/athletes are lower on the totem pole than their counterparts - sadly. They don’t seem to see that academic high performers can actually have low GPA’s in college as well. Student/athletes who really don’t perform well are well into the minority of student/athletes numbers - when one takes into consideration the sheer number of students in college across the board.</p>