“@JBStillFlying Whether student athletes are athletics or academics focused depends entirely on the culture and quality of the school they attend.”
- That sounds about right but I'd be hard pressed to think that Stanford is less in academic quality than Yale, although it probably does graduate many more who go on to compete professionally.
“The whole point of the Ivy League, snooty as it may sound, is to essentially quarantine America’s oldest and most esteemed universities from the perils of sports-based admissions and to maintain the highest level of academic performance. Ivy League football teams are barred from competing in the postseason despite being the progenitors of the American game of football.”
- This is not entirely correct anymore, since the Ivy's do have admissions standards for the athletes that are way lower than what the average entrant has achieved (although likely to be way higher than what the average athlete at the average D1 school is expected to produce). I know someone who just went through this for his/her sport, and there were thresholds and "golden areas" for standardized testing and so forth. Those who produce over-and-above make it easier for others who might not have the stats to squeak in, since the higher score bolsters the team or athletic division average. Sad, but true. The ivy's are out scouting just like any school - seen 'em with me own eyes. You can't officially "commit" but arrangements are worked out anyway. Whether they are under the table or you are just reading their tea leaves - who knows? It probably depends on the indifvidual sport, and some sports get less press than others so might be able to get away with more.
“HYPS shouldn’t be grouped together when it comes to athletics. Athletes in the Ivy League are competing for the most part in the D1 subdivision and rarely pursue professional sports careers.”
- Depends on the sport as well. Football, basketball - I'd agree with you (Jeremy Lin and no other comes to mind). But I believe that the NHL is peppered with some Ivy Leaguers (though perhaps not as prevalent as other schools like MN or WI). And then for the women it might be a whole new ballgame :)