Student Athletes

Student athletes across America have been accused of cheating both athletically and academically. There have been many accusations of teachers helping athletes to do better in school so that they would be able to play their sport of choice. I personally think that this is completely ludicrous and student athletes should meet certain requirements. It has been shown that certain schools allow athletes to slip through the cracks academically and have been weighted differently among students. This is not a fair opportunity and completely bias towards those who bring money to the school. I believe that a student athlete must meet the same standards as a student who does not participate in intercollegiate events. Through the Florida State University case, we are able to learn about one specific case that has been addressed, but I feel that there are many more instances that are never mentioned. The preservation of a school’s reputation is very important and if information were to leak out stating that they are “cheating,” then it cause a great debacle throughout the entire nation. I strongly disagree with the idea that student athletes should be given special treatment in the academic world because they are only cheating themselves and putting them in a situation where they may not be able to become successful after school. Too many athletes focus solely on their sport, rather than their education. These athletes believe that they all have the opportunity to play major league ball, but that is not the case for many. I am not trying to prevent someone from following their dreams, but I will say that they should focus heavily on their school work rather than sports. Students need to set their priorities straight, and if they have the opportunity to excel in a great program, than that is much more reasonable than to try to continue their life in the spectrum of sports. If for some reason a student is unable to proceed past the college level, than he or she will not have an education to rely on and they will find themselves in a very difficult situation.    

Comments

[Aubrey Levesque]

David, you have a very strong start and it really makes the blog great. I completely agree with what you said. It is not fair to all students, if just because you are a good athlete, you do not have to do well in school. It is important that all students do well and do not cheat on their academic work.
I also agree with what you said about it representing the school in a negative way if their student athletes are unable to preform well with their schoolwork. Just because they have a certain skill, does not mean they can slack off in other areas, and then try to get help in a bad way.
The athletes should be able to play, but they must do well in their schoolwork too. The cheating must be dealt with so that the students can do well in school and in their sports. This will also help them later in life, so that they may do well in a career.
You did a great job with this blog and have many good ideas. This was a good area for you and you did quite well.

[Erin Sullivan]

David, I believe you make a lot of great points. You are a very intelligent young man and a student athlete yourself. I discussed a lot of the same points you did in your response, because i think it is absolutely ridiculous. I believe their is sometimes acceptable leeway for an athlete because they do not get home until 10 or 11 o'clock. When they get home they have to shower, eat, and do homework. I can see how this is very stressful for an athlete because you are bombarded by a lot at one time.
I still believe that there is no acceptance for cheating. If they are working hard in a certain sport to achieve as much as they could, they can put just as much work into school. School is where one is going to get an education and eventually have a job, unless a person knows they are going pro. There are certain people who just need to remain a certain G.P.A because they know that they are going pro. This is a great feeling to have, I can imagine, because they do not have to put as much work into school because they are happy where they are.
Each college athlete has certain rules to follow, taking drug tests, keeping a certain G.P.A, certain body weight for some, and many other. I am not saying that college athletes do not have a lot of stress, but they have just as much stress as a student studying law or medicine. There are people who have tried all through high school to remain a certain G.P.A and strive to get on the honor roll so they can go to a division 1 school just to study at. Getting a free ride because you are good at sports and do not have the grade requirements for the school is totally unfair.

[Account Deleted]

Barbosa, I agree with you 100 percent on what you say. The way that this cheating has escalated to something so extreme is rediculous. This needs to be stopped before it gets any bigger than it already is. Today almost all of the universities are paying a portion of their athletes and most definitely putting them on a pedestal that they definitely do not deserve to be put on. They have special scenarios where they can do special things in the universities including getting put in the absolute easiest classes at the college. They are strictly wasting space at the school. They are athlete studetns, not student athletes. The way you responded to this post Barbosa is good because you hit all of the key points and you present a great argument at hand. I think that you completely understood the topic and made a valued response. Good day.