by Rachel Ball-Jones
Staff Writer
Consider two students who are academic equals but participate in different extracurricular activities. One is the football star who could potentially bring in money to a college as a starting player. The other is a skilled debater and is a member of the speech and debate team. One student is going to have to suffer through the stress of college applications and admissions because she is competing with all of the other seniors applying for colleges with strong academic credentials. The other gets recruited by a top university, essentially guaranteed entrance, and can relax for the remainder of his senior year.
There is something wrong with this situation. Valuing sports above education will only serve to devalue academia and work in American culture.
Not only does sports recruiting detract from academics, it places unnecessary pressure on students to perform well in sports. Students must show that they’re improving in their competition and continuing their training. Recruiting has negative effects on athletes too.
Once athletes have been approached by colleges, they experience pressure from college coaches to attend certain schools. Students who have been recruited are expected to commit as soon as possible, and many receive mixed messages about whether they will be recruited in the end. For example, a coach may tell an athlete who is being recruited that they are also looking to fill other sports, and they may be given a less competitive spot if they don’t commit. This can lead to injuries and decreased academic performance, as students are focusing too much on sports so that they will be able to attend the college of their choice. Sports are also less lasting than other professions.
Most professional football players retire from the National Football League earlier than the average adult. Lawyers, doctors, and other professionals work longer and therefore are able to make more money. Perhaps for this reason alone, sports recruitment should be downsized. In the long run, academic achievements will pay off more than sports, and therefore colleges should select students based on who they think will be the most successful after college, rather than the biggest money maker.
Though recruitment is illegal before the end of junior year, many colleges side step this rule by simply “talking” to athletes rather than directly recruiting them. While the rest of the junior class is slaving away at SATs, the school quarterback is hanging around with a UC Berkeley admissions scout.
According to a USA Today study on athletic spending, athletic budgets are growing at double the pace of academics. Additionally, over $1 billion are given in sports scholarships each year by universities and their affiliates. In fact, out of the top five most well-paid people in Northern California, three are coaches for a big university. This insane amount of money devoted to sports reflects the values of the American college system- sports are beginning to replace academics in achievement value. While tuition goes up, sports recruiting and athletic spending do as well.
But what is the reason that these athletes are so much more appealing to a college than say, a mock trial champion? Athletics programs, especially ones like football, gain a lot of income for colleges. In that way, it makes sense for the colleges to want these athletes, but it doesn’t justify the fact that athletes get a leg up on the competition.
When admittance rates are down below 15 percent in some college, the “playing field” needs to be as level as possible, and all qualified students should be considered equally.
Webb JohnsonApr 12, 2012 at 10:42 am
Your argument is framed as an ethical question. That is; is it right, is it fair, and is it just to establish a hierarchy of value to extracurricular activities when it comes to college admissions. I say, “Yes.”
Universities and colleges crave winning football and basketball teams for reasons other than just monetary income. A winning team, or even one that simply is not an embarrassment, provides a crystallizing spirit that crosses lines of ethnicity, class and culture. To see this in action, go to a Cal game and check out the student rooting section. Feel the excitement and the unique sense of community that exists not just among the students, but also throughout the stadium, where it is possible to see a Nobel Laureate do a high five, fist pump, chest bump or hangin’ monkey with a seatmate who may be experiencing trouble in Freshman English. The school comes together at Memorial Stadium like no other place, and the shared experience creates bonds that last a lifetime.
As such, the football team provides some portion of the school’s branding identity and this helps the admissions office in “recruiting” students across the academic and social spectrum, not just athletes. There are no other extracurricular activities that can do this in such a profound and positive way.
I may be the first high school athlete recruited out of Las Lomas on a Division I football scholarship, so I have some first hand experience in what it is like. I cannot say your arguments are invalid. If nothing else, “being recruited” can give a senior a sense of importance that far outweighs the reality of his, or her, real contribution and real potential in life.
I would like to have seen some information about whether or not an athlete recruited to play football or basketball is subject to the same academic requirements as other applicants. Grades? SAT scores? Do the colleges cut any slack? When I went through the process, we had the same grade requirements as everyone else.
I obviously enjoyed reading your essay. Thank you.