Academics vs. Athletics...You make the call

I’m switching gears a little this week. Today’s entry isn’t going to be about whether I’m still stressing over internship deadlines (which I am) or anything broadcast related. This entry is being written to focus on the importance of education versus the importance of athletics. As someone who may pursue the career of being an athletic director, I am constantly paying attention to the latest high school and college athletics. For me, it’s an important thing to research.
It’s far too often in this day and age that we witness young men and women pursue athletic opportunities over academic ones. I know this is a hot button issue that is heavily debated at all levels (middle school, high school, and college); nevertheless it’s a topic that continues to spread through school systems across the nation. You can argue whatever side you want, but the bottom line is there are some wrongs being committed by student-athletes, their parents, school boards, athletic directors, athletic district committees, coaches, and school administrators. These wrongs can range from letting a gifted athlete play in a pivotal game when they didn’t make the grades required by the school to transferring for the sole purpose of playing for a better or more highly recruited team.
Just as in any system, there are more than a handful of flaws in school athletics. Differences vary depending on the school or district. Usually, schools with winning traditions in certain sports tend to have the most problems and run into the most trouble. In the athletic district where I competed in high school athletics, issues regarding transfers for athletic intent, excessive college recruiting, and students not performing in the classroom as they should have been were rampant. At times, the district committee would review cases of such things, mainly transfer issues, and, in most cases, would rule the player ineligible if there was even the slightest trace of athletic intent involved. However, being frustrated with the outcome, the player and his/her parents would proceed to the state level and petition to them for clearance to participate. Nine times out of ten, the state athletic committee would grant the player eligibility. Stupid? Yes. Wrong? Absolutely.
Families are uprooting their lives so their child can play at the championship winning school or the school where all the college recruiters go. Granted, there are some families of low income who rely on their child to obtain an athletic scholarship for the sole purpose of attending college. This I understand completely, but out of all the cases I have read in local newspapers, more often than not the athlete transferring is only going there to win a championship or be looked at by more recruiters than at their previous school. Most are from affluent, well-to-do families. This is a trend that must stop. If I ever enter the world of athletic directing, I will more than make sure that the coaches in the district know my policy on academics versus athletics: academics always come in first. I will make sure students-athletes' grades are checked every single week in order to ensure good performance, not just on the playing field, but ultimately in the classroom. Few high school athletes can bank on ever making it to the pros, so it only makes sense that they place their education first, being that is the thing that will get them to a quality college and earn them a career someday.
Most state athletic boards have established rules for academic eligibility for student-athletes. Taking that a step further, most school districts have implemented systems of checking on a student’s grades if they participate in extracurricular activities on a weekly basis, which is wonderful. Many times this system keeps students working to their full potential, so they are able to participate; however, many other times these systems fail, because leeway is given by a teacher, administrator, or coach. What does this prove? It proves that, not only did this student not fulfill the academic requirements demanded of them and received a poor grade, but also they now know that they can get away with this again in the future, causing them to, perhaps, not study as much or turn in incomplete homework. It’s a vicious cycle. Letting a student, who is performing poorly in school, play in the big rival game that night instead of teaching them a lesson by having them sit the bench, or, even better yet, not allowing them to attend the game in hopes that they brush up on their studies, is senseless. It may benefit the team in the short term, but it certainly will not help the student in the long term.
The other issue worthy of addressing is the over exaggerated, drawn out, excessive recruiting and signing process once a highly talented student-athlete is spotted. Recently, a top-notch high school football quarterback named Terrelle Pryor has made his mark in high school football and basketball becoming one of the best athletes to come out of Western Pennsylvania. Local and national media outlets have been covering Pryor rise for around two years now and deservedly so. Pryor and the Jeannette High School football team won the district title two years in a row and the state title this past December. Pryor, himself, became the first athlete in Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) and Pennsylvania state history to rush for over 4,000 career yards and pass for over 4,000 career yards in football and score more than 2,000 points in basketball. There is no doubt that he is a tremendous athlete. The only problem with this picture is the intense pressure he is under to make a college choice.
It has been reported that Pryor has recently been receiving hundreds of text messages per day about his college decision. He also has been making many final visits to the colleges he likes the most, while still carrying a full course load at Jeannette and playing basketball everyday of the week. All of this, and Pryor is barely 18. Just today, Pryor was scheduled to make his college decision live on ESPN-U and other television stations. Yes, you read correctly: live and on television. Despite it being the first day a student-athlete can sign a binding national letter of intent, Pryor did not make a decision, but held the television press conference for the throng of media outlets anyway. It’s the most extreme form of informing the public of a high school athlete’s decision on where they will play at college. This leads me to ask the question: Is this necessary in high school athletics? I tend to think no. However, society tends to disagree. Many people would rather tune in to see where a star athlete is headed to college, rather than watch a presidential debate on issues that will directly affect them. Watching athletes do this sort of thing has become the norm. Standards have changed. You don’t see people reading up on the student with the 4.0 headed to a top notch college to study Biochemistry and Physics, who could potentially develop the cure cancer someday. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad about being the blue chip athlete or the extremely intelligent student. In many cases, both are the same person. The thing is, people should try to not get so caught up in the whole parade of blossoming athletes. Yes, it’s fun to watch your favorite player compete on game day, but do you really need to plop down in front of the T.V. and watch them make their decision live on their air? No. People need to take time to understand that sports, while fun and entertaining are just a game. Life and education are the real deal. Kids today need an education to succeed in life, unless they’re a part of the miniscule number of athletes that will make it to the pros. There’s no crime in doing both, they just need to know the limits. Students-athletes need to make sure the hustle they show on the playing field is equal to the hustle they show in the classroom.

Reference links for this blog:
Transferring: For the good of the student or for the good of the athlete?

Terrelle Pryor's televised press conference

Academic rules and other requirements stated by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) for student athletes