How much longer will colleges require student athletes to take academic courses while playing a sport? Currently, and for as long as the NCAA has existed, student athletes have to complete a minimum number of courses and keep a minimum GPA in order to remain eligible to compete. In recent years, however, the NCAA’s traditional authority has been greatly diminished, as student-athletes can now earn compensation through NIL, and the organization has yet to establish clear, consistent standards regarding when, how often, and how much athletes may be paid. As today’s college football players mirror professional NFL players with salaries, and with so many playing football at college solely to move on to the NFL next, we must ask how long will the old model of going to college for an education actually hold up? Why make student athletes continue to go to class when many of them are not interested, and why ask colleges to require student athletes complete courses when the coursework is not what makes the university money — but does hold out players who don’t make the grade!
What are “amateur” sports today?
The NCAA original model of amateur sports no longer exists, as student athletes today can earn significant money by means of NIL, can transfer freely from school to school, and can even place legal gambling bets. The old model of playing sports solely for scholarship money is long gone, replaced by a modern system that awards high profile, talented athletes with revenues far greater than tuition scholarships. Things have never been as transparent as they are today — colleges use student athletes to make money, and increasingly more student athletes use the “college” experience to make money while playing, and then make even more money by playing professionally after college. This is a business, no different than any other business in your town, with really no need any longer to even try and pretend any of this is about helping student athletes acquire a meaningful education and degree.
So why do we still pay attention to the academic piece? Why still pretend, especially when neither party is taking it serious? Why have the potential consequence of a student athlete being ineligible due to grades hang over the player’s (and college’s) head? When literally everybody, from the student athlete to the college to every fan in stadium, wants student athletes to be eligible and play, why allow that threat to still loom? Who are they fooling?
As a fan of the old way of doing business, where student athletes were more serious about courses and universities were interested in student athletes wellness beyond a lucrative revenue stream, it is sad to see rampant greed ruin a good thing. Today, the gloves are off, and it is every person/school for themselves out to make as much money as they can. Rules and integrity are burdens, and “everybody knows why we are here so why not go for it” seems to be the prevailing sentiment. There used to be discussion years ago about the possibility of student athletes literally majoring in their sport (i.e. a BS degree in football), but these days there doesn’t seem to be any reason to attach a degree to the college athletic experience when student athletes get paid right away, and can continue to get paid beyond college sports if they are good enough.
Final thoughts
While controversial, today’s changes in college sports have effectively dismantled the traditional amateur model and replaced it with a highly commercialized, revenue-driven system. As a result, the next logical question becomes whether the academic component—and the emphasis on coursework and eligibility—will also be redefined or diminished within this new structure. Once the academic requirements are eventually removed entirely, colleges and student athletes can run the business without pretending to prioritize academics, thereby allowing them to focus on running a successful business — which is what seems to be going on anyway.
drstankovich.com
