This is not a problem with all student athletes however. The biggest problem arises in the large revenue generating sports such as men’s football and basketball. These programs at many large universities have become their own monsters, controlling huge aspects of university politics. These sports make a lot of money for the universities, and the more they win, the more money they earn. In order to win, colleges have to recruit the best athletes. Many of these athletes do not have sufficient grades or test scores, and are not prepared for a college curriculum. These athletes are admitted into colleges they would never get into normally from special admissions.

Athletes are admitted into colleges they would never normally get into from special admissions.

Special admissions are as much of a curse as they are a blessing. Some students deserve an opportunity to work hard and prove themselves, but in many cases, these specially admitted athletes are functionally illiterate, and unable to pass college courses. Where this does not only apply to athletes, the problems with specially admitted students are almost exclusively from athletes.

The Role of the NCAA

Recently the NCAA has implemented new rules and regulations in order to make sure students are passing their classes and are progressing toward a degree. Unfortunately, this creates even more pressure on the universities and students to remain eligible to compete. In addition to the recent scandals, the NCAA has claimed that they are not responsible to make sure education is actually delivered. They claim it is “our commitment — our responsibility — to give young people the opportunities to learn, play, and succeed.” But argue the opposite about the case at UNC. The NCAA is supposed to play a larger role in these students success, but as soon as a problem arises, they back away. When the NCAA does not enforce its rules to ensure fair play within the universities under its influence, it only builds on the already confusing and ever growing issue.

“our commitment — our responsibility — to give young people the opportunities to learn, play, and succeed”

College Sports are BIG Business

Where sports and school meet will always be shrouded in controversy. Almost everyone can agree that it is wrong to cheat these students-athletes out of an education. However, college athletics is such a large business that any drastic change is almost impossible without huge sacrifice. Colleges have dug a hole so deep that, if they were to do the right thing, they would fall way behind athletically. Most universities heavily rely on the money generated from these sports and the donors who care about these programs. If these programs start losing, the money will stop.

In the end, many of these student-athletes will graduate with an undeserving degree, and left completely unprepared for the real world. Almost 98% of student-athletes will have to face reality and adapt to a world without their sport. Usually this means getting a job, but in some cases that is easier said than done. When certain athletes spend so much time on athletics in college, they take easy or general majors, and don’t have “a degree to fall back on” when athletics does not work out. When it comes to keeping student-athletes eligible, academic fraud is not always the issue. Instead, these students take easy majors, with little chance to find a good job after graduation compared to their peers.

So what is being done to help these student athletes?

The athletes are never to blame when they are either heavily persuaded or forced to take certain classes and sacrifice hours of their time a week for athletics. These universities invest a lot of money and resources for these athletes, so they should be responsible for making sure they receive a deserving degree and are prepared for life after athletics. If this problem is going to be solved it will take a lot of collaboration and restructuring from the NCAA and universities.

From the March Madness to college football bowl season, almost the entire nation is enthralled in these college athletics. Everyone around the country has their favorite teams; some invest a lot of time and money into these events, and all fans feel overjoyed for big wins and heartbreak for devastating losses. The culture of college athletics is deep seeded in the hearts of most Americans, and any radical changes will cause almost nationwide outrage. So the question becomes, how can you fix this problem without changing the inner lying culture of college sports.

A Solution through Team Effort

This problem will not be easily answered with one simple solution. It will most likely take years, and a lot of effort from the NCAA, universities, faculty, coaches, and athletes alike. To start, these athletes’ curriculum's need to be re-engineered entirely. An athlete will spend their whole childhood honing their skills and mastering their sports. For many, when they go to college, this will be the peak of their careers. For athletes who think it will be necessary, they should be able to extend their schooling over a period of up to three years after their eligibility expires. This way, they can focus on their sports while taking only a small amount of classes. They can afford the time to learn and pass these classes honestly, and after their eligibility is up, they can finish a degree that will provide them with a good opportunity to get a good job.

Curriculum’s need to be re-engineered entirely

Most academic issues arise from programs such as men’s basketball and football. So, this only should be used by student-athletes who really need it, and by colleges who can afford it. For athletes in little to nonexistent revenue-generating sports at smaller colleges, this will obviously be difficult or impossible to accomplish. In order for this to work, the NCAA will have to closely monitor these schools to ensure that these students are really progressing toward a reasonable degree, and remain responsible for these students’ well beings after they are finished with their athletic careers. Colleges could also be given the freedom to use this time how they please, giving the student a year to focus on their major and return the next year, allowing the athlete to play for their college over an extended period of time. However during these “off” years, training would be limited to 10 hours a week so athletes and prioritize being students.

Many of the rules already implemented by the NCAA are effective and should continue to be employed. However, these rules need to be watched closer. Student athletes should be frequently and randomly examined to make sure the classes they are in are viable, in addition to proof of progress toward a degree. It’s the NCAA’s job to give these students the best opportunity to succeed, both as athletes and students, so it should be their responsibility to make sure universities are playing by the rules. In order for this to happen, the NCAA has to change it stance on the statement they issued regarding the academic scandal at UNC.

Along with an increased presence of the NCAA, individuals will need to play a larger part. More people like Mary Willingham need to be brave enough to expose problems within their own establishments. In order for this to happen, individuals need to feel safe enough to expose any indecency. Allen L. Sack states in his essay on how to prevent academic fraud, that institutions should provide “whistle-blower” protection. This will allow more people like Mary Willingham to step forward. If an individual works for a certain institution, they should be able to provide information to an authoritarian power without having to risk losing their job. This does not only apply to faculty. Athletes should feel protected enough to report on any wrongdoing by the coaching staff or others. Athletes need to be able to feel safe enough to report excessive training or other illegal activity, without being punished or outcast from their team. Along with being able to report teachers or others who are academically cheating their way through. Most will likely still avoid telling on a teammate, coach, or teacher, but as long as more people feel they have the power to make a change, it is a step in the right direction.

Just making sure that these students receive a degree may not be enough for all. Everyone has a talent, and all of these athletes are obviously talented at their sport, or they would not be playing for a division one program. For most of their life, their sport dominated almost all aspects of their lives. It would only be fitting if they could make a career out of the sport they have bleed, sweated, and sacrificed so much time for, and ultimately fell in love with. If being able to play that sport professionally is not an option, there are hundreds of other jobs and positions affiliated with these large sporting programs. An effective tool to get these students jobs may internships provided by university athletic departments and the NCAA. These large programs have so many positions to fill, and the power to create opportunities for these students. Giving these students internships will allow them to explore other fields involved in the huge production that is college and professional athletics. Student-athletes will be able to discover something else they can succeed at, and still be involved in the sport they grew have come to love.

Overall, drastic changes will need to be made, and in order for this to work, it will take an effort from all participants. No one will ask these universities to change the nature of these sporting events, but it is possible to still provide all of these student athletes with the opportunities to succeed outside of the court or field.