Collegiate Sports and Education

On February 20th and 25th in class, we discussed sports and education, focusing on the area of intercollegiate sports. Collegiate sports  are divided into three divisions:  Division I, II, III. Division I sports are the most commercialized, publicized, and receive the most attention from the media. Division I collegiate sport programs have specific characteristics that make them different than Division II and III programs.

Characteristics of big-time Division I Programs

• Usually have a primary emphasis on football or men's basketball and their revenue generating potential
• Less than 1 in 5 programs make money (most lose millions of dollars, 23/228 in Division I FBS operate in the black)
• Full scholarships are available to some athletes in many of the 18-24 sports
• Teams often travel extensively
• Quality of skills and competition is high  

With the high commercialization of Division I collegiate sports came abuses and misuses of athletes, programs, and academics

Abuses in Intercollegiate Sports

• Illegal recruiting
• Easy majors, altering grades, and transcripts (academic corruption)
• Exploitation of athletes
• Pressure to win
• Pressure to make money

An article in volume 16, issue 43 of the Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, written by Arnie Fielkow and Otis Birdsong, talks about Division I Intercollegiate Basketball and the importance of schools making sure that they are getting the education that they deserve. The article talks a little bit about some of the issues facing intercollegiate sports. For example, according the article, a former UCLA basketball star, Ed O'Bannon is involved in a lawsuit dealing with player licensing. Another example found in the article deals with the Northwestern football players moving to form a labor union to become recognized as working employees. The article goes on to talk about the sacrifices and contributions that college athletes make to help their university gain millions of dollars through things like ticket and merchandise sales and sponsorship. With this being said, according to the article, universities have the responsibility to help their student athletes obtain their degree. Basically the thesis of the article is that attaining a college degree is the key to success in an athlete's life after sports.

Connecting to the text, Jay Coakley discusses in his book, Sports in Society:  Issues and Controversies, on page 94, the process for young people becoming elite athletes. Coakley describes this process in two steps. The first step is a process of introduction and involvement for the athlete. During this step, athletes received support from family, friends, etc. while testing out potential sports. The second step of the process is developing a commitment to participation in sport. This step deals with athletes making relationships, establishing a reputation, and creating an identity for themselves based on their sport participation. The process of becoming an elite athlete and making it to the Division I level of sport undoubtedly takes away from your academics and ability to receive a proper education. This process reiterates the need for athletes to get a good education for when an athlete's playing days end.