Athlete First...Student Second

When the athletes come in, all heads turn. I wish I had enough athletic talent to get a scholarship for any school. I wouldn’t have to pay for a thing, but that is a distant dream. I’m just a student who only has their grades to get them anywhere and nothing else…but I still have a good chance of getting a full ride right? Maybe not because more money continues to go into athletic scholarship funding instead of towards academic scholarships.

“The National College Players Association found that Division I athletes on a full scholarship in 2009 were left with an average shortfall of $2,951/year from their scholarship. Scholarships cover tuition, room and board, and books and supplies, but athletes are left to cover expenses such as food, clothing, and transportation.”

Forget the students who don’t play sports. Some students pay half of their tuition plus room and board, books, supplies, food, transportation, and clothing. The Division I board of directors are allowing schools to disperse an additional $2,000 in athletic scholarships to make up for this “shortfall.”  

Athletes who graduate in the year 2015 are now required to have a GPA of 2.3, instead of a 2.0 GPA. The students, who actually have applied themselves throughout high school and have grades to prove it, are put on the back burner for scholarships. Of the 2009-2010 rising freshmen athletes, 43.1 percent of men basketball players, 35.2 percent of football players, and 15.3 percent of all student athletes, would not have met this requirement.

It is a sad thing when a student with a 2.4 GPA is awarded more scholarship funds than a student with a 3.0 GPA. The purpose of college is to continue your education. Colleges have lost their focus offering full rides for athletes, especially for those who do not have an academic drive for success.


Sources:

North Carolina A&T. Digital image. Ncataggies.com. North Caorlina A & T, 04 Apr. 2010. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.ncataggies.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=24500>.

O'Neil, Dana. "NCAA increases minimum eligibility standards for Division I student-athletes - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8236949/ncaa-increases-minimum-eligibility-standards-division-student-athletes>.

Toporek, Bryan. "NCAA Raises Minimum GPA for Incoming Student-Athletes - Schooled in Sports - Education Week." Education Week: Blogs. N.p., 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2011/10/ncaa_raises_minimum_gpa_for_incoming_student-athletes.html>.

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