Walking around campus, you can spot a student athlete from a mile away: track pants, sweatshirt, backpack, all emblazoned with the Maryland Terrapins logo and their sport printed underneath it. It’s pretty much the college equivalent of a badge of honor that everyone should aspire to mimic.
But is it really all it’s cracked up to be on either side of the coin?
In theory, schools need student athletes and their respective teams. Games foster a community feel on campus; regardless of their backgrounds or futures, students can always rely on the small fact that the basketball team, football team, soccer team, etc. play to win for them and their school.
Athletic events not only bring alumna home, but also their donations and purchases made on game day. According to Fox News, college sports made a profit of $12.6 billion in 2011, most of which goes back into the campus as scholarships and student organizations funding.
So, when major players are threatened to factor out of the equation, universities are going to do all they can to keep them on the roster. Athletes who have to travel are often given work to make up or turn in early, which isn’t to say that they shouldn’t. The same procedure is used if a regular student has to miss a class due to illness or an emergency. But when “colleges strive to provide scholarships to athletes [that] they think will improve their school’s admissions rates and rank,” we should begin to worry. Current students don’t necessarily want people applying to schools like Maryland because they were the highest bidder. Everyone came here for different reasons, but all with the underlying desire to better the Terrapin name.
Last year, in a move that most students on campus didn’t understand, Maryland Athletics spent close to $300,000 from the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund to pay for an iPad for each team member of each Maryland sports team. The department says the money could not have been spent for other purposes and the technology would “help students-athletes in the classroom.” In the past, that same funding had been used for things such as medical expense and flights.
But in all fairness, student athletes give up a lot as well. Few graduate in four years, despite taking classes during the winter and summer sessions. They have to adhere to strict rules, schedules, and diets, even in the off-season. Coaches expect them to attend every practice and game, whether it be home or away. And while they did receive the iPads for free, they are liable for it on their own. A broken tablet could be replaced for $600, and they can’t be sold because they are technically university property. In November, 25 current and former student athletes challenged the NCAA’s policy that prohibits players from earning profits from licensing agreements. In simpler terms, the argument is over the athletes doing the work and the NCAA selling products with their images and not sharing the revenue.
Being a collegiate athlete can be seen as a blessing or a curse, depending on your point of view. What’s your take on the situation?