Due to stating my unpopular opinion, I am going to state upfront that I do both enjoy watching college sports and am friends with many athletes. That being said, I still think what is called the “athletes’ advantage” is total bogus. Sports and athletics is a huge craze in American society as well as cultures found all over the world, and it has been this way for years on end. Sports provides hours of entertainment, team building, and is a huge money making industry. However, I think that athletes receive way too much slack in all kinds of departments. Starting with college sports, I’ve always had a problem with allowing young men and women acceptance spots into college solely because of their athletic ability. I’ve seen so many high school jocks come close to failing their classes in high school, skipping class, and cheating their way through their entire high school career. Some of those same individuals have gone off and have been accepted into some of the most prestigious schools in the country. Why? Because of the last name and number on the back of their jersey. Colleges are denying well-deserving people spots on campus who have worked their butts off for years and giving their places to athletes who they think will bring the school a good reputation and a winning scoreboard.
Not only do colleges hand out spots to athletes just for their abilities, but they also give them substantial scholarships and financial aid packages either fully covering or covering the majority of their college tuition. It breaks my heart to watch athletes get full rides to D1 schools for their athleticism while the smartest person in college gets little to no financial aid or scholarship money from the school. A lot of colleges have made their reputation based off of their athletics and less on their academics, but last time I checked, college was about getting an education. I find it extremely unfair to deprive students of an education who genuinely want and deserve one because their families can’t afford to pay $40,000 a year to send them to the school that will allow them to accomplish their dreams while a football player who can barely pass their class gets a full ride for passing a football.
If all of that doesn’t irk me enough, then there’s the sports members who are on teams that have to travel twice a week so they’re allowed to skip classes and tests with no consequence. I’m not an ignorant person; I understand that in order to play college sports, you have to travel. And I also know that it’s bound to interfere with some of your classes and tests. What I don’t understand is how athletes are allowed to miss 15 class days and huge tests to throw a ball around while ordinary students get penalized for being sick, having appointments they must go to, or missing class for family emergencies. I’ve literally watched professors hand out assignments to athletes that had due dates weeks prior but deprive a student who had to go home for a death in the family or a personal illness any sort of make up work at all.
