Let Athletes Major in Sports

[ATK]

Who says sports are "supposed" to be extracurricular?

Agreed. And I believe a true sports major in which you get class credit for being on the sports team (maybe 20% of your overall requirements) would be a step in just the right direction.

So how about the scenarios that would make it impossible to earn your degree...

If your so good that you go Pro early?
If going Pro makes you ineligible for the sports team, but you need to be on a sports team to meet the class requirements, the major would basically make it impossible to graduate since your technically in the major to prepare for a pro career....

If the AD cuts the team you are on?
Does the Major get dropped as well? What would juniors and seniors do since they are past the general curiculum and can't just finish their degree without a team...

If you are not good enough to make a team in the first place?
If your a walk on to the track team, but come October you find out you didn't make it, does that force you to change your major?

[polevaultpower]

Unless he's talking about offering dumbed down classes to athletes only, I don't really consider this all that newsworthy, but maybe some people don't realize that you can already major in things that prepare you for a career in sports?

It appears to me that they're talking about a program where you can major in a sport to the extent of having your participation on the college team count for so many credits that you need almost nothing else to graduate (apart from the usual general education requirements).

He lists a full load of courses for the junior and senior year.

[j-a-m]

If you are not good enough to make a team in the first place?
If your a walk on to the track team, but come October you find out you didn't make it, does that force you to change your major?

In situations like this you may have to transition to a related major where most of your credits count (like sports management) and may lose a semester; it wouldn't be that different from situations you already have (maybe can't do pre-med because you fail chemistry?)

[j-a-m]

If the AD cuts the team you are on?
Does the Major get dropped as well? What would juniors and seniors do since they are past the general curiculum and can't just finish their degree without a team...

Schools would have an incentive to find a solution for those affected, in order to save the school's reputation (bad enough already for the school's reputation to cut a team).

[j-a-m]

If your so good that you go Pro early?
If going Pro makes you ineligible for the sports team, but you need to be on a sports team to meet the class requirements, the major would basically make it impossible to graduate since your technically in the major to prepare for a pro career....

That's an important question; my suggestion would be: You need practical experience in your sports as a class requirement, and if you can get that as a pro instead of on a college team, that's fine.

Let's say it's 20% of your class credit each semester. Most students would get that as student-athlete on their college team; but if you wanna finish your degree after going pro, your practical experience as a pro athlete would count for the same 20% pro semester.

[ExCoastRanger]

Many of the issues the article's author puts forth as a premise for his argument have little to do with young men floundering academically because they can't identify a major or don't feel engaged in their studies.
The problem is coaches recruit good football players who are lousy students.
I don't see how giving the "student athletes" partial credit for on-field activities will change their behavior -- and the behavior of the schools and coaches -- when they have to apply themselves to the rest of their rigorous course load.

[ATK]

If you are not good enough to make a team in the first place?
If your a walk on to the track team, but come October you find out you didn't make it, does that force you to change your major?

In situations like this you may have to transition to a related major where most of your credits count (like sports management) and may lose a semester; it wouldn't be that different from situations you already have (maybe can't do pre-med because you fail chemistry?)

Bad analogy.
You can't fail Chemisrty if someone else in the class is smarter than you.
You can fail to make the track team if someone else is a better athlete than you.

[j-a-m]

The problem is coaches recruit good football players who are lousy students.

There's the underlying notion I disagree with, that somehow student athletes are not worthy of being on a college campus. If anything, I'd pick a well-rounded student athlete with a lower high school GPA and test scores over someone who's only doing well in the classroom.

[ExCoastRanger]

The problem is coaches recruit good football players who are lousy students.

There's the underlying notion I disagree with, that somehow student athletes are not worthy of being on a college campus....

That's not what I said, nor is it my underlying notion.

[j-a-m]

The problem is coaches recruit good football players who are lousy students.

There's the underlying notion I disagree with, that somehow student athletes are not worthy of being on a college campus....

That's not what I said, nor is it my underlying notion.

Good, I then correct myself: It's an underlying notion in the opinions of many people who criticize college sports, but it's not your underlying notion.