Elimate Athletic Scholarships

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“It's time for our college athletes to be true students on campus, not athletes on athletic stipends with sports – not education – as their top priority and obligation… By eliminating the athletic scholarship, … we could de-professionalize college athletes, reestablish athletic departments as part of the educational institution, and be able to use the term student-athlete without snickering.” (Ralph Nader in League of Fans Proposes Eliminating Athletic Scholarships to Help Restore Integrity on College Campuses, 2011) The usefulness of athletic scholarships and their outcomes for both schools and athletes have been contested in recent years. Opposing parties have debated whether banning them will solve the problems that lie within. I believe that athletic scholarships should be interdicted because they do not guarantee education, good academic performance, or a proper lifestyle for the athletes. Thoughts of athletic scholarships started over 20 years ago while colleges were attempting to maintain their athletes' amateur status (Johnson & Acquaviva, n.d.). Ralph Nader, politician, author, lawyer, and consumer advocate, recently drew attention to and ignited skepticism about their effectiveness, proposing the elimination of athletic scholarships in 2011 (League of Fans Proposes Eliminating Athletic Scholarships to Help Restore Integrity on College Campuses, 2011). After the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Professional Basketball Championship, Nader summoned higher education schools to, as he said, “…take a bold step toward restoring academic integrity in intercollegiate sports…” (League of Fans Proposes Eliminating Athletic Scholarships to Help Restore Integrity on College Campuses, 2011). Eliminating athletic scholarships, in my opinion, will put more pressure on athletes to worry equally, if not more, about the intellectual aspects of their student life as they do with athletics. The possibility of students losing their scholarship for any reason at any point during their four-year education does not give them any sense of security. Additionally, the athletes' spotlight during their entire college career is to maintain good performance in their sport, leaving little to no space for them to consider a solid academic foundation. Moreover, with the little money they receive, it is hard to live according to minimal standards.

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