College athletics are the backbones of most colleges in the United States. Sports on the college level hold the biggest influence over potential students and the campus’ overall performance. The purpose of this argument is to explain how influential college sports are to the actual college. This particular topic should be discussed and brought to light because not only does it provide a better understanding of college sports, but it also enlightens readers that programs in college are not all about academics. College athletics serve as a major attraction for potential students in respect to enrollment issues, students’ major choices and ultimately their careers, an opener for commercial use and the receiving of charity donations, scholarship opportunities for students, social enjoyment for students, as well as economic growth for the local economy surrounding the college. Adrian College is a prime example of the powerful effect that athletics can have dealing with retention rates. In the earlier years of the college, one may say that the campus was not really noticeable because of its small campus size, bear land, and a low student population of 935 (Sander 3). “For decades, the 40-acre meadow separating Adrian College from a state highway was an afterthought on the modest campus of the low-slung limestone buildings” (Sander 2). The college was in desperate need for physical change for the campus, as well as enrollment rates. Soon enough, the college moved forward on this vision by making the school more athletic friendly. “ The newly developed acreages – boasting an ice arena, football and baseball stadiums, a track, and a dozen tennis courts – is the cornerstone of a plan to raise enrollment through intense athletics rec...
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When I was accepted into the University of Oklahoma, I was not aware of the tradition or prestige that the football team carried. Moreover, I had no idea about the honor it was to don the crimson and cream in the arena of athletics. And, I never envisioned rooming with them. I enjoyed sports, but I loved reading and writing more. Initially, I was focused on building a collegiate career that one day would propel me to my goal of studying law. Yet, the more time I spent interacting with the athletes, the more parallels I noticed between their personalities and mine. Their diligence, perseverance and compassion were all traits that I could identify with since they were reflective of me. For the most part, the majority of the athletes were hungry to achieve and they desired knowledge at all costs; a combination that still resonates with me today.
While college sports play a valuable role on university campuses, it is important for administrators to not lose perspective. That some football coaches earn more than university presidents, for example, is clearly wrong. Essay Task Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on college support for sports teams. In your essay, be sure to: • analyze and evaluate the perspectives given • state and develop your own perspective on the issue • explain the relationship between your perspective and those given
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Throughout the country young men and women are losing their priority for an education. To attend a university should be a highly cherished privilege, and it should be an even greater honor to play athletics for the university. Therefore, the writer supports the decision that the “student” comes before “athlete” in student-athlete. Playing for pay should be considered a job for “professionals”. In the rulebook, the NCAA views college athletes as armatures. This statement sums it up best. When athletes go to college, not all of them go in with the mindset that athletics is going to be their future job....
The role of college athletics in the American home is known to all. The traditional football games on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. March Madness for NCAA men's basketball as well as the year's end Rose bowl for college football leaves fans glued to their televisions for hours. Millions of Americans stare at ESPN or absorb themselves in the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated just to catch the latest news on their favorite teams' recruits, recent games, and statistics. Often just viewed as a past time to most it is easy to lose sight of why these athletes are on the field , court, etc. to begin with. Believe it or not, it's for their education. These young adults ranging anywhere from seventeen to twenty-three years of age are all members of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). As such these students must initially meet the requirements to get accepted into their chosen university, participate in their sport, and ultimately graduate from their selected institution. It is often forgotten that these members are students first and athletes second. Delving deeper into this very controversial matter are the race and gender issues that come into play. The most affected minority group affected by these stipulations and is the African American. While struggling through the ongoing prejudice and discrimination that still exists today, African American athletes are still expected to follow the same guidelines as every other student that participates in college athletics. By investigating the trends from the past years of African American athletes beginning with their entrance into college throughout their athletic and academic careers and then a...
College sports are a major revenue producing industry. Athletic programs and their student-athletes can achieve national recognition and generate millions of dollars in revenue for their university. Colleges use this revenue to invest in players, pay for their education, and provide state of the art training facilities, which are used to improve their athletic performance. As revenue driven colleges begin to prioritize athletics, the emphasis on the quality and standards of an undergraduate education are diminishing. Compromising their academic acceptance requirements, universities have now found that the educational ability of their newly accepted student athletes are inadequate, to say the least (Gurney). The same universities must then spend millions of dollars to provide these athletes with “learning specialists”, who in turn helps them to meet academic requirements and maintain their eligibility (...
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It is no secret that college has absurd tuition prices. If colleges were to lower the prices of tuition, everyone would be universally happier. Brooks uses the following quote to address the obvious “it is the outrageous sticker price of a college education, and its steep upward climb in seeming defiance of the rest of the economy, that has fueled a demand to know why American families should sacrifice so much to a possibly dubious product.” (Brooks 59). Although I agree that college may be too inflated compared to off campus, I came to the realization that the price of college is mostly worth it. Umass Amherst has the best Sports Management program and is worth the money because they have the largest alumni in this field. They have alumni in all the major sports leagues in America and even in the other continents. They have a strong connection to Umass and tend to hire other Umass Amherst graduates from the McCormack Department of Sport Management. Brooks believes that instrumental learning, teaching students to pass the course, rather to understand the central questions of humanity hinders the value of college (Brooks 65). Yet this could not be further from the truth. The first time reading the essay I supported his arguments, but the more times I read the essay the more I began to disagree. At first, I questioned if a year’s tuition for
Friday, William C. "Athletics vs. academics. (both sides)." Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Higher Education 2.6 (2001): 30+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 27 July 2011.
Sports are an easy activity to participate in, which every passionate high school student hopes to get a college scholarship for. The University of Michigan scouts for well-rounded students to enroll within their school who participate in activities in and out of school. It would not matter if a high school student was on a travel soccer team, but was not on the varsity team at their high school. This is because colleges look for those who participate in sports within school and have excelling grades. Although, the University of Kansas looks for high school “graduates that participated in many activities both in and out of school” (Berkowitz). It is not whether students decide which college to attend solely by their own decision, but it is the college’s preference in whic...
Power, Clark. "Athletics vs. Academics." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.