Student Athlete Argument Essay

A unique facet to the nationwide college athlete discourse surrounds the rigorousness of their academic standards. Supporters of the current standards cite that student-athletes must meet the same minimum GPA as traditional students. Although the GPA requirements differ depending on the institution, the students must make progress toward graduating based on a schedule established by the NCAA. Violating the rules can result in ineligibility. Bill Hawkins, a professor at University of Georgia, points out that student-athletes must also adhere to the same admission standards as other students, despite many athletes coming from poorly funded public schools. Hawkins also argues that student-athletes are devoting 50 to 70 hours a week to sports and cannot handle a full-time academic course load during the sports season. The NCAA points out that graduation rates for all student-athletes are rising. Graduation rates among women student-athletes are around 80 percent for many sports and exceeds the rate for women students overall. The opposition counters the NCAA graduation rate claims by asserting that NCAA graduation rate numbers are derived in a different manner than the federal standard, creating a false sense of student-athlete success. In fact, graduation rates for

This is the most persuasive argument in the chapter because it is the only first-hand piece of evidence from a student-athlete. The other arguments are from professors, school administrators, or the NCAA. The latter arguments may be meaningful, but they all rely on secondary or tertiary sources for their evidence. McCant’s claims are unfiltered, and direct from the unit of analysis, the