NYT feature on St. John's forward Rob Thomas

The Times had a feature on St. John's forward Rob Thomas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/sports/ncaabasketball/25thomas.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=3aae5ab9bce7b140&ex=1199422800

I am very happy that Thomas seems to be getting his life in order, but there is only one reason that he is a student at the small Catholic college on the corner of Union Turnpike and Utopia Parkway: He's a pretty good basketball player.

It is an indictment of the New York City Public School system that Thomas was allowed to graduate without being able to read or write. It's an even bigger indictment of the university that they gave him a scholarship.

I know that St. John's isn't alone in this and they aren't the only program to have kids like Thomas. But have wins and losses overshadowed the importance of a college education?

 

This is an exceptionally rare version of one of these stories, which freely acknowledges the athlete in question a) still has plenty of work to do, b) may not ultimately succeed, and c) has not always been totally diligent in pursuing his goal.

Usually, it's happy-happy-joy-joy, everything-is-beautiful, don't-worry-be-happy, look at this Fine Young Man who has Turned His Life Around, Thanks To Sports. After these stories blow up on you for about the 19,000th time, you just get sick of them.

"Education" has little or nothing to do with "athletics" at the huge majority of Division I schools. We have more than enough unproductive drags on our society; let's hope Thomas is able to avoid becoming one of them. The fact that he himself was the one who first asked for help is a sign in his favor.