Should colleges offer an athletics major?

Baron Scicluna · Jul 24, 2010

Twoback said:

Baron Scicluna said:

kickoff-time said:

Sic semper tyrannis said:

kickoff-time said:

I have been saying this for decades. The big-time athletes or those who would not get into school other than through their athletic ability or have no desire to do much beyond athletics should absolutely just major in football, basketball or if that's too direct for the university call it a "sports business degree."

Several athletes, and most freshmen, have no idea what they want to major in and could care less. They want to play football - that's their major. Why even pretend like they are there for something else.

You can easily have them take courses in how to deal with the media, the public, (fans), how to read a sports contract, how to invest their money and not waste it on their hangers-on, maybe understand a bit more about how a salary cap works, general course in how to get along with an owner and the basics of social media and how not to get in trouble using it; how to hire an agent, etc.
Maybe, just maybe, some will actually take enough business courses where they don't need an agent or at least not get taken to the cleaners by them.

Of course the other "reality" courses they should take or at least be tutored in are how to hide steroid use, how to avoid getting in trouble at a frat or other campus party, how to delete naked pictures of yourself from an ex-girlfriend's cellphone, how to talk your way out of a speeding ticket, how to get your degree in eight months and prepare for the NBA or NFL draft and more along those lines.

Probably is asking too much, but maybe a few would actually take an interest in college courses and not just waste a professor's time in a philosophy or social science class they could give two shits about.
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why should colleges train people to train in the pros -- and yeah, I know the reason is revenue for the school -- which just gets rolled over into more athletics etc.
But really, the NFL and NBA should help fund better minor leagues if they want to recruit, as do baseball and hockey
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Colleges are the minor leagues for the NFL and NBA, especially the NFL.
NBA and NFL have no incentive at all to to fund "minor" leagues to recruit, the NCAA does this for them.

What I'm saying is since that is not going to change any time soon, why not have those athletes getting scholarships simply because they play football, major in something that will interest them at least slightly and quit bullshitting the system by trying to get a degree in something that wastes everyone's time.

At least if they major in their future chosen sport they may know how to read their contract or not get totally screwed by agent speak.

Those athletes who actually want a degree in economics, science, etc. can still get one, but those who only care about playing time, their image and how much their contract will be, would also have a reason to go to class.
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Because colleges are supposed to exist to educate their students and sports are supposed to be extracurricular activities for the students to have fun with when they are not doing their primary job, which is supposed to be studying.

That is how the NCAA keeps clinging to their amateurism claim, even though everyone knows it's BS.

Not only that, but what happens if either an athlete gets hurt, or, while they're majoring in football, they end up not as good as they thought they were going to be, and instead of playing in the NFL, all they'll have for their four years is a battered body?
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Could say the same about a dancer.
We're not shutting them down. We're building more dance studios.
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But dancers are not restricted in how much money they can earn. Football and basketball players are, while everyone else is making money off of them.

Twoback · Jul 24, 2010

dooley_womack1 said:

Other nations are turning out engineers and doctors. We want to turn out football players. Wonderful. And I wasnt aware that the Refrigerator was an artist. The belittling of true art and true academics is sickening. And it's the jock's fault if he doesnt give two about his philosophy class
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So some guy that splatters paint on a canvas is an "artist" who can get a college degree in his specialty, but Michael Jordan is not?
Please.
Your declaration is so intellectually dishonest it makes me puke.
A football or basketball player is exercising his mind every bit as much as a dancer, probably more so. Exercise yours a bit and maybe you'll realize that.

RickStain · Jul 24, 2010

dooley_womack1 said:

Other nations are turning out engineers and doctors. We want to turn out football players.
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I'll take "Logical fallacy of the false choice" for $200, Alex.

Twoback · Jul 24, 2010

Bingo, Rick.

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Should colleges offer an athletics major?

Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

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Should colleges offer an athletics major?

Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

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