Article 3: Sport and Education

On February 20^th and February 25^th, we discussed the spending on sport and education in in the 21^st Century.  In our notes we have how major college athletic programs are characterized. They are the following:

·         Usually have primary emphasis on football or men’s basketball and their revenue generating potential

·         Less than 1 in 5 programs make money

·         Full Scholarships are available to some athletes in many of 18-24 sports

·         Teams often travel extensively

·         Quality of Skills & Competition is high

 

In the article I read from the SportsBusiness Journal, it discusses the possibility of using some of the funding that is used for athletics to be put towards the education of student athletes that return to school to complete there degree after there playing days are over.  It states that only 4.3% of all major league baseball players graduated from with a four year degree. It states that college athletics has always been about balance between the work done on the field and the work done in the classroom. As the college game involves and more money is put towards college athletics, it is imperative to remind ourselves that education is important. As stated in Coakley (2009, pg. 280) that the amount spent on athletic programs varies from less than $250,000 at smaller schools to more than $100 million at larger schools.  The life of a professional athlete is short and usually retire before the age of 40 when most people are just in the prime of there careers.  It’s about the life after the athletes playing days are over that important in this subject matter. It would also show a sense of equality between athletics and education at the university.