Raising the Bar with Academics in Athletics

Raising the Bar with Academics in Athletics

In today’s society, many high school students have the perception that they are student-athletes, just as their college counterparts. This means academics come before sports. The “no pass, no play” rule helps reinforce that idea.  How much does the “no pass, no play” rule truly help when it comes to being successful in the collegiate academic world? 

During student-athletes’ high school careers, some have been passing at the bare minimum just to continue to play their chosen sport. Brad Wolverton in the Faculty Reps Botch Sports-Oversight Role discussed what happened at Binghamton University. Sandra D. Michael, a professor of biological sciences and the university's faculty athletics representative, lobbied admissions officials to reverse their decision to reject one prospective student who had a grade-point average below 2.0. You hear about who we call “academic leaders” breaking rules like this all the time. We are adding to the system of hand-outs. Collegiate level academics require more than minimal effort. This raises the question, should the bar for passing academically be raised in high school athletics? If student-athletes don’t make a 75 average or higher, should they be allowed to participate in the sport? It is 2014, and student-athletes should be held to a higher academic standard. Raising the bar will reduce the number of student-athletes looking for an academic handout. Everyone involved needs to stop giving in when athletes beg for a “C” just to play in the game, or ask to bend rules when it’s time to meet college admission standards.

 

WOLVERTON, B. (2010). Faculty Reps Botch Sports-Oversight Role. (cover story). Chronicle Of Higher Education, 57(11), A1

Snyder, E. E. (1985). A Theoretical Analysis of Academic and Athletic Roles. Sociology Of Sport Journal, 2(3), 210-217