There has been a discussion on college campuses on what is considered a viable major for students and student-athletes. It is basically a smokescreen for falling standards overall.
There have been majors that many athletes gravitate to…. it may be because the subject is interesting… such as Psychology or Business…. or maybe…. gasp!… because it is easy.
USA Today reported that athletes do tend to congregate in certain subjects:
“When the Auburn football team’s defense heads into the huddle, the players probably don’t talk sociology. But seven defensive players on Auburn’s 2003 football roster are majoring in that field. Overall, 10 of the 38 Tigers football players whose majors appear in the team’s media guide are in sociology.”
Another article describes a similar tale:
“A review of ASU’s 2003 football team revealed that the most popular major is interdisciplinary studies, a degree program widely considered by students and faculty to be among the university’s easiest. A full 18 percent, or 17 of 94, team members were in the program this past fall.”
Some folks on and off campus grumble about any efforts to give athletes what they consider ‘preferential treatment.’ You know these guys, they were picked last in grade school:
“NCAA Commissioner Myles Brand announced sweeping academic reforms, aimed at increasing dishonesty, cheating, and preferential treatment for student athletes.”
Well, bad stuff happens….. but for most student-athletes this is a rare experience. With the changes in NCAA rules, athletes can continue their athletic performance in graduate school…. for those academically gifted to continue.
It should not escape anyone’s notice that many of the top academic schools in the country are also the top athletic powers as well. The reason for this is obvious, a rich alum makes a donation to their athletic program and then turns to donate funds for a new Physics building. it happens all the time. Some of the best college presidents have recognized this from the beginning… athletics brings in the supporters that can be massaged into donating something more.
Take a trip on U.S. News and World Report and check out the top colleges… you may be surprised to see how many big bowl colleges are top ranked academically!
Research Medical Schools:
# 3 — University of pennsylvania
# 6 — Duke university
# 7 — Stanford
also #7 — University of Washington
# 10 — Baylor Continue reading “Athletes do better before, during and after college”
Without becoming metaphysical or overly philosophical, it seems reasonable that our being was designed to perform certain basic functions and the more successful we become in meeting these inborn and environmental expectations… the better off and happier we will be.
Most Westerners have heard very little about the ancient people referred to as the Kurds. Probably , if you watched an old ‘Sinbad the Sailor” movie with Douglas Fairbanks you might remember the heroine referring to her homeland in the Kurdish Hills… but that — if anything — is all most people know.
The Kurds in iraq have been an autonomus democracy for 10 years. Christianity has been around since the Byzantine era:
There really are two kinds of people in this world: those who enjoy the night and folks who love the mornings…. I am one of those who love to wake up to the smell of early morning coffee and watch the sunrise bring new hope to the day.