Jerry Rice Commercial Highlights NCAA Hypocrisy
Start writing a post
Sports

For College Athletes, A Degree Is Not As Valuable As A Paycheck

It's time for the NCAA to start owning up to its true nature.

450
For College Athletes, A Degree Is Not As Valuable As A Paycheck
flickr

I was watching TV the other day, being especially unproductive when an NCAA commercial came on that got under my skin. Jerry Rice, Hall of Fame NFL wide receiver is talking while a montage of historically great professional sports moments juxtaposed with scenes of aspiring college athletes plays in the background. Rice states that only two percent of the 480,000 American college athletes will go pro in their sport, meaning that over 470,000 will not get a shoe contract, sign autographs, fly in private jets, have fan clubs, or be inducted into any Halls of Fame.

Instead, he reassures us, they will receive something much more valuable. While not saying it explicitly, the NCAA is implying that a college degree is more valuable than anything a college athlete will experience professionally. Come on man.

You're telling me that graduating with a 2.5 GPA with a BA in sociology is just as valuable as a million dollar shoe deal or a rookie signing bonus? When you show me the degree that can get you $400,000 right out of college then I'll believe you. While in college, their sport is literally their job. Between morning workouts, afternoon workouts, eating enough food, and perfecting their on-the-field craft in order to bring in more money for the organization enslaving them, they have hardly the time to make anything other than barely passing grades in a major that will mean nothing after graduation compared to even the smallest rookie deal.

Obviously there are exceptions but on the whole, these kids don't care about a degree and neither should we. We're lying to ourselves if we think the NCAA is anything other than a money making organization, let alone one that cares the slightest about the education of its athletes. The sport is their education. I'm not saying these kids aren't smart. In fact, they're geniuses, just in no way that our society values which is odd considering the revenue that college and professional sports rake in. College football is making $7.3 billion over the next 12 years from ESPN alone and almost everyone at their mercy clearly sees the farce for what it is.

Mack Brown, former Texas football coach and current television analyst stated that "When you hear presidents and athletic directors talk about character and academics and integrity, none of that really matters. The truth is, nobody has ever been fired for those things. They get fired for losing."

It's not that the money or the organization itself is inherently bad, just that some honesty wouldn't hurt. Elite athletes don't care about school. Schools hardly even about school. They care about money and winning and that's okay if we own up to it.

These athletes' brains haven't developed to be inquisitive about science or technology or to compose a piece of music or a novel that can elicit the deepest of emotions. Instead they're geniuses at fooling a defender into thinking they're going one way, only to stop on a dime and cut back with lightning quickness, leaving the defender in the dust, or throwing a ball just over the outstretched reach of another elite athlete, and give it the perfect trajectory to land in a hoop 18 inches in diameter. Let a math major try to figure out the curve of that parabola.

Listen, I love sports with a burning passion which is why I am taking the time to write this article in the first place, but I hate blind hypocrisy even more. Just pay them like the professionals they are or let that "priceless" degree somehow reflect their life's work.

We have to start by acknowledging and compensating these kids in some way that is comparable to the popularity they've brought the organization because you're right Jerry Rice, only two percent will make it, meaning that 98 percent will have wasted the first quarter of their lives on something that gave them nothing in return but a pat on the back.

...

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

53069
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

34096
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

956732
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

181517
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments