The point is not that some student-athletes might earn an additional degree or qualification through an extra year of playing; that would serve a purpose, especially in an economy in which there may be no jobs for a while anyway. The question was about parents who might pay for a student to take candy classes (which seem to be defined as "having no educational value" - although I'm not sure about that) just so he could play baseball. But again, I guess if there are no jobs, doing that might be better than having the guy sitting in the basement playing video games.