Article About College Athletes (Some) Reading at 5th Grade Level

So how do these athletes that read at a 5th grade level able to score high enough on SAT or ACT tests to enter college? How many athletes that can barely read able to receive a diploma? 

 

How many D1 universities would be on probation right now if this were investigated?  

 

Is it any wonder that colleges like Northwestern and Notre Dame, who have the highest graduation rates among football players, have a hard time competing against schools like Florida State and Auburn? 

Very interesting article.   At schools where these type of athletes are admitted, which is strictly for monetary gain, the person involved in the admittance process should be charged with exploitation of a minor, in the cases where the kids are coming from HS.   Simply disgusting!

Face it. Big time college football and basketball is a money making machine. The have a pool of "free" labor to exploit.  The NFL and NBA love it because unlike baseball they don't have to support a minor league.  What's not to like. Who cares if a few kids can't read?  

Let's just say that "these schools" had to have true academically qualified students; what would the racial mix look like and what would the media and those that have an interest in promoting the status quo be saying in the press?

Just don't blame the parents.

Very interesting article.

 

Before I found this site, I oooh'ed and aaah'ed over all the smart athletes at Duke, Stanford, UNC-CH, Virginia, etc....

 

Many  players use their chosen sport to get into a college they may otherwise not be able to gain admittance (mine included?).  The article above relates a story of an athlete who struggled academically and left school after an injury.  He was of no use to the team at that point, but did not stay on to complete his degree. Personally, I am glad basketball at least gave him a chance for a college education that may not have been offered to him otherwise.

 

I dug around and found a post that gives some stats on the score difference (266) between athletes and the general college population at Duke.  It was this post by showme that widened my eyes a bit:

 

First, let's start with the facts: For the Class of 2007, 768 male non-athletes were admitted to Duke with an average SAT score of 1,438, while 42 recruited athletes averaged 1,172. For females, 786 non-athletes averaged 1,403, versus 37 athletes' 1,258.

That's a 266-point gap for males and a 145-point gap for females.

http://www.dukechronicle.com/a...ht-blue-devils-fight
And in case you're interested in a team-by-team breakdown, the eight men's baseball team recruits averaged 1,206 that year, while 22 football players averaged 1,063 and the five men's basketball players came in last at 997. All 14 other recruited male athletes averaged 1,258.

Considering the national average for the 2002 SAT was 1,026, it's a safe bet that few (if any) non-athletes could even get their foot in the door with stats like the ones above.

Yet the most elite recruits (read: prospective basketball players) can be tentatively admitted before they've finished their junior year of high school; all that's needed is a PSAT score and freshman and sophomore grades.

This must have been how our beloved Sean Dockery got admitted with a 2.3 GPA and an ACT score of 15; at the time, his credentials didn't even meet NCAA minimums of a 2.5 GPA and 17 on the ACT.

 

What struck me was the AVERAGE  basketball player's SAT score (for the 5 member class of 2007) was 997 and the baseball players excelled at 1206. 

Seems to only be football and basketball. Money making sports.
Know college kids who r in classes w "big stars" and they  rarely come to class-due to sports schedule. They get tutoring. Few exceptions, good athletes get degrees-some in 3 yrs, but its really a joke. Just listen to some speak on tv.

I've come to the conclusion that college athletics are corrupt in many ways.  Reading levels and GPA's mean nothing to many who run the sport(s).

 

This article will have you spinning your head:

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/c...e-bcs-175022477.html

Many if not most of these young men come from decrepit socioeconomic situations. Playing ball in college could very well be their only chance to escape from a lifetime of poverty and dependence on social programs. If not for college sports a large percentage would be involved at some time or other in our penal system. Some still are. Just chasing the dream for many years gives them an edge on most of their community. Most won't go further in their sport but they have a chance to escape. Colleges make a pile of revenue off the backs of these young men which supports many other sports teams, some of which wouldn't exist without the added revenue. I won't argue the fairness of the lower standards but I believe the overall benefits to both the players and the university is positive.

Given the odds of playing a college sport, sports is not the answer. The way out of poverty is education, a real education whether it be a four year college, JuCo, trade school, military or an apprenticeship. The only legitimate reason for not getting an education is laziness and lack of motivation.

 

For anyone who is good enough to receive a full ride to college and not get a degree is a moral crime. But many of these guys think education is a joke. They think they are going to make millions in the pros. Most don't make it. Most who do last only three years. The amazing thing is the number of guys who have long careers, make millions and blow it on their posse and partying.

I think every big money athlete should be required to take a business/finance class or two. They have no clue how to handle their money if they do make it.

Not to pick on a Jameis Winston but curious about this guy. He definately needs help w public speaking. Read one article saying he had 4.0 in HS. Hard time believing that. Wonder if it was earned or given. Then read interview he gave in HS where he said he wanted to be a foot dr-his words. Did he not know that would be a podiatrist?

Like the kid who said he was going to univ of LSU.  

A true shame but more a testament of failed social policy than of lack of character. You simply can't instinctively know what you've never been exposed to or taught. If you're surrounded by ignorance you're bound to be ignorant. Does that mean you're stupid? It's easy to ridicule but from the interviews I've seen of Winston, the one's I could understand, I see a genuine young man thrust into the spotlight who obviously could benefit from a few speech classes.

As far as blowing their money, its a shame that their agents don't take a more proactive approach to educating these guys about protecting their assets. You're not born with these abilities and who in their lives could possibly teach them or provide an example. Again, growing up in an entitlement culture and suddenly having wealth at their fingertips is a recipe for trouble and self indulgence.

College scholarships give them a chance but the odds are stacked against the young men.

Truthfully, I'm not sure how we (society) fix this under the NCAA's purview.  The NCAA, College President's, Athletic Directors and Coaches at these revenue schools have vastly different goals.  While the NCAA tells us they have our student athletes best interests at heart, I'm not convinced.  They are more concerned with their next conference realignment or ESPN contract.  Unfortunetly, this leaves the uneducated athlete to fend for themselves or rely on others.  We've all seen how that works out.  JMO.

 

 

The area where I live/work has produced numerous D1 and professional athletes from lower economic social status.  I spent a majority working some type of narcotic unit and I spent a lot of time in the area where these kids grew up.  I would have to say that the majority of these kids have failed at the next level, maybe a 70/30 split, and not because they lacked talent, but because they lacked life skills and education.  A majority of the 70% that have failed had hard lives, were "assisted" in school and usually tied to a local street gang.  The ones that I know personally were usually so full of themselves, "entitled" as someone posted earlier, and their biggest roadblock was themselves.  Those were the ones that failed at the college level.  They couldn't escape the "hood" life that they chose to live and it was criminal activity that led to their downfall.

There were a few that have made it to the professional level, I believe at the current moment there are 2 NFL guys and 1 MLB guy.  I can tell you that one of the NFL guys, a rookie, is a great kid, was a great student, has great family support and a great work ethic...the other is a veteran with Super Bowl experience, he is a hood plain and simple, and I see it every time when he is back in town...that's where his family and friends just suck on the money teet as much as they can, and he can't get enough of the attention they shower him with.

 

Then for me, there is the saddest story of a older guy, an Ex-NBA'er...who I use to talk to a lot...his family and friends bled him dry, then he got hooked on the "rock" and now is penniless and homeless, even though his family is not exactly hurting.  They used him for what they could and now could care less.

 

The one thing I know most of them have in common is a weak educational background.  Once I became involved in the local school system and was able to see behind the scenes, it is absolutely ridiculous how some of the "star" athletes are coddled.  After gaining a lot of recruiting experience from you guys here, watching the Recruiters come in to the school to talk to football players and feed them their crap became almost comical...and trying to warn players of the road they faced once they reached campus, well, they did not want to here it.  It is very hard to cut through their delusions of becoming a "superstar" in their respective sport, they know for sure they will be millionaires in a few years...lol

 

So, while the NCAA is corrupt and continues to exploit theses athletes, it is absolutely supported by the lower level breeding grounds.  The "get these kids through" mentality is alive and well!

 

Have you ever heard a typical high school kid talk publicly or give an interview to a newspaper reporter?  It's really not much better than what you see these college freshmen sound like on TV.  These are still kids who have limited experience in the public eye.  Don't set the bar too high.  I know when I gave my first interview when I became a head coach I sounded fairly stupid as well and I had a college degree with a public speaking course under my belt. But let's not give them a pass because of inexperience.  If you're an athlete (big time or non-revenue sport) one of your first classes in college should be a public speaking class.  Plus the athletic department should follow up with other types of help.  They should realize they have a vested interest in how these kids sound because that is their name they are representing.  

 

I agree with Hunter10 that if they come from an environment where there is a lacking of formal education / knowledge then it's hard to overcome through public schooling.  It doesn't matter how great of a teacher you are; you will fight a losing battle 95% of the time if the parents don't support a quality education.  It's rare to find a kid who will want it for themselves.  They make for nice stories for ESPN and news channels of kids overcoming odds but for every kid like that the number who are complete opposite is staggering.

 

As for the OP and the athletes reading on a 5th grade level - doesn't surprise me.  Reading is no longer embraced like it was in lower grades.  It's almost impossible to get a high school kid to start reading in order to improve.  It has to be done in the lower grades and at home.  By the time high school rolls around it's too late and that's for almost anything - sport skills and academic skills.  Now before people get onto me saying I'm negative and I should try let me say that I'm a realist and I do try.  I try everyday in the classroom but I can only do so much if it's not coming from home.  There's a reason why parent / teacher nights are frustrating for teachers.  The ones who need to show up never show up.  The ones who don't need to show up always show up.  And on the rare occasion when the ones who do show up it's eye opening as to why the kid is the way he is.  True story - I had a kid one time who was so lazy that if breathing was optional he would be in trouble.  Never did his work and had a horrible grade.  I meet with his parents and they said they couldn't do anything with him.  If they punished him at home by taking video games away or tell him no tv he would ignore them and do it anyway.  I said they were the parents and the boss - make him do what they wanted.  It would be rough at first but they needed discipline.  They made every excuse under the sun at that point.  He never got any better.  That's been about 12 years ago and I wonder where / what he's doing now.

 

Education is vital and if we can't get it stressed at the lower grades and at home then we are in trouble by the time they get to HS.

I think it is evident to most on this site that baseball players are usually more articulate than other athletes and possibly more intelligent despite skin color, so I can understand why baseball would not be included in a report like this. Maybe if football and basketball were limited in the number of scholarships they are able to give out like baseball and had to use academic money as well to get the athletes they want it would make the high school student wake up.. Of course initially you would have a drying up of the beast athletes being recruited but overtime these STUDENT-athletes would see that grades are going to matter and they need to buckle down, pay attention and study to get good grades.

The local suburban paper gives a lot of coverage to winning high school sports programs. The coach and a player are interviewed after games. The online paper has a video of the interview. My kids high school mandates coaches to instruct players how to interview. Each team had a format. The kids were like robots saying the same thing after every game. But they were articulate robots.