One thing that our son does that has helped this year is rooming on road trips with other players in his classes. They work on classwork in the evening after curfew or sometimes on the bus ride back to school, and are ready for classes on Monday.
My son got a 2.7 the first semester. I told him if he lost the 50% academic part he was coming home where I could monitor his academics. He got a 3.5 the next semester. I told him that's the expectation bar from this day forward. He did it. He was in the top 3% of his class in high school.
He was guilty of trying to do it all, except enough studying the first semester. I told him to not even consider a frat until soph year. Did he listen? No. He dove right in on top of everything else. My son has starred in his short life in falling out of trees and landing on his feet scoring a perfect ten.
Don't understand the "we'll support your decision no matter what."
Has he mentioned it's too much for him and he's considering not playing baseball anymore and just be a student?
Yes, it's all new to Freshmen but surely he knew ahead of time what it means to be on a D1 team and travel during season. Is he worried he can't keep a 4.0? Some kids are overachievers and getting a 3.6,3.7 is not acceptable to them. By the way, the classes only get harder as they advance in a major.
Guess I'm trying to see what is the issue here, and why you thought you were getting beat up as u stated. You have a Freshman son starting at a D1 school with a 4.0 and you want to discuss how hard it is to play and be an athlete during Season. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but there are people on here whose sons are truly dealing with this who are struggling with grades/and or playing time so you won't get much sympathy from them.
Your son is 18-19, let him see how his older teammates deal with the issue. Not sure if he brought up academics or you, but nothing you can say really that you haven't already.
Maybe he feels he's not being challenged enough in his education coupled with no way of changing anything because of what it takes to stay in his spot on team.Is it possible ?
ILOVEBASEBALL,
Ahhhhh, now most of your sons as well as their folks are realizing just how difficult (in any division), this game of baseball AND being a student really is.
This is a particularly rough time, classes are getting more difficult. 4-5 games a week, traveling, getting in late, tired, frustrated, is very typical. And I agree he should not be missing so many classes. Your sons schedule should be built around his schedule.
In a little bit over a month, school will be over and it's just baseball. Things will be looking up. The first year is very tough, it gets easier and easier.
Just listen, that's your job. Understand that after your sons do 3,4,5 years of this, they will be able to do anything! 
Not baseball, but I have a hard time believing all of those football and basketball players, with tattoo sleeves go to all of their classes.
Baseball33 posted:Not baseball, but I have a hard time believing all of those football and basketball players, with tattoo sleeves go to all of their classes.
I'm having a hard time believing most of them were qualified to get into college. They get degrees (if they graduate) that are worthless and are hoping they make the pro's.
Lionbaseball, true. I wonder if they actually attend classes but have easy graders and work done for them or they have phantom classes like at UNC a couple of years ago. I remember even STANFORD, of all places, had an "easy class list" one of the classes were "North American dances part 2"
lionbaseball posted:Baseball33 posted:Not baseball, but I have a hard time believing all of those football and basketball players, with tattoo sleeves go to all of their classes.
I'm having a hard time believing most of them were qualified to get into college. They get degrees (if they graduate) that are worthless and are hoping they make the pro's.
Why don't you guys look up college graduation rates before you make generalizations.
TPM posted:lionbaseball posted:Baseball33 posted:Not baseball, but I have a hard time believing all of those football and basketball players, with tattoo sleeves go to all of their classes.
I'm having a hard time believing most of them were qualified to get into college. They get degrees (if they graduate) that are worthless and are hoping they make the pro's.
Why don't you guys look up college graduation rates before you make generalizations.
... and toss the white robes. Since it's obvious the comments are aimed at black kids I'm going to tell you about one of my neighbors.
Both parents are successful business people. Yes, his parents are married. Surprised? The kid graduated from a prestigious private school with about a 3.5. He went on to play for a perennially nationally ranked basketball program. He left college for the draft after junior year. He could have been a one and done as a freshman starter. He's played eight years in the NBA. He went to summer school to graduate from college after signing a multi million dollar first round contract.
Dont generalize. There's more of this than you realize. A kid like my neighbor doesn't make the news other than for scoring points. He never gets in trouble.
Good points RJM.
I am still waiting for a report on graduation rates for football and basketball players. Let's start with the top 2 programs in the country, Alabama and Clemson.
I know for a fact if you don't attend class, you won't play.
Let me know when you know the answer.
FWIW, one of the reasons that baseball doesn't allow D1 to D1 transfer or any transfer into a baseball program is because they had the worst RPI of all sports.
This one is a little unique. There aren't any other NFL lineman spending their off season at MIT getting their PhD in Applied Mathematics. Ravens John Urschel is. He left Penn State for the NFL with A BA and MA in Mathematics. It did take him five years to get the two degrees. Dumb kid! The poor black kid grew up in a family where his father is a surgeon. His mother is an attorney.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/jo...fl-to-mit-1457028222
Patriots draft choice Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia is already a published children's author.
http://www.redandblack.com/spo...66-1b714e3a1a4d.html
Theres a lot of good going on in college sports. Sometimes it's just a kid doing what he's supposed to be doing. More than you will ever know it's an athlete making a difference.
Ok, let's look at a study from UNC. CNN researched the reading levels of 183 UNC athletes who played football or basketball from 2004-2012. CNN found 60% read between a 4th and 8th grade level. Between 8-10% read below a third grade level. At the university of Oklahoma, a professor found that 10% of revenue sport athletes read below a 4th grade reading level. In 2014, Florida State University had just a 65% graduation rate among football players. In 2012, UCONN Basketball had a graduation rate of 11%. Also in 2012, UF Basketball and GT Basketball had 17 and 18% graduation rates.
Top 5 football programs in academics in 2015:
5. Duke
4. Boston College (92.8% GR)
3. Rice (94% GR)
2. Northwestern (96% GR)
1. Norte Dame (96.2% GR)
Total record of those teams: 36-27.
You will probably find the athletic numbers you present closely resemble regular student population numbers. More than 50% of the students in the Cal State system are taking remedial courses. The graduation rate at UMass Boston is about 15%. The issue isn't athletics. The overall student population graduation rate is about 55%.
The issue is the shambles the American education system has become. It's also ignorant and racist to insinuate football and basketball are black and stupid.
Go Trump! Right?
To follow up with the graduation rates:
2013 SEC Football Graduation Rates:
1. Georgia- 82%, 8-4
2. Vanderbilt- 82%, 9-3
3. Florida- 77%, 4-8
4. LSU- 74%, 10-2
5. Missouri- 74%, 12-0
6. Texas A&M- 74%, 9-3
7. Alabama- 73%, 11-1
8. Auburn- 70%, 12-0
9. South Carolina- 65%, 11-1
10. Tennessee- 64%, 5-7
11. Kentucky- 62%, 2-10
12. Mississippi State- 59%, 7-5
13. Ole Miss- 55%, 8-4
14. Arkansas- 54% , 3-9
Note: In the bottom half you have an undefeated team and 2 11-1 teams. Auburn was in the 2013 national championship.
Also your not helping your case when Cardale Jones tweets "CLASSES are POINTLESS. We came here to play FOOTBALL. Not attend CLASSES."
RJM, did I say anything about African American athletes?
Cardale Jones represents all athletes? You're taking the worst of college sports and trying to make a point it's the norm. You're very wrong. Sure there are some jugheads. There are some criminals. But they are a small percentage of college athletes. They're even a small percentage of football and basketball. Those are the two sports you dog whistled "blacks."
The solid majority of athletes who behave, go to class and do community service fly under the radar screen. I know several kids who played D1 football and basketball. They all graduated. They never made the news off the field or court. One of them went back to college in the off season after signing for millions. It never made the news. Graduating is boring news. But it makes him a hell of a role model. Same with John Urschel and Malcolm Mitchell. You would be surprised how much time college athletes spend at hospitals and schools.
I never said basketball and football were "black" sports. I was using football and basketball as an example of the academic problem in these two sports. If 60% of your kids are reading at a 4th-8th grade level how do you expect them to do college level reports and projects? Also, this is not an issue of race, you keep bringing up that I labeled basketball and football "black" sports. Many white people play basketball and football so this is not an issue of race as you keep bringing up.
Baseball33 posted:Not baseball, but I have a hard time believing all of those football and basketball players, with tattoo sleeves go to all of their classes.
This is what you said.
Then you have a controversial poster who will just pick up on your comment and run with it.
Hope this works.