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ACADEMICS FIRST

Athletics can have a valuable place in a college student's life, but academics should never play second fiddle to sports.

Many college athletes in far too many universities are given an unforgivable advantage. Those in charge of sport programs pressure college administrations and professors to academically pass underperformng students who participate in their school's athletic programs. This cheats the students out of learning to properly manage their daily academic schedules.

One of the most important lessons students need to learn before they attend college is time management. This lesson, though, isn't learned by most high school graduates because their teachers have been pressured to pass them in order to artificially show that their high school is performing well or excelling under "No Student Left Behind". This leaves the young people to learn the lesson as college freshmen. If they have not shown that they can successfully juggle sports and studies, they should not be allowed to participate in college athletics until such time as they have proven that they can perform satisfactorily in both areas.

Most colleges and universities require of their freshmen to pass a "blue book" timed essay test. The students have a choice of several topics from which to select. They must automatically set to work organizing their thoughts, pen a rough draft, then a final essay within the confines of two or three hours. Far too many fail this first attempt and are allowed to retake the test later in the semester or year. Their inability to pass at the first attempt is a direct result of their lack of time management skills. They did not buckle-down in high school and they are not able to exhibit minimal writing skills as college freshmen.

Any student who fails this test should not be allowed to play college sports. The essay test should be an indicator of who can and who cannot manage their time. Once the student demonstrates that they are able to do well in their academics, they should be welcomed with open arms into their university's athletic program. Not before.

Gone are the days of illiterate college athletes. Our nation's young people are not well-served when they play college football or basketball at the expense of the reason they are in college in the first place: to get an education.

Sports can be useful in teaching young people how to manage their time, but the athletes must understand that they will not always be given 'overtime' in which to play at their studies. They must understand that they should cry 'foul' at the prospect of being allowed to pass a course which they do not deserve to pass.

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