English 1301
07/09/10
The debate of whether college athletes receive special treatment has been an ongoing issue for decades now. College is a very difficult task to complete, especially when trying to balance both sports and academics. With that being said, education should be their main priority. College athletes should have all of the same responsibilities as non-athletes as far as academics are concerned. So should college athletes be exempt from normal class?
The athletics department is considered to be one of the most revenue making departments in many colleges. Therefore student athletes are many times allowed special treatment with regard to minimum school requirements. While I do understand that athletics are a very important part of the college experience, it should not be the main priority. The priority of a college is to provide students the opportunity to earn not just a degree but a skill that will help them to succeed in the real world. The cost of living is very high and just keeps getting higher, for a person to be competitive in todays job market it is almost necessary to have a college degree. The number of athletes that actually turn professional are few. Most athletes don’t go pro after college so they should make academics their number one priority in order to get the full educational experience. Those that do make it to pro are at high risk career ending injuries on a daily basis. That is why it is really important that student athletes be encouraged to put academics first and sports second. Placing their focus on education allows the athlete to develop other areas of there lives that will give them something to fall back on if and when there college athletic career is over. Having a college degree will give the student athlete another option to look into as another career other than the sport. Without a degree it is really probable