Collage Sports and Money

I read an interesting article today in Sports Illustrated. It talked about the money of a major Division One athletic program, the Ohio State University, and it really made me think. It seems collage athletics is more so now than ever about money. Athletes are exploited by many athletic programs to make millions of dollars by selling appearl emblazed with the athletes name. However, the athletes see none of the money from the sales.

It's true that athletes in Football, and Basketball, the major Division One sports, recieve tons of benefits, from full scholarhips (free education), to tutors, to tons of free gear, but is it really a fair deal? There are a lot of people who may not understand the stress that college athletes go through. They see these people as the kings and queens of their respective campuses, but what they don't see are the closed-door meetings with coaches and players in which they are told that their precious full scholarhip is being withdraw or reduced because they did not perform as expected. Also, with the stress of a full load of classes, and a full-time job of practice, extra training, and travel for games, it is becoming increasingly difficult for these young men and women to graduate in the 4 years that their scholarship covers. So what happens after the four years is up? Are the athletes covered for that fifth year so they can complete their degree?

You also must look at the programs athletes are shuffled into. Most are taking classes in majors they have no interest in. The obvious exception is Ohio State Quarter back Craigh Krentzle who majored in Molecular Biology during his four years at the Horseshoe, all the while being a two year starter for the Buckeyes, however, most athletes cannot claim the same success. In an age when winning is everything, athletes are put into the easiest classes with the lightest work load so they may increase their practice time.

Poor graduation rates are something that have plagued many Division One programs throughout the years, so isn't time that we took a step backed and asked what collage sports are really about?