CBS: College sports discusses ending NCAA academic standards for freshmen

[The Public Enemy]

From the article:

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has spent lots of time recently talking and thinking about what he calls an “upside down” NCAA academic model.

Instead of only penalizing negative behavior, Bowlsby believes there needs to be incentives to reward positive academic behavior. He said there should be competitive advantages for schools that graduate more players than others as opposed to only providing penalties -- such as postseason bans -- to schools with low Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores.

Lately, there's very preliminary chatter within college sports of one way to do this: Roll back the clock and eliminate NCAA initial eligibility standards. Schools could accept whatever athletes they want academically but with graduation rates tied to scholarships as an incentive to enroll students who can play sports and graduate.

“The advantage would be the NCAA wouldn't be viewed as the ogre in Indianapolis that keeps kids from having the opportunity to be eligible,” said Bowlsby, who stressed he doesn't support the idea at this time. “Put it back on the schools, and maybe you tie initial scholarships to graduation rates. If your undergraduate population graduates at 70 percent and your athletic population graduates at 45, you don't get to replace scholarships until you get to the place where you meet what the rest of the school does. There's a lot of ways you could incentivize.”

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...g-eliminating-academic-standards-for-freshmen

 

[CATFANFOLIFE87]

One of the worst ideas I've ever seen proposed. UNC has proven just how little is asked of the athletes once they are admitted to some schools. Schools would bring in a ton of kids that had zero business being in college. How is that fair to the millions of other kids that want to go to Stanford, Georgia Tech, Vandy, ect and can't because they didn't have the grades? Now you're letting kids in that didn't even qualify for a community college? Academic fraud would be rampant across college athletics because they'd all figure out how to bring in the dumbest, biggest, and fastest players that they could and they'd figure it out later. Petrino already recruits girl beaters and drug addicts can you imagine what he'd go out and get under that policy??

 

[The Public Enemy]

One of the worst ideas I've ever seen proposed. UNC has proven just how little is asked of the athletes once they are admitted to some schools. Schools would bring in a ton of kids that had zero business being in college. How is that fair to the millions of other kids that want to go to Stanford, Georgia Tech, Vandy, ect and can't because they didn't have the grades? Now you're letting kids in that didn't even qualify for a community college? Academic fraud would be rampant across college athletics because they'd all figure out how to bring in the dumbest, biggest, and fastest players that they could and they'd figure it out later. Petrino already recruits girl beaters and drug addicts can you imagine what he'd go out and get under that policy??

The Big XII is pushing this apparently...and if Bowlsby is saying this he is doing it for Texas and Oklahoma...

 

[PRPcoach]

Minimum entrance requirements are sometimes the only "carrots" to dangle in front of a high-school "jock" to get him to perform in the classroom.
As a teacher, I think this is a really poor choice if they implement this change.

 

[stevo51]

NoClueAboutAnything

 

[WildCard]

One of the worst ideas I've ever seen proposed. UNC has proven just how little is asked of the athletes once they are admitted to some schools. Schools would bring in a ton of kids that had zero business being in college. How is that fair to the millions of other kids that want to go to Stanford, Georgia Tech, Vandy, ect and can't because they didn't have the grades? Now you're letting kids in that didn't even qualify for a community college? Academic fraud would be rampant across college athletics because they'd all figure out how to bring in the dumbest, biggest, and fastest players that they could and they'd figure it out later...

TOTALLY agree with that (^^^) part of your post.

Peace

 

[dorkmeister]

One of the worst ideas I've ever seen proposed. UNC has proven just how little is asked of the athletes once they are admitted to some schools. Schools would bring in a ton of kids that had zero business being in college. How is that fair to the millions of other kids that want to go to Stanford, Georgia Tech, Vandy, ect and can't because they didn't have the grades? Now you're letting kids in that didn't even qualify for a community college? Academic fraud would be rampant across college athletics because they'd all figure out how to bring in the dumbest, biggest, and fastest players that they could and they'd figure it out later. Petrino already recruits girl beaters and drug addicts can you imagine what he'd go out and get under that policy??

I understand what you a point, but if you think the FB or BB players who get accepted to Stanford and Notre Dame have to get the same SAT and High School GPA as every other kid that applies you are mistaken.

If you want to go to Stanford you better carry a 4.0 standard and a 5.5 weighted as well as get a 36 on your SAT. If you are a talented FB player you need to carry a 2.85 and get a 20 on your SAT(My numbers may be off but I hope you get my point).

Wisconsin and Michigan are two amazing schools in the BIG 10 and VERY difficult to get accepted to. Do you think all the scholarship athletes meet the same criteria as the other students? We need to quit acting like elitist and understand there is a difference. Not that its right but that is how it is.

 

[CATFANFOLIFE87]

I understand what you a point, but if you think the FB or BB players who get accepted to Stanford and Notre Dame have to get the same SAT and High School GPA as every other kid that applies you are mistaken.

If you want to go to Stanford you better carry a 4.0 standard and a 5.5 weighted as well as get a 36 on your SAT. If you are a talented FB player you need to carry a 2.85 and get a 20 on your SAT(My numbers may be off but I hope you get my point).

Wisconsin and Michigan are two amazing schools in the BIG 10 and VERY difficult to get accepted to. Do you think all the scholarship athletes meet the same criteria as the other students? We need to quit acting like elitist and understand there is a difference. Not that its right but that is how it is.

No I know that the academic standards are lower for athletes. There is an NCAA minimum requirement and for the most part it's left up to the school if they want to require a higher academic standard than the NCAA minimum. Don't quote me on this but I think the conference is able to enforce a minimum academic standard that's higher than the NCAA minimum. Most conferences leave it up to the institution.

My point wasn't that the same academic standard should be held for athletes that the rest of the student body abides by. I was saying that we shouldn't lower the bar even further to allow kids that have no business being in college at all go to prestigious universities that turn away excellent students to let athletes in. It would be making a mockery of the term student athlete

 

[RackOps]

Who cares if a kid can't read a book?

It's more important that he can read a defensive end.

 

[PRPcoach]

What I'm about to say doesn't really apply to NCAA Power 5 schools - they need to get the best athletes they can find.
However - I am always preaching to my students that if you get it done in the classroom - you will pass up quite a few "athletes" as far as playing college ball goes because they won't get the grades to keep playing. At smaller schools - the term "student athlete" still applies.
My son is a decent at best athlete, but an A student. If he works hard on and off the field - his academics might get him a chance to play somewhere. IF this rule passes you can kiss that opportunity goodbye -- and that is a shame.

 

[CatDaddy4daWin]

I feel like this is only being put out there to avoid bringing the hammer down on UNC. They have no problem getting involved with the Sandusky stuff that was 'within their realm of influence' but academic standings and keeping guys eligible with fake classes isn't.

 

[trumpetcat]

I understand what you a point, but if you think the FB or BB players who get accepted to Stanford and Notre Dame have to get the same SAT and High School GPA as every other kid that applies you are mistaken.

If you want to go to Stanford you better carry a 4.0 standard and a 5.5 weighted as well as get a 36 on your SAT. If you are a talented FB player you need to carry a 2.85 and get a 20 on your SAT(My numbers may be off but I hope you get my point).

Wisconsin and Michigan are two amazing schools in the BIG 10 and VERY difficult to get accepted to. Do you think all the scholarship athletes meet the same criteria as the other students? We need to quit acting like elitist and understand there is a difference. Not that its right but that is how it is.

Do you mean 36 on the ACT and 20 on the ACT respectively?

 

[jauk11]

One of the worst ideas I've ever seen proposed. UNC has proven just how little is asked of the athletes once they are admitted to some schools. Schools would bring in a ton of kids that had zero business being in college. How is that fair to the millions of other kids that want to go to Stanford, Georgia Tech, Vandy, ect and can't because they didn't have the grades? Now you're letting kids in that didn't even qualify for a community college? Academic fraud would be rampant across college athletics because they'd all figure out how to bring in the dumbest, biggest, and fastest players that they could and they'd figure it out later. Petrino already recruits girl beaters and drug addicts can you imagine what he'd go out and get under that policy??

Probably wouldn't change a thing at Transfer U. Isn't that the same place where they take a bunch of players that were kicked out of other schools and that had to go to JC to get into a Uni-----uh, city college, and have them post a perfect APR score?

I'm still confused about that, isn't it true that they claim to have a100% compliance rate on one of those things, with BP as their primary tutor? LOL

 

[WeepNoMore]

No I know that the academic standards are lower for athletes. There is an NCAA minimum requirement and for the most part it's left up to the school if they want to require a higher academic standard than the NCAA minimum. Don't quote me on this but I think the conference is able to enforce a minimum academic standard that's higher than the NCAA minimum. Most conferences leave it up to the institution.

My point wasn't that the same academic standard should be held for athletes that the rest of the student body abides by. I was saying that we shouldn't lower the bar even further to allow kids that have no business being in college at all go to prestigious universities that turn away excellent students to let athletes in. It would be making a mockery of the term student athlete

Athlete/student is the more accurate term. Actually, following the recent provision to allow a "stipend" for incidental expenses the term employee/athlete/student is the most appropriate term.

 

[Deeeefense]

One of the worst ideas I've ever seen proposed. UNC has proven just how little is asked of the athletes once they are admitted to some schools. Schools would bring in a ton of kids that had zero business being in college. How is that fair to the millions of other kids that want to go to Stanford, Georgia Tech, Vandy, ect and can't because they didn't have the grades? Now you're letting kids in that didn't even qualify for a community college? Academic fraud would be rampant across college athletics because they'd all figure out how to bring in the dumbest, biggest, and fastest players that they could and they'd figure it out later. Petrino already recruits girl beaters and drug addicts can you imagine what he'd go out and get under that policy??

Agree, there would be enormous pressure on faculty to pass kids through that were not doing the work. It would essentially turn colleges into diploma factories.

Maybe these geniuses need to revisit the term "student athlete".

 

[hmt5000]

can you imagine the cheating that would go at some programs to make sure kids who can barely read are getting degrees in grass cutting and xboxology?