Walt Olson writes:
>There have recently been a great debate about recruiting in MN. There
>was even a comment from Saudi Arabia on it!
>What is the purpose of college? And what part do sports play in the
>purpose?
>IF the purpose of college is to prepare people for jobs, is preparation
>for the NHL any less noble?
>IF the purpose of college is educate, is sports education less worthy?
>IF the purpose of college is to create knowledge, is there not knowledge
>in the sports?
>IF the purpose of college is to benefit mankind in any way, does not
.sport increase our quality of life?
>I don't know (being a professor in engineering) what society considers
>the purpose of universities but I do know that sport has long been
>(from at least the Ancient Grecian times) a mark of a learned and
>healthy person.
I understand the point you're making. However, the problem i have
with it is hypocrisy. Some of these schools are [insert whatever
sport] factories. The problem is that neither the NC$$ nor the
Universities has the balls to admit the truth. They shroud this
fact in hypocrisy and sanctimony.
Why can't people admit that certain schools in certain sports
are there to produce pro athletes?
However, this runs into some problems. there are certainly
some athletes who are true student-athletes. They ARE interested
in getting an education and play sports too. The main problem
with creating a "sports" major is this. The teams will discriminate,
more than likely, against students who don't major in that sport.
Furthermore, most majors are non-discriminatory (in name, anyways).
Would a school let a woman major in men's basketball?
How would you grade a "sports" major? It's quite difficult to do
this objectively. In other majors, you have objective exams, papers,
homework, etc, which a grade can be based upon. How do you base
your grading of an athlete? This is even more complicated in a team
sport when team is supposed to come before individual. Also, in a team
sport, an individual is also limited by the amount of playing time
the coach gives him. This certainly limits a players opportunity to
earn a 'good grade.'
>Should universities recruit from outside their traditional boundaries?
>Do they recruit students for engineering, fine arts, law, medicine, etc.?
>Why should there be *special* rules for sports? It is my belief that
>the NC$$ is making a big mistake in the university philosophy by
>imposing *special* rules on athletes while ignoring what the academics
>do. If U of Minn wish to only allow students from Minn, regardless of
>whether they are engaged in hockey or engineering, that is their
>prerogative: it is a state tax assisted school. However, I do not
>think that it benefits the school or the state to do so.
The reason they impose "special" rules on athletes is because (according
to NC$$ rhetoric) they are STUDENTS first. It is this shroud of hypocrisy
that ties the NC$$'s hands and forces them to impose special rules.
let me say this, though. I would say that a majority of student
athletes are truly student athletes. When we talk about college athletes,
it is usually under the context of "big time" sports. Thus comes the
stereotyping of student-athletes as being "dumb jocks." However, most
student-athletes truly are students. Most athletes who play soccer,
skiing, swimming, lacrosse, etc, are just as dedicated to their sports
as football/basketball/hockey players. I know several people in said
sports and they are achieving very high grades in less that easy majors
like chemical or electrical engineering.
This brings up another point. Even some athletes in the "big' sports
do have an interest in getting a real education (pardon my disdain for
comparing a sports major to pre-law or aeronautical engineering). What
happens to them? Are they forced to choose between sports and academics?
By creating a sports major, are you forcing some students to be less
well rounded? Deny them an opportunity to challenge themselves both
mentally and physically?
I hope this is not the goal.
___________________________________________________________________________
BRI FARENELL [log in to unmask] GO ERIN WHITTEN!
Clarkson University '95 Glens Falls High '91 USA Hockey in '94!
NCAA, AHL, ECAC and Boston Bruins contact for rec.sport.hockey
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