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 Join the AHL mailing list: [log in to unmask] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADIRONDACK RED WINGS, AHL Calder Cup Champs: 1981 1986 1989 1992 Currently: 15-7-2, 2nd place