Should College Athletes...

[DDBooger]

...pay back scholarships if they do not graduate due to early exit for the professional leagues? This was an interesting question I read in a blog not long ago.

[Ernest T Bass]

No. The scholarship was to play a sport, not to graduate. The idea is that the school makes money off the kid by his performance, so in return they give the kid a free education. He leaves early, the school get less money and he gets less education.

[ronwx5x]

Originally posted by DDBooger
...pay back scholarships if they do not graduate due to early exit for the professional leagues? This was an interesting question I read in a blog not long ago.

IMO, no. There is no contract that demands this. If a team cuts a scholarship player, I assume the scholarship goes away also.
Either side has an out.

I believe most schools do honor a scholarship for a player who is injured during competition and can no longer play, but is this part of a contract?

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

No, because it's like a job. If you have never done it, you don't realize how much work goes into it. Athletes earn every penny of that scholarship.

[DDBooger]

I agree with all of you. I believe the blog was referencing Universities pondering ways to keep the athletes.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by DDBooger
I agree with all of you. I believe the blog was referencing Universities pondering ways to keep the athletes.

Start paying them to play.

[Farmersfan]

How much is the students participation in the sport worth from a monetary standing? Seeing how most students don't contribute (on the field) to games the first or second year of school then perhaps it would be appropriate to get 3 or 4 years playing time out of them before allowing them to move on. Maybe a sliding scale of 1 year of starting is equivelent to 2 years of scholarship money..................
But this is probably irrelevant because a kid that doesn't start is not likely to leave early for the next level anyway.

[bwdlionfan]

Originally posted by DDBooger
...pay back scholarships if they do not graduate due to early exit for the professional leagues? This was an interesting question I read in a blog not long ago.

Instead of that, I wish the professional sports leagues would make it a policy not to draft an athlete until he has earned his or her bachelor's degree.

[BaseballUmp]

What if the kids just simply doesn't have the "smarts" to complete a degree? His only way to make it into the league is to play a few years, take the basics and then hope his draft stock is high enough to get paid

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by bwdlionfan
Instead of that, I wish the professional sports leagues would make it a policy not to draft an athlete until he has earned his or her bachelor's degree.
I like this idea! :)


Originally posted by BaseballUmp
What if the kids just simply doesn't have the "smarts" to complete a degree? His only way to make it into the league is to play a few years, take the basics and then hope his draft stock is high enough to get paid
Maybe colleges should stop offering scholarships to kids that are not college material (in the "smarts" department)! With the resources and opportunities many athletes are presented with, most of them don't need a whole lot of smarts.

[BaseballUmp]

Oh no I completely agree...if you're on scholarship you better be busting your butt making the grades to earn it but I mean realistically, there are instances where thats not really a major issue and the student athletes have things, lets just say easier and thats the only way they can manage to keep up there grades...

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by BaseballUmp
student athletes have things, lets just say easier
You don't say! :devil:



I'll just shut my mouth since all my info on the above is 2nd hand...

[BaseballUmp]

haha I said there are instances...

[Blastoderm55]

Originally posted by BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END
Start paying them to play.

But isn't that what the scholarship is?

[LH Panther Mom]

As to the original question, I don't think they should have to pay back the scholarship if they leave early.

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by bwdlionfan
Instead of that, I wish the professional sports leagues would make it a policy not to draft an athlete until he has earned his or her bachelor's degree.


Why? When did playing sports require a degree? Some people have the talent to be Doctors, Teachers, Lawyers ..Those need the degrees because they are applied in their field .

Should singers be required to have a degree? Or Actors? They can and do leave early from College to chase their dreams and most dont have the financial support a sports figure will have with their first contract

[OldBison75]

Every College student on scholarship of any kind will recieve that aid until they no longer are full-time students. If a kid gets a 4 year scholarship for academic purposes and quits after thre years, they don't have to pay back any of the money already used so why should a college athlete?

That is a risk that the institution takes when giving out long term scholarships. They know the risk and know that there will be a certain percentage that never finish. For the athletes, the object of the scholarship is to get the ability of the athlete for as long as possible, not to guarantee that they receive a degree, although the university will gloat about the percentage of thier athletes that graduate.