Athletes and Education

4 Pages 945 Words

Summary

In “Athletes and Education”, Neil Petrie argues that some colleges let student athletes get by with a minimal amount of schoolwork, while giving them extra leniencies that other students do not receive. He says colleges let athletes get by with the least amount of effort possible, not caring whether they are going to make it to the pros or not.
On one hand, Petrie feels sympathy for the student athletes. He gives them credit for trying to do well in school, while athletics take a lot of time and dedication to be successful. He says that sports drain a person of mental and physical energy, which makes it even harder to concentrate on academics.
On the other hand, Petrie feels that the student athletes get too much special attention. He argues that, “Professors continue to provide make-up tests, alternative assignments, and special tutoring sessions to accommodate athletes.” He also disagrees with student athletes getting progress reports. He feels that the athletic department only requires these to make sure that the athlete is eligible, not really caring about the student’s success.
In his essay, Petrie explains how this affected one of the basketball stars at his university. After playing two years at the university, the player was drafted into the NBA. Realizing he wouldn’t make it in the pros, the player returned to college. When he returned, he found out that he had taken mostly physical education classes and wasn’t even close to a degree. During his time at the university, no one had bothered to explain to him that he was taking remedial classes. When Petrie discovered this, he said, “I was ashamed to be a part of the university that day.”

To sum it all up, Petrie agrees with athletes who float their way through college so they can become professional athletes. But he strongly disagrees when, “The system uses and discards after the final buzzer.”
Response
I think Petr...