Time and time again, we hear the argument that students who succeed in athletics and receive scholarships solely off that are in some way "cheating" the college admissions process; gaining an "unfair advantage". My opinion? Just shut up. Complaining about other's success is a sign of a weak-minded individual. But I don't think those who proclaim this are simply jealous, they are just completely oblivious. When students who don't participate in any athletics go home after school, they have an enormous amount of freedom to study and become more academically skilled than their fellow classmates who do partake in athletically-related extracurriculars. In turn, it becomes quite explicable why athletes tend to not perform as well in school...a busy schedule can change a lot of things.
So, I propose my view and solution on this matter...count sports as a class that counts towards each participating student's grade point average. The school would monitor each student's athletic activities and results, offering a grade that could then place athletes on the same level with the solely "academic students". Athletes spend on average 5-6 hours a day on their sport, trying to improve their skills...that leaves barely any time for them to complete assignments or finish homework. In addition to my earlier proposal, schools should thus offer extensions to students with time-consuming sports-related extracurriculars as well. Academics should be just as important as athletics as they are both individual skills. Look at how many athletes become unfocused on their games, simply because they know they are falling behind on schoolwork, failing tests, struggling to get by academically. Purely academic students do not have this issue...so it's time for them to understand, and to make the playing field a little more even.
People also need to think about the sacrifices an athlete makes on a daily basis. Keeping a social life is difficult with all the time they spend on their sport...which is why teammates often become lifetime friendships. Often it can be seen that even academic students with a super-high GPA don't get into a top-tier university, but a high-level athlete will. The academic students proceed to complain that "athletes don't work hard", or that they don't deserve this "special treatment". While these students are entitled to their own opinion, they are quite ignorant in their comments. Athletes grind daily to earn a scholarship or any sort of spot on a college team. The effort it takes is both mental and physical, and in most cases, much harder than any sort of academic challenge one may face. These individuals put their blood, sweat, and tears into their passion, day in day out. I think it is time we make our system better, not only for athletes, but for all students. Sports are a beautiful thing, as they encourage healthy lifestyles. And with child obesity on the rise in the United States, a grade-based incentive would definitely help to get kids moving and promoting a more active daily schedule. Give the students what they need, and what they deserve!
I think this is a really interesting idea. I think it would definitely be a challenge to implement and to figure out how much to weigh each sport. But it would also reward those who sacrifice so much of their time for a sport.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Charlie. It would be interesting how it would be implemented.
DeleteSuch an interesting idea because you're right that when you are committed to a sport, you don't have have as much time to do work and study. If not this, then sports should at least count for your PE class!
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