thisisme-In The UK ,irrespective of ones sporting ability one has to have a degree of intellect in that one has to have achieved academically- Is that true in The USA?
bijou- meaning they are spoon fed?
Urban- Perhaps this is where we are countries separated by a common language.
UK. Gifted and Talented in Sport- We recognise, But you do not achieve a place at any University in my Homeland just because you are good at sport.
We give scholarships of the sporting variety Only to those who are gifted in sport but have Brain Cells..
Source- Educationalist 35 years.
Affiliated to 2 major universities in UK.
Talent we accept- But with the proviso that there exists INTELLECT with it.
thisisme- I know your educational provisions in The USA as I have visited them as a guest with other principals for The UK.
Been there. seen it.
My question stands.
Jim- Excellent answer.
Remember well- Behind every question I ask there lies a reason. Arrogant, have I been named in this post.
Bless- This was Not an Arrogant Post- If I wanted to be arrogant you would all know it.
It was for information gathering.
Kate, this is so below your usual high standards.
The USA has great high schools and colleges, and we have a set of standards that the football players have to meet. As Grande Dame pointed out, the football players are very busy with practice and associated athletics, but if they don’t maintain a good grade point average, they’ll be kicked off the team.
I had a high school friend who excelled in sports, and received a scholarship to our local college. He was on the first string on the football, baseball, and basketball team in his freshman year of college. He was a natural athlete. He didn’t maintain his grades and they begrudgingly kicked him off of the teams, even after they tried to tutor him in his classes. It wasn’t that he wasn’t smart, he just didn’t commit to the books like he did to the playing field. It was a shame, too. He could have gone pro *easily*.
So please don’t accuse the USA of having less intelligence than the British. That’s petty.
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
If they excel in the sport while still in high school then they are eligible for scholarships at Universities. Not too difficult to figure out.
Obviously, yes, one has to have some academic achievements as well, we just don’t offer scholarships to total anencepehalics because they can throw a football. You might be surprised to learn that education standards in the USA are quite high and MIGHT even be on a par with the UK! LOL!
Sorry Kate, but you are SO patronizing.
EDIT:thisisme-In The UK ,irrespective of ones sporting ability one has to have a degree of intellect in that one has to have achieved academically- Is that true in The USA?
EDIT: So you profess to have been here and your question stands; what exactly is it you’re trying to find out since you already have answers and your own alleged personal experience? This "question" sounds more rhetorical and a badly disguised slap at the education system in the USA; since you are so protective of your own country, let me hasten to reassure you we are every bit as protective of ours and phrase your questions and and responses accordingly; life is SO much better when ALL are civilized or at least pretend to be!
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December 23rd, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Colleges have football scouts that follow high school players. Those with the talent and grades can receive a scholarship.
American football and male basketball are the only sports that makes money and is used to fund other sports. But for some reason academia always attack the money generating sports. Go figure.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
yes, there are academic standards that must be met, however i believe the standard varies from university to university. also, gifted athletes are often tutored to ensure they pass through high school with sufficient grades.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 7:34 pm
By playing football well. If you’re good at the game in high school you will get recognized and you may be offered a scholarship. The same as if you were good at academics.
I read your response above and to answer your question further you can’t get a football scholarship without achieving certain basic academic requirements. College in the USA is very expensive and the football scholarship is only an incentive for the player to chose the college that offered it in the hopes that he will be a good player. In return for his good play he receives a free education.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 8:02 pm
They [the players] make a name for themselves in high school and unversities send scounts out to take a look at them play. There are certain high schools that just have stellar reputations in terms of their football programs and some students are spotted simply because a particular university makes a point to always send scouts out to certain high schools that are nationally renowned. The scouts tape them, talk to the families, take notes and go back to the head coaches with the information. They then review their needs for the upcoming year, compare all of the players that they’ve been keeping an eye on and, after that, usually, invite the players they really want to come down to the school to see the facilities, get to the know the guys on the team, throw a few women their way, etc. to get the guys interested in that particular program and then offer scholarships accordingly.
All football players aren’t idiots who can’t read, people. Many of them are highly intelligent especially at the collegiate level. They know that the chances of them making the NFL are extremely slim and most do get an education. The ones who don’t bother are, for the most part, the small minority who knows that, barring injury, they’re off to play in the big leagues.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 pm
So you don’t want people to generalize feminists, but you’re generalizing football players as big, stupid oafs? That’s fair…
The fact of the matter is that football players need good grades just like anyone else to get accepted into schools. Many players (even NFL caliber players) are forced to attend a junior college for a year or two prior to being accepted into a university because their grades are not up to par. That being said, if a person is an exceptional talent, it will be easier for them to gain admittance, despite substandard GPA’s, SAT scores, etc. However, there is a line that is not crossed – schools would never accept anyone who is not "college material." So if a school with a good football program wants to accept a football player with a slightly lower than average (for incoming freshman ) SAT score or GPA, it isn’t looked down upon. What that student/player does with his free education is up to him – if he wants to major in general studies and party all the time and do nothing with his degree, that’s his choice. If he wants to use the opportunity to achieve a degree and overachieve from what his high school grades/scores indicated he would, thats also up to him.
Being an ex football player from a DI school, I used my scholarship (which was half athletic and half academic – they will do those for gifted student – athletes) to attend a state university, despite being accepted to ivy league schools. My reasoning is simple – free education at a good school or massive college loans from a university that doesn’t give out scholarships.
I saw teammates of mine who were only average students in high school, and in all reality probably would not have attended college, use the opportunity to get a good degree, and now pursue PHD’s or Masters – something no one would have expected from them in high school. Being a student athlete for a very competitve school is tough – many people feel exceptional student athletes should be paid (I don’t agree with that at all – they are getting paid roughly 120k to play football and get an education as it is). Many students waste this opportunity, many sieze it.
Athletics along with other activities bring millions of dollars of revenue to a University – regardless of how you feel about athletics, that is a simple fact. Why would a school not pursue this method of income? It’s simple, excellent payoff, and it keeps students happy and adds another dimension for potential students to think about – tailgating/going to college football games is ridiculously fun.
Many colleges/universities give out scholarships for other things as well – Band/music, acting, even leadership (student government type)….. none of those things bring anywhere near the amount of revenue to the school, and they give fortunate students a chance to save money on and excel in school, regardless of their natural ability in the classroom. Why should you limit scholarships to people based purely on their academics?…. especially when investing a small amount in athletes brings reaps much, much greater rewards?
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December 23rd, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Univ. Sports teams send out scouts to the High Sh cool with good players. Then they are offered scholarships, based solely on their athletic ability. The only academic requirement is that they did not flunk out of HS, IE they graduated.
When I was in College I did a lot of tutoring for the athletes, esp. the Football team. They weren’t stupid, but they were very busy. Some lacked interest, but others most were very grateful for the help. It seemed that they just needed things explained in a way they could understand. They didn’t usually read their assignments. I taught them what was in the book. I think that some may have had a problem reading. Anyway,it was all for the glory of the "Alma Mater" on the battlefield that WAS the football stadium!
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December 23rd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
You forget that some schools get most of there athletic funding from the football teams revenues.
http://www.fanblogs.com/ncaa/007263.php
Is giving a free education to about a hundred athletes worth $60 millions dollars a year? I would say so. THE ATHLETES ARE THE PRODUCT and they do not get a single dime of the revenues that the college brings in. So I would say it is fair and if anything is unfair it is that they don’t get some share of the profits.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
They have to excel at the sport, AND they must meet the schools entrance requirements. Also the NCAA and the NAIA have criteria for athletes. Each school in the US with sports programs must belong to once of these sport oversight agencies. They must follow those guidelines well.
There are also Academic Americans. College athletes who excel at academics.
However no professional team is allowed to "sign" a 9 year old as they do in the UK.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I’ll give you a quick prequel to Jim’s answer, since it was really good and all I can add is what has to happen first.
From the time a kid’s in middle school, he needs to be involved in the sport. Definitely by high school, if he’s not a football star, he’s not getting that particular scholarship. It takes a LOT of dedication and training, and having natural athletic talent doesn’t hurt.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Kate, this is so below your usual high standards.
The USA has great high schools and colleges, and we have a set of standards that the football players have to meet. As Grande Dame pointed out, the football players are very busy with practice and associated athletics, but if they don’t maintain a good grade point average, they’ll be kicked off the team.
I had a high school friend who excelled in sports, and received a scholarship to our local college. He was on the first string on the football, baseball, and basketball team in his freshman year of college. He was a natural athlete. He didn’t maintain his grades and they begrudgingly kicked him off of the teams, even after they tried to tutor him in his classes. It wasn’t that he wasn’t smart, he just didn’t commit to the books like he did to the playing field. It was a shame, too. He could have gone pro *easily*.
So please don’t accuse the USA of having less intelligence than the British. That’s petty.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 pm
I admit I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t think sports and college should mix. Colleges should not be used as farm teams for the pros. There used to be different types of minor league teams for that. Colleges are places of higher learning and that’s the main purpose for attending. It is really annoying to see these barely literate athletes attending college when more deserving students have to scrounge for scholarships or get deeply in debt to attend while these student/athletes get all sorts of perks and don’t have to attend classes. Most of them don’t graduate. They just play out their eligibility and then join the pros.
My problem with this arrangement is that there is way too much emphasis on sports. It’s not just with the colleges. It’s at the grade school levels. too. The popular sports get all the funding and the latest equipment while every other activity has to beg for them. At my daughter’s high school, students are given time off from school to attend games while other non-sports activities have to schedule for times after school or on weekends. Not everybody is interested in sports! My daughter has never once attended a game. I told her she could go home or hang out with her friends during a game, like I used to do years earlier.
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