4/11/02- The Plan to Return Sanity to College Athletics...

For the last several years I've been kicking around a few ideas to fix some of the problems encountered in collegiate athletics. 

The Problems...

Some athletes enroll in college with a minimal chance of graduation.  A number of factors come into play here.  Some athletes are motivated by the potential to turn professional or simply don't have the academic skills or motivation to see a degree program to completion.

Some athletes in revenue sports (football, basketball) feel exploited by a system that generates millions of dollars of revenue while putting unreasonable restrictions on their ability to work and earn additional money.  Year round commitments are required that expose athletes to injury and risk without the benefit of insurance protection.  This feeling of exploitation creates an atmosphere ripe for corruption.

Unrealistic demands are made on the time of student athletes in season.  Student athletes are expected to carry a full academic load while making a huge time commitment to their sport. 

The Reality...

Much of the griping seems to come from pro athletes who after signing multi million dollar contracts look back at their situation while in college.  What percentage of athletes can reasonably complain that colleges were getting the benefit of their million dollar skills for the cost of a scholarship? 

There are approximately 115 division I Football teams.  Each can carry a roster of approximately 100 players.  That means that are about 11,500 athletes competing in Division I.  In this year's NFL draft there will be a total of 261 selections made during 7 rounds.  Let's say for the sake of this discussion that every player drafted makes the NFL (a HUGE stretch of the imagination).  Let's say that half of those players are eligible for draft (seniors or other who have decided to declare for the draft early.)  The means that means that 0.045% (261/5750) of division I football players will go pro.  A more realistic prediction is that players in the first three rounds will likely make their respective teams for 0.017 % (98/5750) success rate. 

People will say these numbers are misleading, A football factory like Michigan sends a much higher percentage of players to the pro ranks. 

During the 1990's the Wolverines had approximately 5 players drafted per year (47 players drafted/10 years = 4.7)  That means that a player at Michigan has a about a 0.05% chance of being drafted.  Much better than our theoretical national average but what does being drafted really mean?  From the the period of 1990-1995 Michigan had 30 players drafted.  Their average NFL career lasted 4 seasons (with 7 players remaining active).  Only 9 of the 47 players drafted during 1990's were taken in the 1st round along with its customary signing bonus and guaranteed money.

What does it mean?

It means that the one thing that 95% of Michigan football players can hope to get out of playing football for the Wolverines is a degree.  Even the players who are skilled enough to go to the NFL can't count on a long career or substantial initial contract and on the average fall back on their degree within 5 years of leaving Michigan.

An incredibly small percentage of players can make the argument that Michigan took advantage of their 'pro' caliber skills.  Indeed, a strong argument could be made that these players benefited from the coaching and competition provided by Michigan to enhance their pro prospects.

Due to the small percentage of college athletes who move on to the pro level it makes no sense to drastically overhaul the system for the benefit of so few.

But Phil- The best players may skip college completely.

That would be a pretty stupid decision on their part considering the job prospects for someone without a college education.  But if that's the case so be it.  They probably shouldn't be in college in the first place...

Any changes should be aimed at encouraging students to complete their degrees and protect them while they are participating in their sport.

To this end I think that the following changes should be made to college athletics.

The Plan...

Credits for Eligibility-  Student athletes earn their eligibility by reaching credit totals before playing their sports.  It takes 120 credits to graduate from Michigan.  A full time class load is 12 credits.  That means that an athlete is eligible to participate in their sport after earning 24 credits.  It's just that simple.  Want to play your first year?  You had better get a some AP credit, take some classes at your community college during high school, or graduate and enroll in college early. 

The first year of college is critical for later success of students. Give student athletes the ability to acclimate to the college atmosphere.  Make sure that they can handle the academics before allowing them full participation.  If this make some athletes skip college- so what?  They probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.  Looking at the statistics it makes more sense in the long run to give athletes every opportunity to get grounded academically.  Most will be needing their degree a lot sooner than they think.  Let them go to team meetings, work out, etc.  But make it clear you either perform in the classroom or you don't play.

Credit for Sports Participation-  Acknowledge the fact that college sports take up a huge percentage of time.  Give varsity athletes 16 credits after their first 24 to be used during their sports seasons.  Make athletics a minor.  Example: a football player can gets 4 credits to use during the fall semester which means they need to take classes to earn 8 other credits.  A basketball player could take 2 credits each semester since their season covers both.  Take the 16 credits out of a student's total that wouldn't count towards a major.  Let the athletics take the place of 'general' introductory credit classes.

Adjust outside income restrictions-  Scholarship athletes are prohibited from the working during the school year.  This makes them dependant on the whatever stipend comes with their scholarship and vulnerable to people trying to 'help' them out (I.E. The Ed Martins of the world).  Allow athletes to work and/or adjust the stipends according to some kind of cost of living index in their respective cities.

Provide health insurance for athletes year round-  If an athlete is hurt training for their sports between school terms the NCAA should provide some kind of coverage to protect them.

Make summer voluntary workouts 'official'-  Voluntary workouts are one of the biggest jokes in college athletics.  Allow these session to be run by qualified coaches who can be responsible for what happens.

Conclusion

Well, these are a few of my ideas.  I'd be interested in hearing your feedback in the discussion forum.
 

Go Blue!

Phil Callihan
UMGoBlue.COM- By Fans...For Fans
phil@umgoblue.com

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