Higher Education: What Kind of Business Do College Sports Do?

While learning is first in institutions of higher learning in Hungary and physical education is only second, it has been reflected in many schools in the United States. This is where college sports can be a tough business.

Latest notebooks, book slips, generous scholarships, proof of absence from classes, a semester ticket for unfinished seminar papers, skipping exams and sometimes homework writing – this is an eclectic pampering remedy for the great athletes of American universities. The “university sport” abroad is a far cry from physical education in higher education in Europe, and especially in Hungary.

At home, institutions clearly focus on studies and graduation, while at the same time trying to appear supportive of a healthy lifestyle and providing opportunities for exercise on campus: among other things, Budapest University of Technology and Economics Center for Physical Education, But Eötvös University Lóránd also has its own swimming pool, for example. Students can compare their knowledge in the National University and College Championships.

In contrast, college sports in the United States are tough business. Each self-sufficient institution has its own sports association, and the two distinct sports are American football and basketball. Universities strive to win the best potential players for themselves, as the cup winning team means not only a lot of money, but also great prestige for the institution. In the United States, the image of the “good athlete” is just as important as the image of the “good student.” In American football, for example, 120 teams play among the best, as last season’s championship was watched live with 1.77 million and 135 million armchairs. This brought in a total of $ 230 million in advertising revenue for the teams’ kitchens.

Physical education departments often operate independently of the university, with an independent budget, sometimes with hundreds of employees, and are exempt from paying taxes because their activities are considered in the public interest. With championship ratings, sponsorship and sponsorship are benefiting a huge company, universities and colleges are investing heavily in development: building huge stadiums and trying to seduce the best coaches: Nick Saban, the University of Alabama football coach, for example, earns $ 3.9 million Mac Brown and 3.1 A million dollars at the University of Texas – I recently reported the United States Daily.

Unfortunately, in making big money, athletes do not get enough attention. Myths swirl about the way universities try to break through the mediocre muscle buds of the exams: after all, its job is to rank the university on its athletic performance. In several places, for example, they cheat athletes who attend a few seminar lectures per week in a full-time course, while others have compiled a homework assignment from a teacher appointed by the Department of Physical Education.

A huge scandal broke out four years ago At Auburn University in Alabama after visiting sociology professor James Gondlach to attend a football match. In the midst of the match, the reporter described one of the attackers as a role model for the sociology department. The praise captured the professor’s attention after he had never met the player’s name before. After a short questioning, it became clear that none of the colleagues had seen this player before. Gundlach launched an investigation that revealed that the university, bypassing its faculty, had certified the poor performance of the athlete and other players with trusted tutors. During the investigation, a lawyer named John Langenfeld admitted that he only had to read one book for his final exam in sociology and summarize it in ten pages.

Appearance can be deceptive, according to US Department of Education statistics, which show that 64 percent of athletes complete their studies, compared to only 62 non-athletes. However, knowing the basic stories mentioned, the situation is not very rosy at the moment. Comparing the education of white and black players, even appearance isn’t very good: at the University of Alabama, 74 percent of white athletes graduate and only forty-eight percent blacks. At the University of Texas, the situation is worse: here, white players are sixty-seven years old, and only thirty-eight percent of blacks leave with a degree in hand.

At first, young people have no idea they could be harmed: the school is exceptional with them, and they are given the opportunity to show themselves and jump in professional sports. A third of them succeed in fulfilling this dream: they enrolled in a professional team after their first year of university. However, the majority falter over the years and end up studying without real knowledge. Education analysts regard this situation as worrying, and some have already tried to change it to make suggestions. Michael Kennedy, a professor at the University of Kentucky, for example, suggested that athletes should only be able to play for four years, and anyone who does not become a professional during that time should get their additional studies for free. Hofstra University of New York abandoned its soccer program last year, spending more than $ 4.5 million annually in sports proceeds on scholarships.

Edulin