There's an NCAA commercial that pops up every now and again during college sports broadcasts. The ad shows a wide variety of student athletes who play a wide variety of sports. Although they are fully geared up for their respective athletic pursuits, text on the screen displays each athlete's specific area of study.
The point, the audience is told at the end of the commercial, is that a vast majority of college athletes will not go on to perform their sports professionally. Their education is important. They will not be able, or don't want, to live off of athletic abilities forever.
With that in mind, it's good to see that MSU's athletes are performing adequately in the classroom. A progress report released by the NCAA on Monday revealed that MSU is above the national average and on par with the Big Ten average, when it comes to the academics of its scholarship student-athletes. The report awards points to scholarship athletes "who meet academic-eligibility standards and who remain with the institution."
Seven MSU sports teams received flawless scores of 1,000 points, and only two had grades that were considered "failing," though each of them had extenuating circumstances that arguably lowered their scores.
Let's face it, student-athletes put a great deal of time and effort into their sports. They toil through grueling practice sessions and travel hundreds of miles in the interest of representing MSU. The fact that the majority of them can come home at the end of it all and still meet academic expectations not only reflects well on the university, but also challenges the "dumb jock" stereotype that pervades our society.
Still, settling for average should not be the move here. Although MSU Athletics Director Ron Mason professes to feel good about the report's findings, there is always room for improvement. Athletes should be encouraged to excel.
Sure, not all of our student-athletes are going to be Chris Hill, whose exemplary grade-point average is mentioned during most men's basketball game telecasts, but making a concerted effort and leaving MSU with a broad base of knowledge and a degree is, in theory, what counts.
