Academic standards for athletes have taken a turn for the worst when it comes to overall expectations.
In many D.C. Public Schools (DCPS), to play a sport, there are no grade point average (GPA) requirements. To play, athletes are simply not allowed to receive more than one ‘F.’ Essentially meaning athletes can receive all ‘D’s’ and one ‘F’ and still be eligible to compete.
“Colleges are raising their requirements to compete as a student athlete as a result of higher NCAA standards, so DCPS lowering their standards may give high school student-athletes even more of a false hope that they can compete at a collegiate level,” Molly Tye, an athletic advisor in the Howard University Athletics Department, said.
Having no GPA requirements allows athletes to set lower standards for themselves.
“…the education they’re [students] offered is already lacking. Now it is found to be acceptable to know less, which means they will try even less in the classroom,” junior marketing major Rasheed Van Putten said. Van Putten is also a youth mentor and staff member for an after school program in a local D.C. school.
Many student-athletes are not aware that it’s not just about their ability to play the game. Grades matter.
Lowering the GPA requirement for athletes demonstrates the lack of encouragement and support that DCPS offers their students. “Lowering the requirement for student-athletes is a step in the wrong direction. The United States is already behind in education when compared to other countries,” Van Putten said.
College recruiting is a four year process. Recruiters not only observe the athletes’ ability to play, but they also examine student-athletes’ transcripts.
A transcript is the student-athletes’ resume to college athletics. “A lot of students don’t realize that colleges look at grades. It is not all about talent,” Nikeema Kadary, a junior public relations major and a compliance student assistant in the Howard University Athletic Department, said.
According to U.S. News, football players average 220 points lower on the SAT than their classmates. Men’s basketball was 227 points lower. Numbers such as these reflect the lack of learned academics while in high school.
Although DCPS have lowered their GPA requirements for student-athletes to participate in the game, they have now found a loophole in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility regulations.
According to The Washington Post, athletes in DCPS will have a fifth year to complete their eligibility, meaning athletes can seek an extra year to improve athletic performance under a bylaw revision approved by D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. “The new guidelines reflect how obsolete DCPS is,” Putten said. “The only time Michelle Rhee’s administration makes a structural change seems as if they are purposefully trying to make things worse.”
By becoming fifth-year seniors, student- athletes intentionally fail to graduate from high school hoping they can improve their chances of playing sooner in college.
The purpose of this is for student-athletes to use the “sliding scale” requirements. “I have actually heard some of friends in high school talk about the sliding scale,” Kadary said. “They really believe staying behind is not going to hinder them in the future. How wrong are they?”
The NCAA determines initial eligibility by considering the student-athlete’s final grade-point average along with scores from a standardized test such as the SAT. These two factors are used in the “sliding scale,” meaning the higher the GPA, the lower the test score an athlete needs to be eligible.
In theory, being a fifth-year senior is the only way to improve one’s GPA. By not graduating, a student can repeat the 12th-grade at any school and can still improve his GPA by retaking classes at any school. The athlete will fail a course, such as English, in order to stay behind to have an extended period to play sports and improve their GPA.
With the change, starting as freshmen, students will have 10 semesters to complete four years of athletic eligibility. The change will mean that they can, “redshirt,” or remain out of varsity sports for a year to extend their eligibility.
Before the sliding scale, the minimum for NCAA eligibility was a 2.0 GPA and a 700 SAT score. By using the “sliding scale” it de-emphasizes the SAT score and gives more weight to the GPA. “Students who have low GPAs may have trouble getting through clearinghouse and attaining a scholarship,” Van Putten said.
According to The Washington Post, the NCAA enacted a rule to respond to the academic fraud when dealing with fifth-year seniors. The rule prohibits high school athletes from taking more than four years to complete work in core academic courses. Those who need more than four years must apply for a waiver to be eligible to play college athletics.
According to Howard University Athletics Department they do not use a “sliding scale” for athletes upon entry. Also once an athlete enters the athletic department they have to maintain certain requirements to be able to continue to compete.
“To compete at Howard, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and pass a certain number of classes to have a specific percentage of your degree complete at the end of each of year,” Tye said. “We believe that you are a student first, above all else and that academic success and graduation should be your first priority.”
Athletics versus academics is an ongoing argument. The debate continues on which one must, if necessary, be sacrificed for the other to succeed. For future athletes, a solution is in the works.
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