The Athlete-Students

You hear it every year, most often during the NCAA Tournament which just ended...well a while ago.  The term "Student-athletes"...also known as the world's most overused and frustrating misnomer.  Welcome to the United States world of universities in the 21st century.  You listen to some of the "student-athletes" speak and you wonder "where have our priorities gone?".  Or well, I do.  The world has been marred by the obsession of athletes and sports.  They make more money than almost everyone, and often they spend it faster too, wasting millions of dollars and going bankrupt...making you wonder, "student-athletes" or "athlete-students"?.  It is embarrassing, honestly.  At a parochial school in Cincinnati, Ohio called Elder there was a valedictorian who dreamed of going to Notre Dame.  He took Advanced Placement classes, graduated with above a 4.0 GPA, scored highly on the SAT and ACT tests, was an all-district offensive lineman, and a beyond solid character.  He was put on the waiting list and eventually rejected.  One year later, a student from the same school has a dream, to go to Notre Dame.  He is 6'6", a top 10 Tight End in football, has solid hands, an impressive 40 yard dash, and a 3.6 GPA...but that is in level 3 and 4 classes.  He graduated in the middle of the pack of his high class, somewhere in the sixties.  He was given a full ride scholarship to Notre Dame.  Apparently, the world needs high quality Tight Ends with nearly zero hope of ever making it to the NFL to go to one of the premiere colleges in the country whilst someone who has slaved away to earn every honor academically a high school can offer is rejected.  These are the priorities of colleges in the 2000's.  An old cliche goes, nothing is more valuable than the mind of a child...except for the athleticism of another child.  Granted, sports bring in the big bucks...which is why sportsmen earn them as well.  This article on a blog 10 people read won't change the way the world turns, but I can blog what I want.  I'd like to offer a toast, to the athlete-students.  Without you, I would have nothing to complain about this evening.  Good luck in your acade....athletic ventures.  I will saunter off to community college, where my 1520 SAT score will be appreciated.