The Daily Tar Heel
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The Daily Tar Heel

Opinion: Indict the NCAA and UNC, but respect athletes’ struggles

This weekend, the (Raleigh) News & Observer’s top story was a 2,000-word piece on the unorthodox admittance of an athlete into UNC’s graduate school in fall of 2003. For those who hold UNC athletes to a higher standard, former cornerback Michael Waddell’s tale is disappointing.

It also has the unfortunate side effect of perpetuating the stereotype of the academically inept truant that tends to manifest in the absence of good press every time a student-athlete does what’s expected of him or her in the classroom.

The vast majority of student-athletes at UNC appear to do everything by the book. Most of them are somehow able to successfully balance being a full-time student and working a full-time, manual labor job despite a system that stacks the cards against them.

We must remember that nearly all of the blame for the athletic-academic scandal must fall on the institutions involved rather than on the players themselves.

Student-athletes are asked to complete the same work as non-athletes under the pressures of countless hours of practice, frequent missed class and physical exhaustion from the training necessary to compete in Division I athletics.

This is to say nothing of the threats, harassment and humiliation they face when their team loses.

It’s important that we recognize the stresses student-athletes face. And if they’re late to a group meeting, know they’re probably doing their best.

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