Get graduation rates up; New rule would recognize athletes are students, too

A proposal to require NCAA Division I basketball teams to graduate at least 40 percent of their students is a great step to further the underlying principle of college athletic programs: preparation for life after sports.

The proposal is the culmination of a study by a University of Central Florida researcher into the racial gap in basketball player graduation rates. Teams that do not graduate 40 percent of their students would be barred from participating in the postseason.

Currently, 84 percent of white and 56 percent of black Division 1 basketball players graduate. The proposed benchmark of 40 percent, therefore, targets only those universities with the lowest student-athlete academic performance.

While the proposal is intended to help bridge this gap, it also incentivizes universities to ensure their athletes are well prepared for life after college.

The NCAA estimates that only 1.2 percent of male senior basketball players will be drafted by the NBA. That leaves more than 98 percent in search of a job outside of professional sports. It is the responsibility — indeed, the duty — of an educational institution to make sure these college athletes can be successful off the court.

At UNC, the graduation rate of basketball players is 75 percent. John Blanchard, senior associate director of athletics at UNC, said that while he thinks there are problems with the proposal, something needs to be done about underperforming athletes.

The overarching purpose of a university is to educate. Student-athletes are not exempt from this; in fact, their academic performance should receive special attention.

Athletes are recruited to colleges primarily because of their physical talents, not their intellectual wherewithal. But regardless of the student, a university should seek to educate and prepare all those who attend.

The proposed 40 percent benchmark will encourage universities to make sure they do not focus just on a student’s performance on the basketball court.

When it comes to the student, the most important aspect of college are the benefits and opportunities it will provide not for four years, but a lifetime.