Introduction
Sports Sociology is the study and interpretation of what role sport plays in society. It’s a discussion of the good things as well of the bad things that come with sport. Although it is important to recognize the positives of sport I believe the most significant role of sport sociology is establish the negatives, so society recognizes what the problems are so that they can be stopped and/or turned around into a positive. As this research topic is introduced and discussed, it’s important to realize that the purpose of this topic is to recognize what I believe to be a problem, so that it can be mended in order to improve the perception of sport. I believe there is an issue with universities and the athletic department’s mindset towards …show more content…
This is referring to specific university, typically with big name football and basketball programs that advise their student athletes to take courses that will be a course that contains little work to get a high grade. The classes are given so the athlete can maintain a certain GPA in order to play. A report about basketball program at a highly recognized university “found that that about 3,100 students at UNC took the sham classes in the school’s Afro-American Studies department from 1993 to 2011” (Beard). The report continued to state that “nearly half” (Beard) of the students in the report were from the football and basketball teams. The report may have been in the past, but it seems to be a highly talked about subject regarding the academic side of these high profile athletic programs. This university essentially created this course and department in order to create courses that are ‘fake’ and ‘easy’ so that these athletes don’t have to worry about the student side of student-athlete. To build on this topic, the same university had one of its own individuals come out and write a book about the entire situation. The individual said word-for-word “ students were steered, or enrolled, by academic counselors – academic advisors that worked in the Athletic Department – to a lot of paper classes that were offered in the Afro-American Studies Department” …show more content…
These athletes were used or their talents and not genuinely cared about when it came to academics. Did the university departments have any idea that this was happening? The answer to that question is the most disturbing in that, yes, “plenty others in and around that department, who had administrative contact with that department in one way or another, had to have been aware one way or another” (Willingham). The individual then ended the statement by saying “it was more convenient to look the other way” (Willingham). The greatest problem with these ‘higher education institutions’ is that when it comes to their student athletes, it’s easiest to turn their heads when they take these types of courses, and show no concern towards the education of these individuals. This isn’t the only institution this is occurring at, but UNC is the number example. These student-athletes should be held accounted for, because they deserve and need the same education as everyone
Sports Sociology is the study and interpretation of what role sport plays in society. It’s a discussion of the good things as well of the bad things that come with sport. Although it is important to recognize the positives of sport I believe the most significant role of sport sociology is establish the negatives, so society recognizes what the problems are so that they can be stopped and/or turned around into a positive. As this research topic is introduced and discussed, it’s important to realize that the purpose of this topic is to recognize what I believe to be a problem, so that it can be mended in order to improve the perception of sport. I believe there is an issue with universities and the athletic department’s mindset towards …show more content…
This is referring to specific university, typically with big name football and basketball programs that advise their student athletes to take courses that will be a course that contains little work to get a high grade. The classes are given so the athlete can maintain a certain GPA in order to play. A report about basketball program at a highly recognized university “found that that about 3,100 students at UNC took the sham classes in the school’s Afro-American Studies department from 1993 to 2011” (Beard). The report continued to state that “nearly half” (Beard) of the students in the report were from the football and basketball teams. The report may have been in the past, but it seems to be a highly talked about subject regarding the academic side of these high profile athletic programs. This university essentially created this course and department in order to create courses that are ‘fake’ and ‘easy’ so that these athletes don’t have to worry about the student side of student-athlete. To build on this topic, the same university had one of its own individuals come out and write a book about the entire situation. The individual said word-for-word “ students were steered, or enrolled, by academic counselors – academic advisors that worked in the Athletic Department – to a lot of paper classes that were offered in the Afro-American Studies Department” …show more content…
These athletes were used or their talents and not genuinely cared about when it came to academics. Did the university departments have any idea that this was happening? The answer to that question is the most disturbing in that, yes, “plenty others in and around that department, who had administrative contact with that department in one way or another, had to have been aware one way or another” (Willingham). The individual then ended the statement by saying “it was more convenient to look the other way” (Willingham). The greatest problem with these ‘higher education institutions’ is that when it comes to their student athletes, it’s easiest to turn their heads when they take these types of courses, and show no concern towards the education of these individuals. This isn’t the only institution this is occurring at, but UNC is the number example. These student-athletes should be held accounted for, because they deserve and need the same education as everyone