The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports

Kenneth L. Shropshire; Collin D. Williams

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press 2017

The Miseducation of the Student Athlete

How to Fix College Sports

Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams

https://doi.org/10.9783/9781613630815

Overview
Contents

About this book

In The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports, Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr., introduce The Student-Athlete Manifesto, a roadmap to increase the likelihood that student-athletes can succeed both on and off the field. They also offer a Meaningful Degree Model, which ensures education pays for everyone.

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The student-athlete's life: practice, gym, weight room, film review, repeat. Simply put, sports come first. Academics is a distant second.

As the revenues generated by big-time college sports continue to skyrocket, virtually all of the debate involves whether (and how much) student-athletes should be paid for play. Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr., argue that "student" has to come first in student-athlete: the focus should be on prioritizing a meaningful education.

In The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports, Shropshire and Williams draw on new research to reveal that it has become increasingly difficult for college athletes to balance school and sports, much less a social life, leading to serious economic, professional, and emotional consequences for young people. Given that fewer than 2% of all college men's basketball and football players will play at the professional level, the other 98% of student-athletes must be prepared to find and perform well in jobs outside of their respective field of play.

In this bold call to action, Shropshire and Williams explain how we got here and what can be done about it. They lay out The Student-Athlete Manifesto, a roadmap to increase the likelihood that student-athletes can succeed both on and off the field. They also offer a Meaningful Degree Model, which ensures education pays for everyone, along with stories of success that show it is possible to be both a student and an athlete.

A critical read for student-athletes, sports leadership, policy makers, and anyone who loves college sports, The Miseducation of the Student Athlete has the potential to disrupt college sport and create lasting change.

Author / Editor information

Kenneth L. Shropshire is the CEO of the Global Sport Institute and the adidas Distinguished Professor of Global Sport at Arizona State University. He is also Wharton Endowed Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Collin D. Williams, Jr., is an educator, author, and researcher addressing race and other issues of diversity through the lens of sport. He serves as the Director of Leadership and Education Programs in the South region for RISE, the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality.

Reviews

Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr., examine a controversial issue that many choose to ignore because it is either uncomfortable or not financially beneficial for them to do so. I applaud Shropshire and Williams for providing an in-depth analysis of the present reality called life for student-athletes. The public needs to analyze who benefits the most, in the long-term, from student participation in intercollegiate athletics. This is a must-read for anyone truly interested in participating in the conversation.

When grades take a back seat to the playing field, the term 'student athlete' can appear to be contradictory. Shropshire (Global Sport/Arizona State; Sport Matters, 2015, etc.) and debut author Williams seek to change this perception, arguing that, while athletics pay off for a select few, education benefits almost everyone . . . . As academics, the authors are used to marshaling evidence to support their assertions, and the research they lay out here is impressive. It's clear that they're no fans of the present system, yet their discussion is refreshingly free of displays of cynicism and outrage. An uncompromising look at America's college-sports conundrum, offering a controversial solution that just might work.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Foreword Shaun R. Harper Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Introduction: Righting a Misguided Discourse Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Chapter 1 Money and College Sports Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2 The Miseducation of the Student-Athlete Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
Chapter 3 Time for Change? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	25
Chapter 4 The Solution: Constructive, Disruptive Systemic Change Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
Chapter 5 Moving toward Change and Implementing Solutions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	59
Conclusion: Academic and Athletic Success Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
Acknowledgment Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
About the Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
About Wharton School Press Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
About The Wharton School Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	96

Language: English
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Pages
- Main content: 120
Keywords: college athletes; college athletics; college education; college football; college basketball; college baseball; business of college sports; higher education; educational policy; college sports; education of student athletes

eBook

Published: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 9781613630815