Academic scores drop a little, but really who cares

Division I sports are an academic joke. I know there is a couple of Blake Hoffarbers out there who actually work hard at academics, but a large amount struggle like Al Nolen and need a tutor.

And you know what? That makes sense. Not everyone is good at everything. Whereas I do above average in the classroom, I would get an F+ trying to play Division I basketball. Whereas Al Nolen does above average on the court being an adequate Division I point guard, he does poorly in the classroom. So, give him a tutor to help with his papers and tests. It would be no different if I wanted to be a Division I Athlete and I got the best personal basketball coach in the world.

So when word came out today the boy’s basketball scored the lowest and the football team scored the second lowest in the latest Academic Progress Report (APR)- a measuring tool for the NCCA- my reaction was this: Just so long as they don’t get scholarships taken away and don’t wind up on academic probation, so what?

It’s like me with chemistry class: Just don’t fail. That’s all the football team and basketball team has to do academically: Just don’t fail.

Because football and basketball make money for the school (at least that is what they are suppose to do for most Division I school, don’t know if the crappy football at the U has, but basketball I bet has) it is there job to perform well on the field and just well enough in the classroom so they are able to play their best players and PLAY WELL ON THE FIELD!!

Meanwhile, when I heard baseball, means gymnastic, means tennis, women’s cross-country, women’s basketball, women’s gymnastic, soccer, women’s swimming, and women’s golf all earned perfect scores, my reaction was this:

That’s your guy’s job! It is your job to raise our Athletic Department’s APR up while Football and Basketball are just getting by, not failing, and hopefully playing well on the field and raising money for the school.

And if you guys happen to be good and stuff, great! But if not? So what!

And if any of the players on the sports that aren’t shown on primetime TV on the major TV networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX are offended by this I am going to quote a former Division I athlete and Miami Hurricane Player turned professional wrestler named Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

“Shut your mouth and know your role!”

You have every right to pursue your dreams and aspirations, but don’t be pissed off when I say the Athletic Department at the U cares about how well you guys do. If they had the choice of the football team winning a national championship and the women’s soccer team winning a national championship, athletic director Joe Maturi would choose the football team faster than Bill Clinton would chose anyone to do ‘it’ with over Hillary.

So when Maturi said, “Women's soccer is the poster child.” All I could do was laugh.

The only thing women’s soccer is the poster for, is the bathroom wall at a frat house.

But seriously, congrats on making it to the sweet 16 last year in the NCCA women’s soccer tournament, hopefully you made money for the school like the Basketball team did in the past when they made it to the sweet 16.