Lafayette Newspaper Columns
A.D.MINISTRATION Should Athletes Be Required to Maintain a Specific Academic Level?
By Harry Ostro
(Originally published in the
February 1983 issue)
This article was written by football coach Harry Ostro and published in Scholastic Magazine in 1983. It has been deemed one of the finest commentaries on a subject long ignored by school administrators. It has been read by Coach's and faculty at all levels of scholastic athletics and used by academians as a teaching tool worldwide. - V.C.
With accountability becoming the watchword in athletic administration, the spotlight has been turned on the academic side of our student athletes. Are they maintaining a reasonable grade average? Are they being coddled academically? Are they graduating with the reading, writing, and math skills that will prepare them for the next educational level? And what about the colleges? Are they accepting athletes who are academic underachievers, who do not have the same qualifications as other students? This type of treatment is attracting the attention of our courts.
A recent Federal District Court required the University of Minnesota to reinstate a basketball player who had been declared academically ineligible. The judge felt that the complainant had been recruited as a basketball player, not a student, and that his opportunity for a professional basketball career had been impaired. Another shocking example of special treatment occurred in Omaha, Neb. After going to college for four years on a basketball scholarship, Kevin Ross had to enroll in a storefront school for seventh and eighth graders to catch up on the basics he had missed in elementary school, high school, and college! What an indictment of the "professionals" involved in his 16-year academic career.
"C" LEVEL IN LA. Recently, the Los Angeles Board of Education passed a rule requiring students to maintain a "C" average in order to participate in interscholastic athletics. This new regulation is obviously an outgrowth of the recent scandals, where we've had athletes with miniscule grade averages earning scholarships to major colleges. The educators responsible for the "C" grade-level requirement in L.A. are no doubt highly motivated, sincere, and committed people. Their pursuit of excellence in education is a worthwhile objective. But will their rule be able to survive judicial testing? For one thing, isn't it discriminatory to require an athlete to achieve a higher academic standard than that of other students? Is it fair to require athletes to maintain a specific grade level, but not participants in other extra-curricular activities such as band, glee club, cheerleaders, etc.? If the athletic program is a vital part of the total educational process, as we all agree it is, shouldn't it be made available to every student of the school?
RIGHT OR PRIVILEGE? This leads to the next question: Is participation in the after-school athletic program a right or a privilege? The courts seem to be unsure. Every case appears to be adjudicated on its I own merits. For the most part, the courts have not viewed varsity participation as a constitutionally protected right, and have found for the school districts, local arid state associations. They have reinstated athletes whenever they've felt that the plaintiffs were not afforded due process or that their failure to meet the eligibility requirements was beyond their control. Example: extended illness, accident, etc. In the present climate, the argument that participation in afterschool athletics is a privilege and that the A.D.'s and coach's word is final is no longer sacrosanct. We agree that you cannot organize and supervise a meaningful program without regulations and rules. We agree that the demand for higher academic standards is a worthwhile objective and that the standards should be the same for all participants in after-school activity - that the athlete should not be singled out for special treatment. But we also know that athletics is an important part of the educational experience and can be a strong force in motivating students to stay in school and achieve academically.
A great deal depends upon the students. We all don't have Westinghouse scholars or "All-American" athletes. Some athletes have the discipline to hit the books hard in order to make the team. Other athletes have the potential for academic and athletic success, but are never given the opportunity because of previous academic failures. We must kindle that spark. Every student should be allowed to try out for a squad. Once-under the guidance of a corrimitted coach, he can be given direction and aid in becoming eligible and remaining eligible. At the same time, we should never dilute academic standards or offer special privileges for athletes. The academic weaklings should be allowed to stay on the squad, but not to participate until they meet the requirements.
IMPROVING STANDARDS The A.D. and coach are going to have to develop strategies to improve the athlete's academic standing. This does not mean arranging the student's program to see that he gets the "right" teachers. It does mean becoming involved in the life of the youngster. The A.D./Coach must see that the athlete sets goals, particularly for his life after athletics. Academic achievement is an essential part of such goalsetting. The A.D./Coach must work on the athlete's stick-to-it-iveness, as opposed to give-it-up-ness. A daily report card should be given to each athlete, and he should be instructed to take it to every class. The subject teacher should indicate whether the work done that day was satisfactory (knowledge of subject, did homework, recited in class, etc.). The athlete should return the signed card to the coach at the end of the day. Both should go over it together to assure the most beneficial results. The A.D./Coach should also work with school counselors in developing after-school tutorial programs. The daily report card will identify those having difficulty. These athletes should be excused early or allowed to come to practice late in order to attend the tutorial classes. Interested faculty members should be enlisted as tutors. You may discuss this with the faculty advisor of the School Honor Sodety. Student volunteers may be recruited from this group. If booster groups help finance the athletic program, you may indicate a desire to channel some of the funds to the special tutors. A dial-a-tutor service will work very handsomely. Interested parents and other citizens with competence in specific subject areas can man the phones. They can help students with questions about homework assignments. These programs are going to need the complete cooperation of the administration and faculty. The A.D. is going to have market them, and this won't happen if he remains passive. Once the academically deficient student shows progress, they should immediately be made eligible. They shouldn't have to wait a full term or year. If they retrogress, they should be returned to the tutorial services. The athlete who participates in such programs soon learns that people care. The A.D. should never underestimate what caring can do to turn around the indifferent learned.
STICKING IT OUT Every effort should be made to keep the failing kid. Too many of them, once they drop out and hit the streets, will drift into undesirable social channels. You simply have to make the effort. You may not win them all, but you must at least try. "Just because the message was never received doesn't mean it wasn't worth sending." A coach should not be judged only on his won and lost record, but also on how many kids he helped (physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially) achieve their maximum potential and graduate with their class. Rules and regulations are essential for fair and equal competition. There'll always be challenges to these rules, as there'll always be individuals who feel that the rules are arbitrary, capricious, and unfair. The A.D., in concert with other administrators and the Board of Education, should set up Hardship or Appeals committees. We don't mean Abominal No-Mans - people who feel that the law must always be carried out to the letter. The committee members should listen to plaintiffs and make sure that every case receives due process. There is a price that must be paid for program control. That price is eternal vigilance - we must see that all students are given a fair opportunity to compete in the after-school program. We must believe in what we are doing and show a concern for the health and welfare of all the students. If we do this, the courts will not intervene. They will allow the school districts and state associations to remain in conimand of their programs. That means we won't have to drink the hemlock!
