"Three of the Sweet 16 schools fail to graduate even half of their overall student populations."

News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:33 AM EDT

Article Source: The Washington Post

sports, college, basketball, ncaa, university, graduation, sweet-16, tourney, the-dance

When March Madness ends next Monday, the NCAA men's basketball champions will get to cut down the nets at the Georgia Dome and visit the White House. What many won't go on to do is graduate from college. And the classmates celebrating their school's triumph might not either. In fact, colleges that excel in the top tier of basketball — Division I — have dismal graduation rates overall, not just for their players. There are also profound gaps between their graduation rates for white and black students. Three of the Sweet 16 schools fail to graduate even half of their overall student populations. Fourteen schools have overall black-white male graduation rate gaps of more than 10 percentage points.

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2.2

{"commentId":613874,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

Which just goes to show that college sports have stopped being about college and are really just a minor league pro-league with lower paychecks and better looking cheerleaders.

{"commentId":613874,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"killfile"}

9 votes

#1 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:36 AM EDT

{"commentId":614191,"authorDomain":"dcuben"}

dcuben

How true - I miss the Dean Smith days!

{"commentId":614191,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"dcuben"}

1 vote

#1.1 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:33 AM EDT

{"commentId":613945,"authorDomain":"spookybf"}

Spooky Boyfriend

That's why so many basketball players from the powerhouse schools go pro their junior year. I noticed the vast difference in graduation rates between players and general students from UCLA and USC.

{"commentId":613945,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"spookybf"}

1 vote

#2 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:42 AM EDT

{"commentId":614107,"authorDomain":"ejesse"}

ejesse

Memphis makes the final four with 25%...

UNLV is the only school with a decent excuse. Not sure I would have managed to not flunk out in that town.

{"commentId":614107,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"ejesse"}

#3 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:36 AM EDT

{"commentId":614222,"authorDomain":"deatienza"}

Eric Atienza

What was even more shocking to me was some of those overall graduation rates. Memphis graduates 33.3% of students? Seriously?
I imagine even accounting for transfers a lot of those rates are abysmal.

{"commentId":614222,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"deatienza"}

4 votes

#4 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:53 AM EDT

{"commentId":614237,"authorDomain":"enigmaobscura"}

enigma

I don't know why it's a surprise when it's obvious that universities put sports way ahead of the education they're supposed to be selling you. But it's still a shame. Just goes to show the value people place on sports, money and education in this country.

{"commentId":614237,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"enigmaobscura"}

3 votes

#5 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:59 AM EDT

{"commentId":614260,"authorDomain":"sleazell"}

Sleazell

Think of all the tuition wasted on these athletes as I am sure the grad. rates for football probably isn't great either. Meanwhile the tuittion goes up for public schools every year.

{"commentId":614260,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"sleazell"}

#6 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:11 PM EDT

{"commentId":614557,"authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

Jay Butler

Think of all the alumni giving and other revenues that their sports generate. I would bet that almost every Div I school generates more revenues on sports than it spends on those sports and the tuitions of the athletes combined.

There is nothing as good as sports to give the alumni a connection back to their schools. The games are often opportunities to go back the campus. That all leads to higher donations.

Even in the school I attended (Div I basketball, Div I-AA football), the connection between sports and alumni giving was strong.

{"commentId":614557,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

2 votes

#6.1 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:33 PM EDT

{"commentId":614273,"authorDomain":"Doorman"}

Schnitzel

Nobody gets gifts from backers for pulling straight A's...

When I attended U. of Iowa in '86, all the front linesmen on the football team had been given matching gold Honda Elite scooters. As I was on the wrestling team and was privy to the goings-on in the athletic department, lots of the athletes I saw daily gave unsoclicited corroborations of that...

Nice.

{"commentId":614273,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"Doorman"}

2 votes

#7 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:22 PM EDT

{"commentId":614672,"authorDomain":"dreaming"}

dreaming

It's always been pretty clear to me that the farm system that exists for kids who want to be professional athletes very simply shouldn't be connected in way, shape or form, with standard athletics.

It's a corrupting influence on the Universities, and it creates a lot of lying and wastes a lot of time. Really, if they want to be a professional athlete, that's their decision. If they don't want an education, then they should just be honest about it and go to a program geared specifically for them.

Unfortunately, the present system makes a lot of money for a lot of people so it won't really change from its current form.

{"commentId":614672,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"dreaming"}

#8 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:29 PM EDT

{"commentId":614882,"authorDomain":"marinp"}

Marin-137737

"It's a corrupting influence on the Universities, and it creates a lot of lying and wastes a lot of time. Really, if they want to be a professional athlete, that's their decision. If they don't want an education, then they should just be honest about it and go to a program geared specifically for them."

That's bullplop. While I agree the graduation rates total are abysmal, you cannot fault some of these athletes (who make up a very, very small percentage of the school) for leaving early. I don't see anyone giving Bill Gates crap for dropping out and now getting an honorary degree.

And many students, athletes or not, decide that college is not for them after a year or two.

{"commentId":614882,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"marinp"}

1 vote

#9 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 5:23 PM EDT

{"commentId":619510,"authorDomain":"uspolitics"}

Kathy Gill

While I agree the graduation rates total are abysmal, you cannot fault some of these athletes (who make up a very, very small percentage of the school) for leaving early. I don't see anyone giving Bill Gates crap for dropping out and now getting an honorary degree.

A. The comparison to Gates is logically flawed.

Gates did not go to a public school -- HS or college -- known for its sports program.

He went from a private college prep high school (Seattle's most exclusive prep school) to Harvard, an exclusive private university. In 2004, Harvard charged $40K for tuition, room, board. (source) Harvard's five-year graduation rate is 95%. (source)

B. I don't think people were faulting the athletes for the poor graduation rates -- I read people commenting about overall rates, not just the graduation rates of athletes.

If the NCAA put a value on successful completion of a diploma -- then the rates would go up. Plain and simple.

For tonight's match up .. we have Florida v OSU -- look at the graduation rates (team members, overall). Do you think you can pick the winner based on that statistic?

{"commentId":619510,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"uspolitics"}

1 vote

#9.1 - Mon Apr 2, 2007 7:18 PM EDT

{"commentId":615056,"authorDomain":"dreaming"}

dreaming

That's bullplop. While I agree the graduation rates total are abysmal, you cannot fault some of these athletes (who make up a very, very small percentage of the school) for leaving early. I don't see anyone giving Bill Gates crap for dropping out and now getting an honorary degree.

And many students, athletes or not, decide that college is not for them after a year or two.

I didn't fault the athlete's (much), I fault a corrupt system which forces them to lie and creates a system where schools frequently fake entire scholastic programs for their benefit. Their goal is to go play professional basketball, but even though that is plainly the goal, they are obligated by the farm system to pursue other degrees.

Of course some of them really do want a degree, which is great. But a lot of these athlete's will tell you quite specifically they only go to college because of the farm system. They shouldn't have to do that. It makes no sense to force the situation.

How much sense does it make really, that they generate millions of dollars for the school, and yet cannot receive any gift or payment? Is that fair? Is it fair that schools need them so much that they give undeserved grades? The whole system is out of balance, because of a fundamental lie in it's creation.

I really don't understand your position at all. "Bullplop" is also a new word for me, though I can guess what that means at least, even if I don't know what you mean.

{"commentId":615056,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"dreaming"}

1 vote

#10 - Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:18 PM EDT

{"commentId":615383,"authorDomain":"jefflurie"}

Jeff Lurie

It's a sad sign of the times when some of the players only framed achievement from their college days will be a piece of net.

{"commentId":615383,"threadId":"89329","contentId":"639357","authorDomain":"jefflurie"}

1 vote

#11 - Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:31 AM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"89329","isPrivate":false}

KILLFILE

Backyard

"Three of the Sweet 16 schools fail to graduate even half of their overall student populations."

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