As the NCAA basketball tournament continues, interest groups are discussing the increasing commercialization of college sports and the effects on student-athletes.
One such organization is the Drake Group, an organization of faculty members from colleges and universities all over the country, whose purpose is to help faculty and staff "defend academic integrity in the college sport industry", according to their Web site.
The group held a conference during last weekend's Final Four basketball games to discuss the situation of academics and commercialization of college sports, said Michael Malec, executive committee member of The Drake Group.
Citing the commercial aspects of college sports, Malec said, "There's hundreds of millions of dollars going to broadcast the Final Four. I can imagine right now at Duke, JJ Redick's jersey is getting a lot of sales."
The Drake Group Director David Ridpath agreed.
"The NCAA doesn't operate in an academic model," Ridpath said. "They're operating as a for-profit business, and that's incompatible with the academic model."
The main focus for student-athletes should be academics, not athletics, Ridpath said.
"It's not about athletes' behavior; it's about the faculty's behavior," he explained. "We look at [the athletes] as the victims in this."
According to Malec, there are certain academic disparities between athletes and students at colleges. For instance, athletes are less likely to go into fields such as the natural sciences, he said.
"Some reasons [for the disparities] are a result of pressure to be very, very good in a sport and not being pressured in academics," he said.
However, this is not the case at the University, Tomas Jimenez, associate athletic director for academic affairs said.
"We're one of the best [schools] in the country at making sure that academics are a priority and making sure academics are as big a part of [a student-athlete's] life as anything else," Jimenez said.
He cited the efforts of both students and faculty to create this atmosphere.
"I have been so impressed with the priorities that athletes have and the focus they have on graduating and academics," he said. "The faculty makes sure academics are a priority for all students."
According to Jimenez, there are over 700 student-athletes at the University, and each of them are held to the same academic standards as the rest of the student population.
"It has been a breath of fresh air to see that all students are treated the same, regardless of athletics," he said.
With regards to the commercial aspects of college sports, Jimenez said there is a need for balance.
"As long as it doesn't compromise the academic integrity at any university," Jimenez said. "You don't want to exploit students. You also want to generate revenue. It's a delicate balance and it should not compromise academic integrity."
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