Football Should Count for Credit

Amid all of the debates over inappropriate payments to athletes, bowl revenue, and graduation rates, one central question that has absolutely nothing to do with football, lingers at the center of all such questions...

What's the purpose of a college/university?

Historically, the university grew out of seminaries and Cathedral schools, and the focus of the curriculum was liberal arts.  Students were not being prepared for jobs in industry---they'd take apprenticeships for that---they were being taught how to think critically about philosophy, politics, literature, and art. 

Obviously the modern-day research university has evolved substantially over the past few decades, focusing more and more on pre-professional training in areas like pre-law, pre-medicine, business, and science.  The fundamental question is this: is the primary mission of a university to educate young men and women to think critically about the world?  Or is it to prepare them for a profession in a chosen field? 

Glancing at the requirements for business majors, which include a whole dollop of accounting, finance, macro, micro, and the like, or pre-meds, that have organic chemistry, physics, biology, and calculus... it seems as though most schools are moving further and further in the direction of pre-professional training.

So here's the question... why shouldn't participation in a college sport like football count for credit?  Isn't learning how to throw a tight spiral or read a naked bootleg analagous to learning how to use a pipet or create a flochart? 

(Not everyone who plays college football is going to play in the NFL, but not everyone who takes orgo is going to become a doctor, either.) 

I'm pretty sure that student athletes participating in a varsity sport do receive college credits.  I want to say that at Ohio State they receive 2 credits per quarter.  Other schools such as Kansas State, BYU, Georgia, Florida State, etc. also give credits.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~aaupweb/documents/Washington%20Post
%20Athletes%20Credit.pdf

This is an interesting idea.

The job of the college is a little of both in my opinion. Prepare the student for a professional career after they graduate and teach them how to think about the world in terms of politics, philosophy and the like.

I think the only snag on this is that students who go to college just to play football and are already taking basket weaving as a major will have to take no college level in their three years at school. They can fill up those three years with just introductory courses (although I suppose they can do that without football as credits as well)...

They do spend a great deal of time there, perhaps a payment for playing (as a work study) would be more appropriate.

They do spend a great deal of time there, perhaps a payment for playing (as a work study) would be more appropriate.

Financial remuneration is not, in my opinion, the answer.  It's bad enough that some schools can establish "non-affiliated" entities whereby boosters can divert under-the-table monies to lure players to programs like USC and Oklahoma. 

As I've said before, most of these players already receive free tuition, housing, and food, and get stipends on top of that.  They have no living expenses (unless they take it upon themselves to buy jewelry or blackberries or whatever else). 

That is true How but it happens. Since it happens why doesn't the NCAA just regulate it.

I heard an interview the other day and the guy worked for the NCAA and was talking about payments. He said they don't even stop and look for the "100 dollar handshake", or the "oh look at that 100 dollar bill on the table...it might be yours".

Although the NCAA isn't great about policing things...

So here's the question... why shouldn't participation in a college sport like football count for credit?  Isn't learning how to throw a tight spiral or read a naked bootleg analagous to learning how to use a pipet or create a flochart?It was an NAIA school, but I don't see why it would be different for NCAA schools - anyway, I received academic credit for playing basketball.

I got 2 credits a semester for playing college football both at 1-A and 1-AA level.  So it happens.  thing is, once you've satisfied any phys ed requirement, those credits no longer count for anything.

What you're saying is that they should count toward a degree in recreation or sports management or something.  I majored in bio so they didn't help me but maybe you get more of them to count in another area.  That I don't know.

I think you should get credit for watching football, too.  Heck...I'd get a second degree.

Football Appreciation 101, here I come....

I didn't