Is College Worth it for Athletes

One of the main arguments as to why athletes go broke, is because they do not receive a full education. This argument has facts that support it, but it is not as simple as it seems. Not going to college can actually have various advantages to athletes which will make it tougher to decide whether going to college is worth it for athletes. An article written for Bleacher Report, one of the most widely read sports news sites, explains the pros and cons of for athletes who do not attend college.

SOURCE: http://www.cchsvoice.org

Pros of not going to college:

1. Athletes are able to start their careers sooner. An athlete's career is already short, and four years of colleges takes up some valuable time that the athlete could be using to make money. If the athlete decides not to spend any more time in college, they get to the big leagues faster which can help them gain a financial foundation sooner.
2. There is less of a risk with career threatening injuries. Sometimes, athletes can be severely injured in college and that can affect their career in the pros. The sooner athletes enter the draft, the less of a risk there is that their career will be impacted by an injury suffered in collegiate sports. And in college, athletes do not receive and benefits from getting injured, in fact, they can lose their starting spots to others. In the pros, athletes will at least receive some form of compensation if they are injured.
3. College is expensive. Sure, athletes will receive scholarships, but a full-ride scholarship is not guaranteed. So athletes will be restricted by their financial status. Going to the draft quicker helps to eliminate some college expenses.
4. Athletes won't always take their education seriously. In the words of starting OSU quarterback Cardale Jones, "Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play football, we ain't come to play school, classes are pointless!" Athletes sometimes will simply not be motivated to take their classes seriously if they know that they are just going to go pro. Then their scholarship become a big waste of money because they are not taking advantage of the resources the school is providing for them. The college would save more money and the athlete would save more time if they entered the draft right away.

Cons of not going to college:

1. It will assist in securing the financial future of the athlete. A college degree can help people get jobs. What are athletes going to do after they retire? They should get a job, so completing their college degree is the safest thing to do to have a sound financial future. Even if athletes decided that they do not need a job, it is always nice to have that college degree in their back pocket in case things don't go as planned.
2. College teaches maturity. So many of the athletes in the pros are very badly behaved. Coincidentally, many athletes in the pros do not have a full college degree. Of course, correlation does not mean causation, but the evidence is there. College classes, as well as college sports teams will help the athlete to develop a work ethic, morals, and behavior that will keep them out of trouble and assist with the management of their finances.
3. College enhances knowledge. College classes are high level classes which hopefully athletes will take seriously. By completing these courses they are gaining knowledge that will be useful in their everyday lives, as well as for their life after retirement. This knowledge might help them manage their finances as well. After all, knowledge is power.

The verdict: While both sides have compelling arguments, the fact of the matter is that they are student-athletes. Student comes before athlete. There are too many risks in not getting an education. The students are already at college, so they might as well take advantage of the great opportunity they have in front of them. There is little risk in going into life without a college degree in hand, but there is a big risk going into life empty-handed.

Future Research: Is frenchising the way to go after athletes retire?