CSULB Online 49er: v8n69: Should athletes be allowed to major in their sport?

But why is it all right for a student who loves to dance to major in dance or for a person who loves music to be a music major? Just because it is not an art is not a valid reason, because athletes can be artistic in their field of competition.

When you think about it, dance and music majors have much in common with athletes. All need to be in control of their body to be able to perform. Being an athlete is the same as being a dancer or musician because not everyone can dance or have rhythm.

Now I am not saying that all athletes should major in the sport they play. There are a lot of intelligent student-athletes out there. They could major in anything they want.

But for others, their main purpose to go to college is not to receive a diploma. They are here to get to the professional level and are just trying to audition for professional scouts. The perfect example of this is current New England Patriot Andy Katzenmoyer.

Katzenmoyer, during the summer of 1998 nearly brought embarrassment to Ohio State. In order to remain eligible to play football, he took classes in AIDS awareness, classical music and golf.

When word got out, Katzenmoyer was embarrassed and skipped his final year and headed for the NFL.

So what could the major consist of? Game theory and other classes that would help these athletes become better students of the game. A good class would be a sportsmanship class. After looking at today's athletes and their showboating it looks like this would be a requirement.

Teaching the fundamentals of the game might be nice, especially in basketball. Basketball players could watch games from the 50s so they could learn how to do a good crisp chest pass. A good class here would be free throw shooting.

Andres Cardenas is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.

Con: Why limit students to athletic-based curriculum when a college education can impart so much on an athlete?

By Jeff Dusing

Students majoring in baseball and golf. What is next, underwater basket weaving and the ethics of fly-fishing? If students were allowed to select their sports as their majors, the people that would suffer most would be the athletes.

I will be the first to applaud those who put so much aside to participate in athletic programs. I realize the incredible sacrifice that many of these competitors endure so that they may have the opportunity to step onto the playing field and represent their university.

This does not change the fact that the primary role of a university is education. The mind lasts much longer than the body and those who hope to become professional athletes should always have a skill to fall back on once their competitive years draw to a close.

Majoring in athletics would not develop the intellectual skills needed to be successful in life. If students were to major in their sport, say for example golf, what types of classes would they take? Perhaps the history of golf 101, or maybe the ethics of golf. How would one design curriculum suited for such courses? Can you really see a textbook being titled "Sticks and Stones: A Study of Golf Before Callaway and Titleist?"

If athletes were allowed to major in their sport, what would they do once they graduate? In most cases the competition is so fierce only the very elite could hope to make any money as a player. More often, there is no opportunity for professional play outside of college.

As it stands, athletes are regarded as dedicated students engaged in extracurricular activities that develop character. They certainly are not the types who would find the easy way out.

Even the NCAA agrees that education must come first. That is why it requires every student athlete to maintain a minimum GPA to be eligible for play.

Jeff Dusing is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.