Less than 2% of junior college athletes end up going pro. For the other 98%, community college needs to make academics more of a priority.
LBCC should raise the GPA requirement to 2.5. Setting a higher standard would help motivate students who are earning lower grades.
LBCC hasn’t produced an NBA player in 45 years, an MLB player in 15 years, and only 2 NFL players since 2005.
Athletes need to get rid of this notion that they will go pro and focus on their academic careers. Non-athletes come to college to earn a degree, athletes need to have the same mentality.
There is a life after college sports. While a 2.0 is passing, students will be put at a disadvantage when entering the workforce after college. They will also have wasted money, time, and effort just to play their sport.
Athletics should be a privilege, not a last-chance athletic career opportunity. Junior college athletic GPA requirements are already lower than many four-year institutions.
Many universities have an athletic requirement of a 2.5. Those universities also have higher average grades for student-athletes.
Assistant football coach, Neo Aoga, talked about how this would affect some of his players.
He said that some players live without parents, commute and work jobs to support themselves and their dependables.
“Division one athletes can get away with a higher GPA requirement because of the help. Junior college athletes have a lot on their plate already. It would put an emphasis on school work, but it is hard for junior college players,” Aoga said.
The goal of a policy like this is not to make athletes ineligible, but to set them up for the future.
LBCC has a vast amount of student-athlete resources. Students who are deemed ineligible due to grades should be required to sacrifice class time in order to go to study hall or work with a tutor so they can improve their grades and get back on the field.
If students really want to play their sport, they will find a way to meet this higher expectation for grades.
When former students look back at their junior college experience, they should remember their teammates, big games and playoff runs.
They also need to remember how the effort in the classroom gave them a degree that helped them find work.
The 2.0 GPA will handcuff athletes, giving them a minimal backup plan. For 98% of athletes, academics are extremely important. A 2.5 requirement is the first step in improving academic performance.
College should not be a place to just continue an athletic journey. It should be a place that sets athletes up for the rest of their lives.