<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LBCC should raise the GPA requirement to 2.5. Setting a higher standard would help motivate students who are earning lower grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LBCC hasn\u2019t produced an NBA player in 45 years, an MLB player in 15 years, and only 2 NFL players since 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many universities have an athletic requirement of a 2.5. Those universities also have higher average grades for student-athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assistant football coach, Neo Aoga, talked about how this would affect some of his players. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that some players live without parents, commute and work jobs to support themselves and their dependables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDivision 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,\u201d Aoga said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal of a policy like this is not to make athletes ineligible, but to set them up for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If students really want to play their sport, they will find a way to meet this higher expectation for grades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When former students look back at their junior college experience, they should remember their teammates, big games and playoff runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also need to remember how the effort in the classroom gave them a degree that helped them find work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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