English Blog Post #2

College Student With Elementary Reading Levels. 

Sara Ganim. Some college athletes play like adults, read like 5th-graders. CNN. CNN, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/us/ncaa-athletes-reading-scores/index.html?hpt=hp_t1>

                                        

College Football. Photograph. Wikimedia.com. Wikipedia, 23 Oct. 2009. Media. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://goo.gl/Yv5pMH> 

In this article we learn that some college athletes are reading at an elementary school level. Many schools were surveyed and results show that this is in fact true. A survey at UNC- Greensboro shows that about 70% of collegiate athletes read below an eighth grade level. This survey does not speak for all schools, but in many others that were surveyed there is a margin between the academic levels of student-athletes compared to other students who do not participate in sports. It is also said that many of these athletes were given extra help and some did not even participate in their classes but were still given a passing grade. 

This article relates to me because I will go to college one day and it's not fair to me, or anyone else for that matter, if some people are being accepted because of the sports they play. College is a place for learning and sports are a privilege. I realize that sports are for entertainment and that a lot of athletes bring in revenue for colleges but its just not fair if people are being admitted solely based on their ability to play sports. "They're graduating them. UGA is graduating No. 2 in the SEC, so they're able to graduate athletes, but have they learned anything? Are they productive citizens now? That's a thing I worry about. To get a degree is one thing, to be functional with that degree is totally different"(Hawkins). I feel that this quote supports the argument that college is a place for learning, if they aren't learning how are they going to help impact our society positively? 

I think that is unjust for colleges to accept someone who can't handle the educational standards of the university. I also feel that this goes against everything that the educational system stands for. When you go to school you're supposed to learn but some of these athletes can't even read. I feel that this reflects badly not only on the colleges who allow this to happen for their own selfish reasons but also on the previous teachers the student had, the students parents, and the student themselves. If a teacher sees that a high school student, or any student, is struggling this badly with reading or can't even read they should step in and help them academically. If a parent sees this they should try to help them themselves or get a tutor. Lastly, if a student knows that they are having a hard time with academics they should alert someone so that they can get help. If a student can't handle school when it's the only thing that they are focusing on how are they going to handle playing sports and all of the responsibilities that come with them and still do schoolwork?

What is the purpose for using statistics?

I feel that the use of statistics helped to make this article more convincing and also more informative. The use of numbers shows that what they are saying is actually true and makes it more real. When you don't have any data to look at it can be hard to imagine if this is a serious issue. "Many student-athletes scored in the 200s and 300s on the SAT critical reading test -- a threshold that experts told us was an elementary reading level and too low for college classes"(Ganim). This helps me to visualize the incapability of these athletes and to understand that it is very unlikely that they are passing these classes without some type of cheating.