In December, a first-year Camden, New Jersey, high-school superintendent enforced a long-ignored school-system-wide eligibility rule and declared several basketball players ineligible because of their academic deficiencies. The decision was controversial to some, but the long-term educational ramifications of the superintendent's decision may be a blessing in disguise for many future student-athletes.

High-school sports have become as competitive and pressure-packed as college sports in recent years with rewards -- athletics scholarships -- offered to the best and brightest.

While in theory those rewards can reinforce educational participation for high-school athletes, such motivation also can be a double-edged sword. Student-athletes often receive encouragement from family, friends, coaches and the media to focus on their athletics pursuits at the expense of their academics.

As a result, many high-school student-athletes are sold a bill of goods based on the premise that performance on the field will result in college scholarships. Unfortunately, this leaves many of them academically vulnerable and unprepared for the realities of being college student-athletes.

To the very few whose athletics talents alone can open doors to success, this may be of little concern. But for the overwhelming majority of student-athletes, however, obtaining a college education is a much surer way of achieving financial and personal satisfaction than professional sport ever was, or ever will be.

Although some of the public outrage surrounding the ineligibility of the student-athletes in Camden may have been understandable, it seems equally outrageous that the rule had been ignored since the mid-1980s and that there had been no public outcry over that. Perhaps a re-examination of priorities is in order. Or perhaps how one defines "student-athlete" may determine how one feels about the superintendent's decision.

Student-athletes, by definition, must comply with a dual set of standards. As such, not all students are able to fulfill the role requirements. No one seems to question the athletics standards placed on student-athletes. It is usually understood that if you are not good enough to make the team, you cannot be a student-athlete. Conversely, if you are unable to comply with the academic requirements, you cannot be a student-athlete, either. We must remember that being a student-athlete is a privilege, not a right.

Furthermore, the student-athlete role has implications for future success in life. For example, many exceptional high-school athletes will be recruited to compete at the collegiate level without ever realizing what they are being offered. An athletics scholarship must be viewed, first and foremost, as an opportunity to receive a college education and to increase the likelihood of success in life.

Unfortunately, many college athletes either do not take advantage of this opportunity or are not properly prepared to take advantage of it. A precedent must be set so that high-school athletes receive a clearer message regarding the importance of education. Continuing to bend the rules will only condemn future generations of student-athletes to the same fate.

As a former high-school and college athlete, I am well aware of the physical, psychological and emotional importance of athletics participation. I also am greatly aware of the community pride generated by successful high-school sports teams. However, we must consider the bigger picture. All parents hope their children will have better lives than they did, and parents should work toward helping their children achieve that goal.

In the Camden case, it required the affected athletes and their parents to effectively "take one for the team" by accepting, and even embracing, the superintendent's decision to enforce the academic requirements. Although it might cost the team a berth in the state championship, it will ensure that future generations of student-athletes will be better equipped to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them.

That may seem like a daunting sacrifice, but it may in fact be a wise investment in the community's future.

Mickey Charles Melendez is an assistant professor of counseling psychology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick.