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NCAA blogger Josh Centor recently posted the following commentary about the time commitment made by Division I football student-athletes on the NCAA’s Double-A Zone (www.doubleazone.com).
Recently, University of Colorado, Boulder, football coach Dan Hawkins responded to claims that his players weren’t getting enough time away from football in the off-season, declaring that: “It’s Division I football. It’s the Big 12! It ain’t intramurals!”
Hawkins proceeded to count up the weeks his players had off and got all the way to four, including the week around July 4. He told journalists that his players get more time off than they do, and the players should simply be happy for the opportunity to play at the Division I level. Hawkins is right — his players should relish their opportunity and realize that being a student-athlete is hard work. He is wrong, however, to equate Division I football with a full-time job.
I would have played baseball every day of my college career if I had been allowed, but the rules said we couldn’t do that. When we weren’t allowed to be with coaches, I generally found my way to the gym for workouts with my teammates in the weight room and on the track. But it was always my choice to be there during the off-season and that’s a whole lot different than being mandated to be somewhere every week of the year.
There’s just too much money associated with big-time college sports, and this is yet another example of why I feel that way. I don’t know how much money Coach Hawkins makes, but rest assured, he is paid a lot to win. He will do everything he can to make sure that happens, and how can you blame him with that much money at stake?
When victories equal dollars, it’s hard to look at an offensive lineman and tell him it’s OK to take a few weeks away from the gym just to be a regular college kid. It’s a shame that the kids at Colorado, and other Division I programs, are required to spend so much time on the field and in the gym. Somewhere, priorities are mixed up, and the student-athletes are the ones who end up suffering.
Recently, University of Colorado, Boulder, football coach Dan Hawkins responded to claims that his players weren’t getting enough time away from football in the off-season, declaring that: “It’s Division I football. It’s the Big 12! It ain’t intramurals!”
Hawkins proceeded to count up the weeks his players had off and got all the way to four, including the week around July 4. He told journalists that his players get more time off than they do, and the players should simply be happy for the opportunity to play at the Division I level. Hawkins is right — his players should relish their opportunity and realize that being a student-athlete is hard work. He is wrong, however, to equate Division I football with a full-time job.
I would have played baseball every day of my college career if I had been allowed, but the rules said we couldn’t do that. When we weren’t allowed to be with coaches, I generally found my way to the gym for workouts with my teammates in the weight room and on the track. But it was always my choice to be there during the off-season and that’s a whole lot different than being mandated to be somewhere every week of the year.
There’s just too much money associated with big-time college sports, and this is yet another example of why I feel that way. I don’t know how much money Coach Hawkins makes, but rest assured, he is paid a lot to win. He will do everything he can to make sure that happens, and how can you blame him with that much money at stake?
When victories equal dollars, it’s hard to look at an offensive lineman and tell him it’s OK to take a few weeks away from the gym just to be a regular college kid. It’s a shame that the kids at Colorado, and other Division I programs, are required to spend so much time on the field and in the gym. Somewhere, priorities are mixed up, and the student-athletes are the ones who end up suffering.
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