Ralph Nader calls for ending athletic scholarships - NCAA Football - SI.com

Ralph Nader calls for ending athletic scholarships - NCAA Football - SI.com

Shots Heard partially agrees with this concept. We realize that Nader likely has unrealistic 'feel goodery' types of motives. It also smacks of the 'steal from the rich and give to the poor' mentality that only robs a person of the incentive to be prosperous.

However, Shots Heard recognizes the need to restore honor to academic institutions and to 'de-professionalize' student athletes. College athletics should be an institution for serious academic scholars. Those people that are not serious about education should not be getting undue economical advantages via athletic scholarships.

Shots Heard does not agree with 'needs based scholarships' but Shots Heard does support rewarding academic achievement and not pandering to the 'big money' college administrators who do not look out for the overall integrity of the institutions that they oversee.

Eliminate athletic scholarships and allow whoever is enrolled in an institution to try out for a program. But stop punishing the high school students that 'do it right,' by handing out scholarships to kids that never bother to ever even pick up a book (let alone know how to read a book).

Article Transcript:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is calling for the elimination of college athletic scholarships, saying the move is necessary to "de-professionalize" college athletes.

Nader's League of Fans, a group aimed at reforming sports, proposes that the scholarships be replaced with need-based financial aid. He says that would help restore academic integrity to college sports.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposal Thursday, ahead of its official release.
Nader, a former presidential candidate, argues that his plan would also help reduce the "win-at-all-costs" mentality in high schools, by reducing the incentive of college scholarships.