As the father of a college soccer player on the eve of an important NCAA tournament match, I have to reflect on the real significance (or not) of Division II college sports. As important as this game is, and has hard as the women work on their soccer skills and conditioning, the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers are all outstanding students. All are majoring in some sort of engineering and have been admitted to a very selective school.
From what I can tell, the women put in as many or more hours studying than they do on their significant time commitment to sports. There doesn't have to be a dichotomy between sports and academics. The fact that many of the athletes in the upper ranks of Division I sports get away with non-academic pursuits is tragic. The number of student athletes who will go on to make significant money playing professional sports is a fraction of the total of even the top athletes. Instead those "student" athletes may be out on the street with no degree or a degree that has little value after their four years of athletic eligibility.
So, as I cheer for my daughter and her team, I'm going to try to keep in all in perspective, realizing that as fun and exciting as college athletics is, that these women have much more going for them than just the excitement of athletics. They are proving that academics and athletics can mix.
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