Sample Expository Essay on Sports: The Importance of Scholarships to College Athletics Programs

Millions of students enroll in youth sports programs to develop their skills in a specific sport. These students will consistently train to acquire the skills that will provide them an opportunity to receive a college athletic scholarship. Athletic scholarships can be a life-changing opportunity and help pay for a student’s college education. Athletic scholarships offer financial assistance to students based on their athletic abilities and expertise. To support student-athletes, the government formed The National Collegiate Association.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA oversees the whole process of acquiring athletics scholarships and maintaining the motivations of student-athletes in pursuing higher education The NCAA acts as the main legislative body for intercollegiate athletics. Athletes and academic institutions have benefited greatly from these college athletics programs. Scholarships provide college athletics programs with well-trained and academically competent students as well as constant funding for other college programs.

Scholarships provide students with the opportunity to attend college despite their financial situations. According to Benford, many students who would otherwise skip higher education due to financial limitations have received the benefits of athletics scholarships (48(1), 1-28). Some of these students may be talented athletes that would never have the opportunity of playing competitively without the assistance of a scholarship. College athletics programs that provide scholarships may have a higher chance of discovering talented students with less fortunate backgrounds.

College athletics scholarships enhance the academic performance of students since the scholarship legislation requires them to maintain good academic standing. Students under athletics scholarships must have at least a 2.0 GPA and 156 on ACT or 7000 on SAT exams. Sander also suggested that college athletic programs should provide access to learning laboratories and centers (55(9), 16). They also involve mandatory study sessions, class attendance, and specialized academic advising for the students. These opportunities provide learning convenience for the students. It gives them the academic assistance they need while they spend some of their time training and competing against other schools.

Athletic scholarships enhance a student’s character development and learning abilities. Student-athletes can gain lifelong skills like discipline, interpersonal skills, personal health , and dedication (Hirko). Students under athletic scholarships also learn the necessary skills needed for excellence; the programs teach them about perseverance, hard work, resilience, and sportsmanship. College athletics programs instill these values among students to provide them an edge in a competitive working environment. The scholarships also teach the athletes to remain loyal to their Alma Mater as they provided them with an educational opportunity.

Scholarships also affect the academic success rate in educational institutions. Athletic scholarships tend to increase the graduation success rates of students. According to the NCAA, the graduation rate of student-athletes is always higher than that of non-athlete students in American colleges. An example of this occurred at Michigan State University. The University recorded that there is a 71% graduation rate among student-athletes and only a 53% graduation rate for traditional students (NCAA). The scholarships gave student-athletes an incentive to pursue their education and therefore result in a higher academic success rate. While some high academic success  rate statistics include non-scholarship student-athletes, adding a scholarship to a college athletics program can provide benefits to students and the institution.

University athletics departments tend to use scholarship funds to support most of their sports programs. The NCAA provides monetary funding for scholarships and sports programs to colleges. The annual budget for intercollegiate athletic programs is about $10.5 billion (NCAA). For instance, the University of Texas received over $89 million in 2010 from the NCAA. These funds not only help student-athletes experience great college life but also reduce the reliance of educational institutions on other fund sources to support athletics programs. 

Scholarship funding has resulted in athletic departments becoming the “front porch” of educational institutions. The athletic departments with their top student-athletes greatly contribute to the exposure of universities and colleges. The publicity of colleges majorly comes from the department of athletics which contributes to the exposure of the institution (Hirko). Most individuals recognize a university or college from their sports team. A wide demographic tends to watch collegiate sports competitions which made it a part of regular entertainment. 

Scholarships help college athletics programs better support their student-athletes. Scholarships provide college athletics programs with well-trained and academically competent students as well as constant funding for other college programs. The financial aid from the scholarship allows students with limited financial capacities to attend universities. It motivates them to do well in class and maintain their academic rankings. The scholarship funds also help universities create more sports programs and train star athletes. Without scholarships, college athletics programs may find it difficult to motivate their athletes and forfeit the chance to become the “front porch” of a university.

Student-athletes spend most of their non-academic time in a gymnasium or a football field. They train their bodies consistently during these times. They will go home tired and may not have enough energy to do their assignments. However, athletic scholarships require student-athletes to maintain good grades to continue their scholarships. Without enough time to rest, writing assignments can be a stressful task for students. It will require students to exert energy to organize and analyze information before they can even begin writing. To help students that are juggling multiple responsibilities, CustomEssayMeister offers affordable writing services. Students can hire professional writers to finish their essays while they spend their free time taking care of their health. Order now and let our writers worry about that assignment!

  

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References

Sander, L.. Athletes' graduation rates are highest ever, NCAA data show. Chronicle of Higher Education, 55(9), 16. 2008.

Hirko, Scott. Intercollegiate athletics and modeling multiculturalism. New Directions For Higher Education, 148, 91-100. DOI: 10.1002/he.372. 2009

Benford, Robert. The college sports reform movement: Reframing the “edutainment” industry. The Sociological Quarterly, 48(1), 1-28. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=17&sid=6afaa2fc-1be0-4723-855d-f78b4dd0cb1e%40sessionmgr12&vid=5. 2007

National Collegiate Athletic Association. About the NCAA: Differences among the divisions; Division I. http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/About+the+NCAA/Who+We+Are/Differences+Among+the+Divisions/. 2010, March 19.

“Student Athlete Graduation Rates & Academic Success”. Saint Anselm College. https://www.anselm.edu/about/leadership-and-initiatives/institutional-research/facts-figures/student-athlete-graduation-rates-academic-success. n.d.