Ok, so the NCAA says graduation rates are up. That’s a good thing, and I have no problem with it. However, are we really thinking that academic performance is on the rise, or is there something else afoot here?
Remember, players actually get five years to play four (sometimes six if they can get an exemption for a hardship,) and that means that they feel like they have a little more time to spend in school. Most students want to get in and out as fast as possible, but they are also not going to school for free (or mostly free,) so that makes everything look and feel a little bit different.
I think that the rate at which players are earning degrees is only important in so much as we don’t want to see as many players coming to school SOLELY so that they can then leave and become professional athletes.
Perhaps it’s what is going into vetting players in the 21st century. There might be little things going on, but there is a larger emphasis on character amongst teams because coaches are constantly being hammered by the news cycle. It just means that these players have to grow up faster, and, maybe, that is translating into their education.
If so, that’s a positive step because it means that the players who are coming to school with their eyes somewhere else might be persuaded to work hard and earn a degree. If so, then we need to applaud coaches and teammates (not university administrators or rules) for this uptick in graduation rates.
It also means that we will get more time with the players that we love. Sure, some dudes are going straight to the NBA, but not all of them. Just look at the guys who hung around at Butler, and they gave us two great performances in the tournament. Maybe that’s what brought on the mid-major rise?
If so, I like this new day we’ve got going on here.
