I'm aware that athletes get their own facilities whereas non-athletes work out in regular recreation facilities and I heard the Oregon Ducks get their own barbers and tutors, but what else is there in terms of divisions between athletes and students?
Well, athletes hypothetically would be eating healthier than the average student. Eating in their own dining hall makes it easier for the school's dietician to know what they are consuming.
What is the big deal here? Student athletes are doing the same classes as other students, but with the added pressure of training for hours a day. Does it really matter if they get a few perks to make it easier to balance their time?
Well, most campus dining halls have plenty of options including gluten-free and vegetable heavy stuff, so I see no reason that there needs to be an extra room.
If you're saying that proximity to a dietician makes a difference? I didn't see them recording their meals and interacting with a dietician over the course of a video.
I think it's an image problem in the same way CEOs of green companies flying in private jets might be. It also might be a budget problem if it's not necessary.
Lastly, I also think it might be one of those shiny things they use to lure athletes that might ultimately be superfluous
I'm aware that athletes get their own facilities whereas non-athletes work out in regular recreation facilities and I heard the Oregon Ducks get their own barbers and tutors, but what else is there in terms of divisions between athletes and students?
Another division is that athletes have essentially a full time job too.
Speaking from experience, athlete dining halls are great because
1. They are closer to training facilities
2. They have more flexible hours so I can eat right after our 5:30 a.m. training session
3. There are food options that fit the plans dieticians give you, and there are not as many temptations (junk food)
I am still not sure what the problem is here. Student athletes are basically studying the same classes as normal students with an extra job that takes up not only the time you are actually training, but also recovery time. Not all of the athletes are on scholarship either so they are likely to have another job on top of that. Therefore it is a worthy investment for the program to pay for these services so that the athletes can focus as much time on training, not figuring out how to pay for school.
What is the big deal here? Student athletes are doing the same classes as other students, but with the added pressure of training for hours a day.
Do athletes actually take similar courses and course loads to other students at most universities? I can't imagine that a majority of the athletes in revenue sports at a university like Stanford, or even at most higher-quality state universities, could take and pass normal college courses. Of course there are exceptions, athletes who do major in rigorous subjects like engineering, but don't most athletes major in "communications" or other such things?
Well, athletes hypothetically would be eating healthier than the average student. Eating in their own dining hall makes it easier for the school's dietician to know what they are consuming.
What is the big deal here? Student athletes are doing the same classes as other students, but with the added pressure of training for hours a day. Does it really matter if they get a few perks to make it easier to balance their time?
We also hear the argument that sports bring in revenue.... but the revenue goes directly to the sports department and the schools that say it doesn’t then why is their tuition up every year, if we want affordable school instead of spending millions so a select few get a free education with lots of perks why not just turn sports into a club system and stop wasting money.
Speaking from experience, athlete dining halls are great because
1. They are closer to training facilities
2. They have more flexible hours so I can eat right after our 5:30 a.m. training session
3. There are food options that fit the plans dieticians give you, and there are not as many temptations (junk food)
I am still not sure what the problem is here. Student athletes are basically studying the same classes as normal students with an extra job that takes up not only the time you are actually training, but also recovery time. Not all of the athletes are on scholarship either so they are likely to have another job on top of that. Therefore it is a worthy investment for the program to pay for these services so that the athletes can focus as much time on training, not figuring out how to pay for school.
"2. They have more flexible hours so I can eat right after our 5:30 a.m. training session"
This is the biggie. You have athletes that are required to get in 2 a days plus classes.. they don't have the typical schedule of the a normie student.
Well, athletes hypothetically would be eating healthier than the average student. Eating in their own dining hall makes it easier for the school's dietician to know what they are consuming.
What is the big deal here? Student athletes are doing the same classes as other students, but with the added pressure of training for hours a day. Does it really matter if they get a few perks to make it easier to balance their time?
We also hear the argument that sports bring in revenue.... but the revenue goes directly to the sports department and the schools that say it doesn’t then why is their tuition up every year, if we want affordable school instead of spending millions so a select few get a free education with lots of perks why not just turn sports into a club system and stop wasting money.
I only partially follow your reasoning here but one thought is who says we want affordable education? The second thought is that college sports bring in money to their schools. In a few cases it's the tens of millions a Michigan or Notre Dame brings in with football and basketball. Most schools athletic departments do not bring in that kind of money BUT they add loads of money to the overall university because sports attract applicants. That's very well documented.
I can't recall the exact year, maybe 2005, when Appalachian State opened their football season by upsetting #2 Michigan in Ann Arbor. The number of applicants went up massively. I can't recall if they got either 1,000 or 10,000 times over what they normally did. I don't want to say it was 10,000, that seems too much an exaggeration but I kind of think it was. It was at least 1,000 times more which is huge for almost any school. That's an unusually large an example but there are loads of high school kids who want to go to schools where they can watch sports, keep playing sports they played in high school, or both. Club sports do not attract applicants on such a scale.
Stanford typically has smart athletes, as well as those from high income backgrounds (yes, even football). I know someone who was drafted (to the NFL) in 2022 and went to Stanford - he filmed his draft day video from his home theater and majored in econ and something else. 3.8 GPA is smart
Posts the guy who has never been on a athlete recruiting visit. There are times when the athletic dining hall is open when the other is closed. Employees staff is scheduled for this and not the same personal. I had the experience of eating at Texas A@M and I heard it's great but not even the best. I would explain more but I feel it would be a waste of time on you.
Speaking from experience, athlete dining halls are great because
1. They are closer to training facilities
2. They have more flexible hours so I can eat right after our 5:30 a.m. training session
3. There are food options that fit the plans dieticians give you, and there are not as many temptations (junk food)
I am still not sure what the problem is here. Student athletes are basically studying the same classes as normal students with an extra job that takes up not only the time you are actually training, but also recovery time. Not all of the athletes are on scholarship either so they are likely to have another job on top of that. Therefore it is a worthy investment for the program to pay for these services so that the athletes can focus as much time on training, not figuring out how to pay for school.
What is the big deal here? Student athletes are doing the same classes as other students, but with the added pressure of training for hours a day.
Do athletes actually take similar courses and course loads to other students at most universities? I can't imagine that a majority of the athletes in revenue sports at a university like Stanford, or even at most higher-quality state universities, could take and pass normal college courses. Of course there are exceptions, athletes who do major in rigorous subjects like engineering, but don't most athletes major in "communications" or other such things?
Anecdotal for sure, but I went to a Big 10 university and wound-up taking some kind of biology 101 lecture type class to fulfill a basic elective over one summer.
When showed up to the first lecture I was surprised to find that it was pretty much all student athletes besides me. Lots of football players, men's basketball starters, etc. It was actually kind of cool since I followed all the sports but wouldn't typically have a chance to interact with the athletes.
I'm pretty sure I must have been one of the only non-athletes in the class. I assume they get preferential sign up and there just happened to be a few open spots that I unknowingly grabbed.
It was definitely one of the easiest classes I took. Grade points for attendance and the prof. covered all the answers for the test the class session before the test. Prof seemed like a good lecturer and the class was interesting (although I don't remember anything about what the class was about at this point). The whole class was definitely catered to the athletes though and the prof. understood the assignement.
I remember we had a group assignment where 4 of us has to work together to write like a one or two page paper or something. It was myself, the running back on the football team, one of the basketball players, and some other athlete. We talked about it during the last 15 minutes of class and I pretty much just volunteered to write the paper myself and put everyone's name on it. It wasn't a big deal for me because it was an easy assignment and I wanted to make sure I got an A in the class. I don't recall much resistance from my other group members when I offered this :)
Anyway, it was an interesting experience, but I felt like I stumbled into some portal into the secret world of revenue sport University athletics, where the athletes have their own special classes specifically catered to them.
What is the big deal here? Student athletes are doing the same classes as other students, but with the added pressure of training for hours a day.
Do athletes actually take similar courses and course loads to other students at most universities? I can't imagine that a majority of the athletes in revenue sports at a university like Stanford, or even at most higher-quality state universities, could take and pass normal college courses. Of course there are exceptions, athletes who do major in rigorous subjects like engineering, but don't most athletes major in "communications" or other such things?
You're required to take something like 12 credits per semester to be eligible for sports. A typical course load is 15 from what I remember, most athletes are taking the normal 15 or 16 credits per semester, some take the minimum required 12 during their main season of competition. But ya they take normal classes. Some student athletes choose stupid majors though that have easy classes, but many actual make the best of their situation