Are they there to trade their athletic skills to pay for an education or simply there to show off their athletic skills and education is a minor concern?
Are universities platforms to show off athletics with a side activity of education or an educational institution with a sideline of athletic entertainment?
If it’s all about athletic skills, then the pro football & basketball leagues ought to foot the entire bill and provide a minor league feeder system like baseball does!
Just like anyone of us who selected a college and selected a profession, college athletes, make decisions that they believe will be best for their self-interest.
That is the American way.
“Are they there to trade their athletic skills to pay for an education or simply there to show off their athletic skills and education is a minor concern?”
The athletes are there to exercise their freedom to make choices that are in their own economic interset.
“Are universities platforms to show off athletics with a side activity of education or an educational institution with a sideline of athletic entertainment?”
Universities are platforms for showcasing athletics as long as it brings in significant revenue and enhances the institution’s brand. If athletic entertainment generates substantial profits through ticket sales, merchandise, media rights, and sponsorships, then it becomes a valuable component of the university’s overall business strategy.
“If it’s all about athletic skills, then the pro football & basketball leagues ought to foot the entire bill and provide a minor league feeder system like baseball does!”
If a college athletic program does not turn a profit, then the program should cease to exist.
Texas, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Norte Dame, USC, and Alabama earn hundreds of millions in profits and can and should exist.