It is time to revise the whole college sports world and start putting education back in the equation. That is why one goes to college in the first place.
One goes to college in order to maximize future earnings potential, so as to prosper, and for many athletics provide that potential...if an engineering major is not required to play sports to graduate, why should a football major be required to study...?
Colleges by their very nature are supposed to be places of education, not sports factories. Only in the United States is sports connected to universities, beyond being just another extracurricular activity. In Canada, if you aspire to play in the NHL, you play within their Junior Hockey system. You play for the Oshawa Generals not U of Toronto to make the pros. If your pro career is over and you want an education, then you might play for a McGill as a student, not a potential pro.
What happens to rookie football players who get injured so badly that they can never play professional ball again?
A college degree is a nice thing to fall back on. In order to get it, one had to study in a lot of areas, thus giving you the ability to write properly, to know how to do research, often to be able to present a paper/speech in a competent manner, and basically HOW TO THINK.
Sports are great teachers too, but you need something else to do with your life if you are unable to play sports as your first choice (as in “You’re cut”).