An Exploitative Culture of College Athletics

Last week, details of a massive case of academic dishonesty were revealed at the University of North Carolina—over 3,100 students, many of them athletes, have taken fake classes, often with the goal of maintaining eligibility on UNC’s athletic teams. The scandal showcases not only UNC’s failings, but also those of the country’s culture of college athletics.

This scandal is fundamentally about UNC failing its students. A renowned research university has a responsibility to provide students with a quality education. It should either admit only those students capable of handling its regular curricula, or—if it feels it has an interest in admitting students not at that level—it should provide extensive academic support to help students meet standards.

UNC failed on both accounts. Regardless of who at the university was responsible, fake classes were tolerated and students were allowed to play on athletic teams, then graduate, without having received an education consistent with UNC’s academic standards. According to a report by the former federal prosecutor who was hired by UNC to investigate the controversy, the classes did not mandate attendance. The only coursework was a single, unserious paper, and wanton plagiarism was condoned.

Debby Crowder, one of the administrators behind the “shadow curriculum,” stated that she was motivated by sympathy for student-athletes. Both she and the members of the University that allowed the practice to flourish for so many years, however, could have shown more sympathy by working to ensure that the students received a quality education. They did the students no good—in fact, they did great harm—by allowing some to graduate being barely able to read.

Meanwhile, UNC athletics expected over $200,000 in profit in 2011-2012. The University should be regarded as an exploitative institution that willfully harmed student-athletes in order to make money from their skill.

National Collegiate Athletic Association regulations directly foster this exploitative culture, according to the College Sport Research Institute. Disproportionate numbers of college athletes come from “lower socioeconomic backgrounds.” While making large amounts of money from these students’ skills, universities and the NCAA often fail to give them “necessary college preparation to succeed academically.” A University of Pennsylvania study showed that black male athletes are less likely to graduate on time than the average student, the average white athlete, and even the average black non-athlete.

Rather than helping young students, schools and the NCAA seem more interested in taking advantage of their lucrative athletic prowess. One would hope that these student-athletes would at least be able to recoup their losses by receiving an education consistent with the universities they attend. At UNC, this was not the case.

UNC and the NCAA acted as predatory institutions, flagrantly disregarding students’ education and future. They owe those students an apology, a massive change of culture, and probably reparations.