Colleges offer scholarships to the best players in their respective sports. In many cases, these scholarships are viewed as an opportunity for disadvantaged students to attain a college education and even a professional contract. Most U.S colleges have admittance programs that allow a designated number of students who do not meet academic requirements to enroll. According to the NCAA, roughly three percent of students are enrolled in these programs. Of those three percent, more than 20 percent are football and basketball players. These students often fail because they are expected to perform academically at the same level as their peers although they were unable to do so in high school.
In most cases, as an average college student, you are expected to attend class on a regular basis to receive full credit. This is not the case as an athlete. Athletes are expected to complete the same assignments as non-athletes, but are often given more time to do so. Professors are also often more flexible about absences. In many cases, without the proper discipline and guidance, student-athletes struggle to keep up. This means that college athletes earn fewer bachelor's degrees than students in general and often take longer to do so.
As spectators, we rarely think of the total time involved spent practicing, watching film, and traveling to and from away games. At big colleges, teams travel across the country to play, missing valuable class time and assignments. Although rules are in place to limit the number of hours a coach can demand of his players, a survey conducted by the NCAA revealed that Division I-A football players spend an average of 44.8 hours per week on their sport, while spending significantly less than 40 on academics.
There's still work to be done, but in 2012 the NCAA implemented several new eligibility rules to increase standards and curb the academic problems experienced in athletic departments throughout the country. A high school student must complete a total of 16 core courses prior to graduation and 10 of those courses must be completed before the start of the athlete's senior year. Seven of those 10 core courses must be in math, science or English. The NCAA also increased the minimum high school GPA from 2.0 to 2.3.