Essay On Sports And Athletics

This is a significant omission, for as we all know, sports is big business.

It is one of America's major entertainment industries, and surely rivals orchestras, theaters, operas and movies as professional post-college employment venues.

Colleges and universities prepare students for almost all professions of note -- except sports.

To be sure, we have students pursuing degrees in sports management, kinesiology, and other related fields, but unlike students who come to study music performance, acting, creative writing and other talent- and performance-based professions, our students who come with athletic talent and seek opportunities to perform are left out of the academic curriculum.

In addition, of course, they must fulfill the university's general education requirements.

In constructing our sports major, most universities already have the academic subjects that would be required through departments of kinesiology, sports management, etc.

Many, but not all students in the sports performance major would receive scholarships based on their talent and performance ability, just as students in other performance related majors receive scholarships based on auditions and assessments of talent and promise.

Within this context, the athletic director, coaches, and other personnel who teach the skills, strategy, and operations of athletic programs would carry faculty status, not necessarily tenure-track depending on the nature of their work.

The only difference here is to have the opportunity to seek a sports performance degree.

To gain the confidence of our colleagues, we would need to ensure that the sports major achieves academic integrity.