I wish it were as simple as it sounds. “Academics are important. Get your studies right and then worry about (insert sport here).” Safe to assume each and every one of us have been on the giving and receiving end of this piece of advice in our time. Too bad we’ve come to the conclusion that in this day and age it’s a bunch of nonsense and for every two of those students there are four or five that tip the scales in the opposite direction.
There is infinite debate about why we should even have the ‘student’ included in the ‘student-athlete’ label at all. Some say it’s completely naïve and beyond realistic to believe that the words ‘student’ and ‘athlete’ really belong in the same sentence let alone next to each other to form a specific demographic in this country. I think we’ve got a few more miles before that exit off the highway to go before that assessment is accurate, but our GPS’ might be telling us that we are headed in that direction especially in the State of Florida.
Let me make this as crystal clear as I can possible make it short of you sitting down with me in person and taking a couple of hours. This is not an assault on any single element within the “battle” between the student part of the ‘student-athlete’ equation and the athletic side. In fact, if you’re already starting to sweat or getting upset then it’s probably your own guilty conscience. That’s not me being offensive. I’ve been there. I’ve read stuff and felt like that those words were meant for me. Let it happen. If you’re upset then you’ll do something about it.
This is something I feel that as a community we can get better at. Consider this a message and a call for action to and for all involved with the process of getting young minds (including the young minds reading this) ready for the next level OFF the field. It will ultimately translate to the ON the field performance in my opinion anyways.
I feel as though I’ve been through enough of my own personal experiences and through my family’s history in the PROFESSION of Education that there isn’t much research needed to at least start the ball rolling on series of pieces that this topic is going to become throughout the “Third Season” as I call it which is the recruiting season. I’ve seen many things in my short time on this planet and when it comes to the subject matter of this piece there is nothing more sacred beyond God himself in my household and in many others however not nearly enough in many others in this country.
It is the eternal battle of balance between seeking, understanding, perseverance and succeeding. Seeking knowledge and achievement on and off the field at whatever sport you’re choosing, understanding what has been given and what needs to be earned, perseverance through the inevitable failure and succeeding from the gift of knowing how to learn from the failure. I promise you this is not from a self-help book. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m just fortunate (and blessed) enough to have had two people at home that cared. Let’s move on. That’s not what this is about quite frankly.
What I thought was cliché when I was much younger (and wiser of course *wink*) as it pertains to athletics, academics and recruitment is in fact, a fact. It’s a process I’ve seen kids go through (especially on the classroom side) and have seen the aftermath of the crash and burn of dreams shattered because of inattention to detail to a personal responsibility. That responsibility is the incessant emphasis on class first both on and off the field, literally in addition to a state of mind.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s get to work. Where do we start? (*crickets*) That is just what I thought. There are a million places to start, but which one is the best one? There are resources that are available to students (not just athletes) that can be utilized, but if you’re not willing to understand the process, then don’t commit to it. Oh yeah, the process I’m referring to? You might want to come to that conclusion whether you’re a parent or a student that you want to be a part of it somewhere around the 7th or 8th grade nowadays or else you may end up starting behind before high school even gets started.
That’s especially for all of those kids with IEP’s that require significant attention from already overworked counselors and teachers. Add the raising of the standards for the FCAT and the Class of 2015 needing a 2.3 GPA to get in the ballgame so-to-speak from the NCAA Clearinghouse and it’s a race against time. Things happen and things get overlooked. It’s not a Hollywood script to have a kid ruled ineligible at the last second because of something that happened literally in the 9th Grade. It happens all the damn time.
Can’t excuse the ones that have the responsibility of overseeing the young man (or woman) through their academic lives on school grounds, it’s just that it happens and ultimately it’s on the student, the parent, (or guardian) the Counselor, then Athletic Director and finally the coach. Head Coaches have enough to worry about and often they’re the AD’s which skips a layer, but it doesn’t remove the stress when you add the hundreds (especially at the bigger schools) of other players they’re responsible for and now you you’ve come to the black ice on the road about to spin out of control.
The NCAA may have its own issues, but they are not going to change for you, your head coach, or your program because you didn’t have the forethought. They don’t care about you. Seriously. They care about their brand. Which is something you should be concerned about too, but that’s more for my social media aspect and your “brand” doesn’t start unless you are eligible to build it. Capiche?
Kids nowadays watch all these reality shows or may have friends that think they’re the next Fortune 500 CEO’s but don’t understand the first thing about the new era of athletics which even in high school you’re in the business. Think of yourself as starting in the mail room and in less than a decade you will be doing quite nicely if you stick to the formula. Seek. Understand. Persevere. Succeed. If I’m talking to a kid I’m telling him that he’s on a minimum 8-year (9 if he redshirts) business plan.
That business plan is the academic portion of your development as a player. If you have “outkicked your coverage” then you may have the option of years 7-9 moved to the end of your playing career in the NFL. You cannot enter this contract unless you are willing to finish the terms of the deal however. Not in my company. Not in my classroom. Call it old-school, but the only old-school you get to kick it in is a bucket riding in it like it was a Benz at this point until you can prove that you can reasonably handle fortune and fame when you get to 21, 22 or 23 years-old. Ask Warrick Dunn or Derrick Brooks what it means to fulfill that obligation. There are hundreds of guys that have gone back and finished. It is your responsibility. Not to me or anyone else, but to yourself.
Some aspects that need to be addressed further are the emulation of what it is your trying to achieve off the field. Kids cannot avoid the set times of classes during the 180 days of instruction, but they can certainly tailor the curricular and extracurricular to mesh into a regimented system which is what the best do. They’re like robots. The guys you see in front of the cameras laughing and joking around on Saturdays (and Sundays for that matter) have been through an entire week of meetings, classes, study halls, and a bevy of other activities and that’s when they can finally release it. The best ones are the most-disciplined most regimented. I know there’s a time to let loose and it’s immediately following your game. Remember, you’re on an 8-9 year plan. All jokes aside, the “social” benefits fellas will come to you even if you’re studying Chemistry in your dorm’s common area. Even if you’re in team sweats and it’s 2am and 30 degrees outside, you won’t EVER have to worry about your social lives if you STICK TO THE BUSINESS PLAN.
Hell, you could even say you’re on a 4-5 year business TRIP when off at college. I don’t know how to explain how some of the “knuckleheads” make it through the system other than that’s life. Honestly, some things are better left to the imagination. Eventually the speed of life catches up with you and your physical gifts are gone. Unless something has gone scientifically wrong, they can never take your brain from you while you’re alive so make sure it works. Those that cut the corners to keep their kids getting through are like Johnny Depp from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, it’s really freaking fun, but the ride only lasts for so long you know what I’m sayin’?
The other things that I will dig deeper throughout the 3rd Season will be the understanding of your own academic limitations and setting your schedule accordingly to make sure you still get through the Clearinghouse. Let’s be honest, not every kid is going to be a James Few, Jordan Sheritt, Sheldon Lewinson or Leon McQuay III. If you cannot pronounce Anatomy and Physiology correctly then you shouldn’t take the class, but if you want to “holla” at a chick maybe you should learn a little Spanish or French? You see what I did there? You may not be able to add 2+2 (like myself) but you can word play like Outkast and UGK so your butt needs to be in a creative writing course or higher level English. Got it?
Back to the adults and in conclusion. This is a daunting task. It’s a struggle just to keep our own lives moving forward yet we have young minds that need us more than ever. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve not even scratched the statistical data which supports that we are in fact nearing crisis levels if our kids cannot get to their “expected” levels in the state. I would like to propose (inspired by the absolute WEALTH of info already thrown out on the message board) that we throw together a group of concerned guys that understand this and let’s something done as a community.
It’s not reinventing the wheel either. Many of us can post things in less than 24 hours that take some school boards 24 days to figure out. Let’s empower ourselves and get it right. Let’s make it happen. We talk all the time about the shame of shattered dreams, but I see the problems as capable of being attacked relatively easily with a game plan. Coaches are good at that, and it’s time for a good one.