GPA: The Most
Overlooked Acronym
in Sports
Dylan Naeger, University of Louisville
April 4, 2014
Can You Identify These?
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PPG
ERA
YPG
RBI
ACT
GRE
IEP
GPA
APR
GSR
Emphasis Placed on Athletics
• High school sports are the most popular extracurricular
activity in high schools, regardless of race, ethnicity, or
gender (Eccles & Barber, 1999; Eide & Ronan, 2001).
• The National Federation of State High School Associations
reported that approximately 55.1% of high school students
participated in athletics in 2009-2010.
• A debate that has arisen at the high school level is whether
or not athletics have become a more compelling force than
academics in American schools.
• Across the nation, critics have questioned the overemphasis
placed on athletics in our high schools (Jenkins, Walker,
Woodson, & White, 1984; Pipho, 1988; & McGrath, 1984).
• A significant percentage of students regarded sports as
more important than the academic component of school
(Fisher, Juszczak, & Friedman, 1996).
Participation Numbers
• The National Federation of State High School Associations in
2012-2013 stated that there were over 7.7 million high school
student athletes in the U.S.
• “It is estimated that 27 million US youth between 6-18 years
of age participate in team sports.” (DiFiori, Benjamin, et. al.,
2014)
• A 2008 National Council of Youth Sports survey found 60
million US children aged 6-18 participate in some type of
organized athletic program.
• Additionally, the study found that 44 million of the 60 million
youth participate in more than one structured sport program.
Positive Outcomes of
Sports Participation
• Positive social and psychological benefits including:
• Increased self-esteem (Braddock, Royster, Winfield, & Hawkins,
1991; Iso-Ahola & Hartfield, 1986; DiFiori, Benjamin, et. al, 2014)
• Development of life skills (Dubas & Snider, 1993)
• Increased communication among family members (Abbott, Sutton,
Jackson, & Logan, 1976)
• Decreased involvement in risky behaviors/activities (Collingwood,
Sunderlin, & Kohl, 1994)
• Increased academic success (Hanks & Eckland, 1976; Posner &
Vandell, 1994; Bailey, 2006)
• Increased peer socialization and general fitness (DiFiori, Benjamin,
et. al, 2014)
• Create positive environments for personal and interpersonal
development (Larson, 2000)
• Participation can help the likelihood of lifetime participation in
sports and physical activities (Beets & Pitetti, 2005)
Negative Claims Against Athletics
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Distraction from academics
Source of injuries
Deprive educational programs of resources
Promote a hierarchical status system
Destroys confidence, creates anxiety, and
emphasis on winning
6. No relevance to education
7. Time commitment prevents people from focusing
on academics
Aries, McCarthy, Salovey, & Banaji, 2004; Coakley, 1998
A Far Cry from “Hoosiers”
• Athletics have come to play a major role in the life of high school and
universities across the U.S. today (Griffith, 2007; Hamilton, 2005; Knox,
2007; Mock, 2007; Tublitz, 2007).
• A contributing factor in examining the interplay is the sense high school
sports continue to be professionalized.
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Sponsorships and advertising
Media coverage
Naming rights
Specialization of athletes
Traveling budgets
Huge stadiums
Corruption
The Balancing Act
• A result of the professionalization of high school
sports is that many educators are left with a feeling
of increased tension between the educational
mission and the powerhouse of athletics (Mock,
2007).
• Another result of professionalization is that athletes,
who participate in high revenue sports (football and
men’s basketball) have placed a disproportionate
amount of their time and focus on the sporting
activities and overlooking the academic
components (Mock, 2007).
Aspirations of Turning Pro
• NCAA conducted a survey to determine the number of high
school athletes who go on to compete at the college level
and then the pro level. In 2004, 983,000 students participated
in high school football in U.S. Only 56,000 of these
individuals went on to play college football and just 0.9% of
the 983,000 students ended up making it to the professional
level. Same held true for other sports as well: 0.03% in
basketball, 0.05% in baseball, and 0.08% in men’s soccer
(Knox, 2007).
• During each televised NCAA championship, the NCAA runs
the following public service announcement, “There are over
400,000 student-athletes in the NCAA…and almost all of
them will go pro in something other than sports.”
Ask yourself this
question.
What thought first comes to
mind, when you hear the term
student-athlete?
Ponder These Questions…
• Does our culture reward and favor athletic
success over academic prowess?
• Are today’s youth growing up idolizing star
athletes, scholars, or scholar athletes?
• Do colleges obtain more national and
international recognition for athletic success
or academic success?
How Will Teddy Bridgewater be
Remembered at UofL?
Academic Progress Rate (APR)
• Term-by-term analysis of academic
performance of all DI sports teams
• Academic eligibility (defined by NCAA
guidelines) and student retention are
monitored for each athlete
• The first release of APR data to the public
was in 2005
• APR mandates accountability by individual
athletic teams and institutions.
Petr & Paskus, 2009
• The NCAA released in June 2013 the most recent fouryear DI APR as 974.
– Men’s Basketball=952
– Women’s Basketball=972
– Football=949
– Baseball=965
• 2.1% of all student-athletes in the 2011-2012 academic
year left their institutions academically ineligible.
• NCAA President Mark Emmert said, “These are strong &
meaningful standards, and we are pleased to witness the
continued improvement of student-athletes’ academic
performance. The NCAA and its member schools
believe in supporting success both on & off the playing
field.”
NCAA.com
NCAA.com
APR Comparison by Gender & Sport
NCAA.com
College Sports & Educational
Values
• Lower admission standards
• Preferential admittance
– Statistical advantage in the admission process at all types of institutions
– Athletes consist of a large share of the admitted individuals at selective
institutions.
• Negative consequence is the student-athlete admitted in this manner,
with lower GPA and ACT/SAT scores, still must maintain eligibility as if
they were accepted to the school on normal conditions.
• Placement of student-athletes in less rigorous courses.
– More concerned with eligibility than degree advancement.
– Grouping majors, by academic rigor
– “Major in eligibility” either by choice or by advice from coaching staff
College Sports as Moneymakers
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Power of free publicity for the university
Sport publicity helps recruit applicants
Alumni more likely to donate $$
Revenue from high-profile sports
Corporate sponsors
Licensing fees on merchandise
Athletic fees charged to students
Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) vs.
Graduation Success Rate (GSR)
• FGR assesses only first-time full-time freshmen
• FGR counts them as academic successes if they graduate
from their institution of initial enrollment within six years
• FGR makes no accommodation for transfers into or out of
an institution
• GSR begins with the federal cohort, and adds transfer
students & mid-year enrollees
• Student-athletes who leave an institution while in good
academic standing before exhausting athletics eligibility are
removed from the cohort of their initial institution.
Division I Student-Athlete
Graduation Success Rate (GSR)
• Division I student-athletes who entered
college in 2006 earned their degrees at a
rate of 82% (Highest ever reported)
• Since the NCAA first began tracking the
GSR with student-athletes who entered
college in 1995, the rate has increased 8%
points. The rate for African-American
student-athletes has gained 11% points.
Federal Graduation-Rate Differences Between
Student-Athletes & the Rest of the
Student Body
• Overall, student-athletes in the entering class of 2006 at
Division I institutions equaled their highest rate in history –
65%, which is 1% point higher than the general student body.
• The only athlete sub-group to have a lower FGR rate than the
student general student body were Caucasian males (2% pts.
lower)
• African-American male student-athletes graduated 9% points
higher than their general student body subgroup. (49% vs
40%)
• African-American female student-athletes graduated 13%
points higher than their general student body subgroup. (62%
to 49%).
NCAA.com
Flaws in the Comparisons
• Eckard (2010) explained the graduation comparisons
used by the NCAA are skewed due to the fact the
comparisons are not like individuals.
– Comparison of general population does not consider the
difference in full/part status.
– Data has been skewed because of part-time status students
– When excluding part-time students of the general population in a
sample of 106 major football schools, the athlete’s graduation
rate was 17.7% smaller than the general population. Regarding
basketball, a sample of 102 major men’s basketball schools (82
schools common in both samples) showed player graduation
rates at 34.3% lower than the general student population.
Strategies to Maintain Academic
& Athletic Balance
• Coaches & athletic administrators must place a significance on a healthy
balance.
• Create an athletic culture where student-athletes have the initiative &
interest in learning.
• Be a pillar of support for the athlete, but not the “foundation”.
• Provide reinforcement for academic performance, just as athletic
performance.
• Have entire coaching staff value academic success.
• Create team accountability with academics
• Establish team leaders/captains in regards to academics, character, and
citizenship.
• Develop academic confidence & self-esteem in the student-athletes.
• Create an environment where the student-athlete believes they belong
and has a role academically.
• Have athletic department personnel meet regularly with
academic leadership and teachers/faculty.
– Improve communication levels
– Improve relationship/respect levels
• Work with the media outlets to better promote academic
successes
• Create athletic honor rolls or academic clubs/awards for
recognition
• Establish an incentive program for academic success
• Develop an academic mentoring program
• Provide opportunities for the student-athletes to be
active participants in the educational process, be given
chances to display competence, and to demonstrate
their value to society and personal growth.
• Thank you for your attention and interest in
this topic.
• If you have future questions or would like
more information, feel free to contact me at:
Dylan Naeger
HSS Department
University of Louisville
Crawford Gym, Room 112
Louisville, KY 40292
502-852-5050
[email protected]