Some people in our profession seem to have forgotten about this important group. The high salaries and the praise of the fans have gone to the heads of many of us. I have been working in intercollegiate athletics seven years. I have spent the past three years working in intercollegiate sports administration. Since this is a business, college sports is much more than what is seen during the pageantry of the men's and women's basketball tournaments or on those Saturday afternoons when the football teams come running out of the dressing room ready to take on the world.
College sports consists of much more than winning the championship.
For student-athletes, college athletics is a job . They have little free time and much responsibility. They should be commended for their hard work and success on and off the field. Of course, not all student-athletes are the model people want them to be. Without student-athletes, names such as Eddie Robinson, Pat Summit, John Thompson, John Wooden and Lou Holtz would not be so recognizable.