DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Let Students Major in Football???

So I was watching a special about the Histories of College Football in relation to Pro Football. Very interesting show...I believe I saw it on ESPN2...

As they started to get to current times. They started to talk about how we look at College Football more in the frame of preparation for the NFL. The conversation about these top players is about how they fit in the NFL and how good they might be in the NFL more than pushing a more NCAA narrative. They also get into the money being made by colleges and the current argument about "paying players".

So you had some arguments on both sides...including the issues this could present such as who gets paid (just the football players...what about programs ans sports that don't bring in as much money), how much to pay, etc.

It was at this time they switched to someone who made the quick comment "Let them major in football".

I laughed.

But it struck me.

I started to actually think about it.

Why not?

Think about it. We already have majors that have a very narrow application in the spectrum of real world jobs. Things such as dead languages, film and TV studies, etc. Many only have application in academia.

None of these majors, or ANY major for that point, guarantee the student of a job, in the field of study, once graduated.

So why not a Football major? There is plenty about the profession and business of football that can be used to create a curriculum. And I think it could benefit every level of football operations on every level of football. From players, to coaches and trainers, to scouts, to administration, to analytics.

Not every player on a college team is going to make it to the NFL and overwhelmingly they will not have a job in the sport at any level. And not everyone with a degree in football is going to have a job in football...BUT I think the chance of a football major getting a job in football is greater than a person who gets a degree in a subject that can only be applied in academia. But we still have those majors.

Not to mention most of the people I know are in a profession in a field that was NOT their field of study in college.

So why not a BSP in Football (Bachelor of Sports???)

How would you grade players? A fumble would be like failing a pop quiz? If you didn't play, what sort of grade would be applied to that?

HC's still go with their gut on important decisions. How do you convert such things to multiple choice tests?

I can already imagine the backlash the first time an All American defensive lineman is declared ineligible for failing a football class.

Athleticism and Academics can co-exist, but many great athletes aren't really academically gifted/suited. The fact that the NCAA forces them to take classes, so they can then use the classes as a means of compensation and use that as an excuse for taking most of the money for themselves is pretty shady.

Not that educating athletes is a bad thing. You can do it without using grades as a club and still compensate athletes fairly. One more seat in a classroom doesn't really cost the schools much anything. The NCAA really doesn't even provide that. Yet, they take away a lot of the money.

Rather than making them take football classes, why don't we just consider the football related training they get more like a trade school.

Money suck.

No, not like that.. I've been saying this for years. I wouldn't limit it to football though, "Professional sports" should be a major..

All of the classes already exist, all you have to do is group them together.. classes like:

Public speaking
Financial management
Nutrition
Kinesiology
Contract management
Marketing/branding
Broadcasting
Then give them a few credits a semester for working out and playing their sport.. not where the best players get the best grades but the ones that work harder, improve the most, learn and understand, etc..

I always get the answer, what if they don't make it to the pros? Well what if you major in pre-med and can't get into medical school? Then you do something else, probably in healthcare.. be a nurse, get into pharmacy, whatever..

Same applies here, there are a 1000 jobs around sports you could do that are not the actual athlete. It would prepare you better for coaching, broadcasting, strength coach, agent, etc...

Doesn't a lot of this fall under the ubiquitous "sports management" major a lot of athletes pursue?

Majoring in 'Football' seems redundant.

https://fisher.osu.edu/graduate/ftmba/academics/curriculum/sports-management

Kind of but the difference is they get zero credit now for working out and devoting hours and hours to their sport. I think that should count for something.

If you are in the OSU marching band you get graded credit for as a class because of the hours practicing and performing but the players don't? That's BS.

Absolutely agree.

I was strictly viewing it from the curriculum standpoint. I Should have read more in to the idea. Then again, I assume most of the players don't really bother with class anyway.

Side note, Craig Krenzel and I were in several pre-med classes together (I never became a physician).

The only kids who don't go to class at all are the 1 and done basketball players in their second semester.... I think most schools do a pretty decent job of making sure most of the kids keep up with their academics.

Well I don't know if any Sports Management degrees include classes like Offensive and/or Defensive concepts and Philosophies. (How would that be different from a liberal arts Philosophy class in applicability?) Perhaps History of the sport. Training techniques, etc...


Right now most coaching/trainer trees start off with internships by GA's...why not move some of that learning into the undergraduate realm? Why not improve the football acumen of players as part of their education...not as an easy "A"...but rather in the pursuit of a career in the sport.

Most Sports Management degrees I have seen are about administration and marketing...the business side of sports...

Why not a degree in rap music?

Why not? Don't know if having a degree in it really validates the street cred most rappers are going for but sure.. why not?

Because just like majoring in football, the odds of success are about the same as a liberal arts degree.

Not true at all. As I laid out, I don't think you should major in "Football" but you could major in pro sports.. which, even if you don't make it to the pros as an athlete would give you a skill set to do many other things involved with sports.

Just as majoring in "Music" could ultimately lead to a career in the rap industry even if it's not as the artist.

The reply you are referencing was in response to Pete. He was supporting a "football degree" just like the post title does.

I think a pro sports degree makes more sense. Just as I believe a music degree does.

But if you specialize it so much that it breaks down to a football degree or a rap degree, it makes zero sense to me.

I don't disagree with that.. you could get a degree in pro sports with a concentration in football if that's your sport of choice... but your degree would be in "Pro Sports" though I'm sure they could come up with a fancier title than that.

And yet we still offer all of those degrees...

A degree is not a guarantee of a job. Ask any pre med major.

But in reference to your question about a major in rap music....why not. If they have enough content to create a large enough curriculum...

Personally, I think there is too much overlap with a "music" major. But again that is just a personal opinion.

I think a Pro Sports degree with a concentration makes good sense. BUT....I also think that there is enough content for the major sports to have their own degree. Especially in the big 4 --- Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey.

I think a big hurdle for these "sports" degrees would just be accreditation. But much like trade schools, I also think there is a place for this type of education. JMO

Why does it make zero sense? Big time college and NFL football is a multi-billion dollar industry that employs thousands and thousands of people with all different skill sets beyond just the "management" aspect you would get from a sports management degree... Similarly with rap or hip hop, huge industry with tremendous potential for employment..

How's the art history industry doing these days?

More worthless degrees is certainly not the answer.

I would be Ok with this as long as the degree includes coursework in business type classes involving things such as leadership, marketing, relationship building, teamwork, teambuilding, motivation, networking, communication etc

There is more to sports than just what happens on the field.
There is a whole business side, and if they emphasized that, it would help students if their sports career doesnt work out, or if they go into coaching.

I can agree with that, but I don't think those would prep you to be a agent. You might have a hard time passing the LSAT

[quote=PitDAWG]Because just like majoring in football, the odds of success are about the same as a liberal arts degree. [/quote

Actually, Liberal Arts Degrees have value. Lot's of companies don't want people drilled in to thinking this is the way it's done, but they do want people who have a well rounded college education.

People who can sit and talk with people of various education levels and carry on a conversation.

I don't think a degree at any level is worthless. You might not see payback in the way of salary, but being educated isn't worthless.

Nobody can take that from you. That has value.

I want to agree with you ..... but I can't.

I know a few people who went for education degrees, because they "like kids" ... only to find that this just isn't enough. Then they move into other jobs ..... but are still stuck with huge student loans.

Learning is never wasted ... but sometimes the expense is not worth it. Plus, for a motivated person, there is a lot to be learned online ..... sometimes for free, and some even from accredited universities. (from schools like Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and others)

If parents were smart, they would start their kids in a community college for their preliminary course work. I know so many young people who are drowning in college debt, that they will never escape because they want to go where their friends are going.

I wish we would also recognize that some kids are just not going to be great students, but that doesn't mean that they can't be productive in a trade. (which often offer paid apprenticeships)

I wouldn't care if football players were allowed to take "life" courses ..... that would educate them as to what happens once you get a little money, etc. That would be more valuable that having a major that will never really offer them anything.

The suggestion to allow college football players to major in football is on the right track, and recognizes the reality that these athletes are in school to play football more than anything else.

The fact that Universities house multi-billion dollar sports programs is an accident of history. Universities should not be in the business of running big time sports teams. It is not consistent with the mission of any of these institutions of higher education. Again, its an accident of history the way that major college sports blossomed into a gigantic business enterprise separate from the foundational mission of these schools, especially public ones.

The situation leads to the mess we have now, where "student athletes" are really professional athletes in every way except they do not get paid. And the University finds itself running a professional sports team.

Universities should get out of running these professional sports businesses. They could licence the name, colors, facilities etc...to private enterprises who could hire players much the same way as any other sports franchise. People will pay to see players running around in scarlet and gray calling themselves the buckeyes whether the players are "students" or not. This way, schools can make money off the colors and tradition, but get back to the business of education. The players could get paid to play football, and stop pretending they are regular students. And fans can keep cheering for their same old team and spending money in much the same way that they do now.