Education first, sports second

In this past month, Vikings head football coach Jerry Glanville has been getting a lot of flak for choosing to suspend at least eight scholarships belonging to his football players. Yet it doesn’t seem fair to judge him so harshly without knowing exactly what happened to these students or Glanville’s true reasons for canceling the scholarships.

The story first appeared in the Willamette Week, and then a following piece in the News section of the July 9 edition of the Vanguard. Sports editor Skyler Archibald pointed out the inconsistencies in both the players’ and coaches’ versions of the events that lead to the dismissal. But without the whole story, how can we judge coach Glanville at all?

In Glanville’s defense, as head coach he has the right to deny scholarships to anyone who is not pulling his own weight. Not on the field, but in every area that makes the students more than athletes; when they represent athletic scholars.

Archibald wrote that, “Glanville said academic performance is extremely important in measuring the responsibility and maturity of the players.” The whole idea of athletic scholarships is to give students who have a talent for the sport an opportunity, through their skill, to be rewarded by not having to pay tuition.

If sports fuels these players’ ambition and school is seen as secondary, however common it may be, it is backward thinking when it comes to university athletics. If Glanville did dismiss scholarships due to academic concerns, then I agree with his actions, insomuch that we are still at a university where the education is the most important aspect of the university experience.

Concern has also began to grow, with people fearing that the football season opener might not come out well for the Vikings, since at least eight valuable players have been removed and replaced with new players.

The confidence of the rest of the team might be low and concern might grow as to who is next to lose a scholarship. Even if Glanville did err in his decision, at the detriment of the team’s playing ability or confidence, weeding out students who may not be the most responsible or mature will prove better in the end.

The sports season may get off to a rockier start, but with more dedicated players, the team has a stronger possibility to succeed. The players should have nothing to fear as long as they stay committed to both their education and the team.

I also have to disagree with my comrade Archibald in his most recent column [“Archie’s wry hook,” July 30] that this doesn’t seem like an issue so extreme that a player will be removed “if you miss a tackle, drop an easy interception or fail to connect down field with a wide-open receiver.”

None of the reasons or accounts of lost scholarships mention a player’s field ability. Glanville clearly wanted a stronger team, and even if that means weeding out some good players, the end result will be the key.

Perhaps this serves as a warning to all Vikings athletes who believe that they can get off a little easier because they play sports. I know they are not the majority, because most who attend are here for the education, but they still, on some level, exist.

The thought that an athlete believes he or she might get off easier because they have to practice or have a game irks me. Sports scholarships are really an exchange of work. As opposed to working a job to pay for the cost of education, athletes work it off on the field.

Students who pay their own way are forced to work all hours to go to school, but they don’t complain that the system isn’t working for them and use it as an explanation as to why their grades are slipping.

The concern about the loss of scholarships seems, on the surface, unfounded. If these athletes were truly slipping in grades, missing practices, or damaging or disrupting PSU property, then they were misrepresenting the hardworking athletes who earn the right to have a scholarship.

It’s incredibly frustrating to receive equal benefits while working hard with someone who would rather be screwing around getting the same treatment. It not only disrespects the hardworking athletes, but also disrespects the team.

In the case that these students did lose their scholarships in error, they shouldn’t have too hard of a time stating their case. As long as the response is better than saying simply “it’s not true,” they might have a chance at appeals. Until then, perhaps they better look into financial aid and join the ranks of the average working student.