With regard to the recent threatened boycott of college basketball games by the coaches due to the NCAA refusal to increase the number of scholarships, I have a suggestion: Why not promote a system whereby the number of scholarships allowed to a given school would be dependent upon the schools graduation rate of their basketball athletes?
It has been reported that some NCAA schools graduate less than 10 percent of their basketball athletes while other schools (near the top of the range) graduate more than 80 percent. Why not let the graduation rate determine the actual number of scholarships for which a school may become eligible?
For instance, if the NCAA allows a maximum of 15 scholarships this year, then a school with a graduation rate of 80 percent would be eligible for 12 scholarships. A school with a graduation rate of only 10 percent would be eligible for only one full scholarship.
A plan which determines the number of scholarships based upon the schools’ graduation rates would serve as a reminder to all schools-and coaches-that the primary objective of the schools is to provide a meaningful education to all their students, including the athletes, and not to act solely as a training ground for the professional sport business.
