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SHOCKING! Many college athletes read and write at elementary school levels

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wedward

Member
American college athletes are a joke and should all be kicked out of university.

University sports should be for actual academically inclined students.

It is not a university duty to prepare people for a career in professional sports. It takes resources away from the actual purpose of universities: to provide tertiary-level education for those who can hack it.

Yes, because all athletes are dumb as bricks and none of them actually deserve to be there based on academic qualifications.

Jesus. Get a grip.
 

MR20

Banned
Am I bad for wondering the same

I remember reading somewhere that Antonio Cromartie (CB for Jets) could barely read at a 2nd grade level while in college at Florida State.

IIRC he was a freak of nature coming out of the draft back in '06. It could be him.
 
If you don't mind my asking, what sort of things did you forget?
For me it was just some of the main, raw stuff you learn, like the different sentence type names and things like that. I had a job interview where they flew me to another state and I had to do about 3 hours of exams (which I didn't know about or prep for) with question like "here are 20 sentences, correct everything wrong with the sentence. Some sentences may not have anything wrong with them. you don't get to use spell check." So coming off of months of doing nothing but writing cover letters and sending resumes, I pretty much bombed those (My spelling is ATROCIOUS without spell check).

Thankfully I got a position that wasn't as concerned with testing for that stuff and more interested in actual writing work I had done, so it went well.

Legit curious: how do you measure this? Are they supposed to read like theses?

For technical writing it depends on which audience the document is intended for. If you're publishing a super technical paper meant for other people in your field, it's meant to be very complicated and a layperson probably wouldn't understand much of it.
If you're writing a White Paper then you want to write in a simpler style that is easy for readers of various backgrounds to understand. That involves a lot of defining terms, avoiding complicated terminology whenever possible, and summarizing things in ways that the majority of people can comprehend.

I edited a paper in college for a Pharmaceutical major and it was WAY too complicated for me (all about how some drug works to penetrate cell membranes) with lots of equations and chemical names. But the guy spoke English as a second language, so the paper had a lot of basic grammatical and syntax errors that was where my edits focused on. You basically have to rely on the subject matter experts to know what they're talking about, and tweak the paper to make it more readable.
 

way more

Member
SHOCKING! Many [people] read and write at elementary school levels.

As someone who does technical writing for a living, it can be pretty funny to see the stuff that engineers, software developers, and project managers write in emails and documents. Maybe not as low as elementary school, but definitely no higher than basic high school.

Kinda shocking to read about the guy who couldn't even read or write, but at least he's getting the opportunity to do so now


But they know the language of math. Why would you waste your time with talking with non-STEM words when STEM means you can communicate more fully and richly? End scene!
 

Bgamer90

Banned
Sad but not surprising at all. While I graduated debt free, I definitely understand frustration from people who can read at college level, don't play sports, and are in a ton of debt.

A good number of these players are getting free rides.
 

Crisco

Banned
I remember reading somewhere that Antonio Cromartie (CB for Jets) could barely read at a 2nd grade level while in college at Florida State.

IIRC he was a freak of nature coming out of the draft back in '06. It could be him.

I mean, there's definitely a bunch of dudes in the NFL who are, uh, linguistically challenged. But man, I remember watching interviews of CJ2K back when that nickname wasn't a punchline, and I literally cringed every time he opened his mouth. I honestly just felt bad for the guy.
 

xbhaskarx

Member



(Jason Kidd's SAT score was almost as low as someone not in a vegetative state can score, and he went to UC Berkeley!)
 
Sad. I wonder how many of these players do more intensive degrees like life sciences or engineering. I'm guessing none? Are they all liberal arts/humanities students?

I thought they weren't allowed to play sports if you weren't doing well with your studies? How can one read at an elementary school level and be doing well at university level school work?
 

Bgamer90

Banned
(Jason Kidd's SAT score was almost as low as someone not in a vegetative state can score, and he went to UC Berkeley!)

I remember reading that he got less than 500.

Sad. I wonder how many of these players do more intensive degrees like life sciences or engineering. I'm guessing none? Are they all liberal arts/humanities students?

I thought they weren't allowed to play sports if you weren't doing well with your studies? How can one read at an elementary school level and be doing well at university level school work?

Many professors give them a pass... Especially if they are doing well in the sports they play.
 
American college athletes are a joke and should all be kicked out of university.

University sports should be for actual academically inclined students.

It is not a university duty to prepare people for a career in professional sports. It takes resources away from the actual purpose of universities: to provide tertiary-level education for those who can hack it.
A university able to provide a good education and athletics are not mutually exclusive. And weird that you're making such a blanket statement based off one university. A university that was busted for academic fraud nonetheless. The UNC situation isn't the norm.

My school for example has been proven to take things seriously, not compromise on admissions requirements and actually ultimately graduate players. And further, graduate players that will no longer contribute on the playing field. So it isn't as if they are just cast to the wayside if a better player comes in to replace them. They keep their scholarship.
 
That just makes me sad. It must be hard going through life without being able to write or read very well.

My only experience with college sports dudes is when I was taking a remedial college algebra (night) class at Pitt. My teacher mentioned that she had taught or was teaching nearly the whole football team. They were nice guys, quiet, tended to come in late because of practice. There's a guy who goes around and marks whether the players are in their classes or not. It's his whole job.
 
That just makes me sad. It must be hard going through life without being able to write or read very well.

It really enrages me that the NCAA and the schools that profit so much off these athletes are taking things away with both hands. Not only are the athletes not rewarded with usable skills for a productive life outside of sports should their pro sports dreams go unfulfilled but they're required to dance for four consecutive years as their scholarships are dangled above their heads on strings named 'eligibility' and sometimes 'student code of honor.' They can't earn any money while in school and god forbid they learn something to help them make money when the school is done with them. The South Park slavery analogy is the most accurate thing that's been broadcast in 15 years.
 

markot

Banned
The US idolises sports to such a degree its crazy. Universities should be about learning, not your favourite teams >_<

Not to mention all the people profiteering off these kids while the vast majority of them end up on the trash heap.

You guys need to disconnect sports and schools. Its not like its helping with the obesity either >.>
 

Phobophile

A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.
They should just let American pro sports be like European soccer and just let 16 year olds play.
 
You guys are making it sound like all college athletes are brain dead jocks. There certainly are people who take advantage of the system but come on.

Of course this is neogaf so blanket statements and hyperbole are to be expected.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
Well, I have tried everything. Legal, illegal, nothing. I am at a loss.

I need this antiquity for an aquaintance who has had to reinstall his old crapola PC and now finds out her CD is... somewhere. Yadda yadda, Windows XP, blah blah, doesn't like new Corels. Besides, a new Corel is hellishly expensive. Plus she'D have to relearn so many things.

Halp :-\
 
i teach public speaking at a large public university

my student athletes so far have been either dumb as hell or among the smartest in the class
 

_woLf

Member
It's funny because a lot of them get a free or discounted college education and then end up wasting it.

Sad thing, that NCAA.
 

Piecake

Member
You guys are making it sound like all college athletes are brain dead jocks. There certainly are people who take advantage of the system but come on.

Of course this is neogaf so blanket statements and hyperbole are to be expected.

Id say this even being a minority is a huge issue. Either they need to create another pipeline to pro sports or force colleges to actually enforce their academic standards.

That free ride could have gone to someone who actually would have benefited from a college education who might not have had the opportunity. Instead, they gave it, likely funded with state dollars, to dudes who can't even read and will likely never sniff the pros
 

Avixph

Member
Well, I have tried everything. Legal, illegal, nothing. I am at a loss.

I need this antiquity for an aquaintance who has had to reinstall his old crapola PC and now finds out her CD is... somewhere. Yadda yadda, Windows XP, blah blah, doesn't like new Corels. Besides, a new Corel is hellishly expensive. Plus she'D have to relearn so many things.

Halp :-\

I think you posted in the wrong thread.
 
I've always thought that they should make a college program specifically for atheletes, instead of shoehorning them into fake liberal arts degrees that they won't follow through with and ultimately won't matter in the end.

Putting together a two or three year program can't be that hard, and there are probably many relevant courses offered at the university already.
 

Kusagari

Member
I took a class with Jeff Driskel.

He actually seemed pretty intelligent, which is good considering he sucks ass at playing football.
 

Omega

Banned
American college athletes are a joke and should all be kicked out of university.

University sports should be for actual academically inclined students.

It is not a university duty to prepare people for a career in professional sports. It takes resources away from the actual purpose of universities: to provide tertiary-level education for those who can hack it.

yeah

but money is more important.

So no one cares that some dumbass that can't read a Dr. Seuss book is going to a top level university. they care about how much money he can generates, which is fucking depressing.
 
i know athletes at GA Tech can read. I see them read naruto in class on their laptops.


But then their ability to play football is a bit suspect at times :(
 
N

NinjaFridge

Unconfirmed Member
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.

Did he write that himself?
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
i know athletes at GA Tech can read. I see them read naruto in class on their laptops.


But then their ability to play football is a bit suspect at times :(

Note athletes here at GT are generally a cut above the rest. Problem is you look at the football record and you go well there ya go.
 
Some students simply aren't prepared for or interested in academics, coaches insist on dedication to the team, professors and administrators conspire to pass athletes without merit, etc. I wouldn't mind seeing student-athletes on a part-time academic schedule, make a modest stipend, and be allowed to use their scholarships at a later date, if their dreams of professional sports are never realized.

That's fucking rich considering the UNC prof who got popped for faking grades, accepting plagiarized papers and taking salary for classes that never existed except to be a stamp on a student-athlete's transcript. The NCAA is a goddamn joke.

I only heard this story on the radio, but it sounded like the only reason he got in trouble for the salary is because an administrator noticed he was teaching the class and did the paperwork for him to be paid. That will carry the harshest penalty, and yet he didn't even try to do that!

Well, I have tried everything. Legal, illegal, nothing. I am at a loss.

I need this antiquity for an aquaintance who has had to reinstall his old crapola PC and now finds out her CD is... somewhere. Yadda yadda, Windows XP, blah blah, doesn't like new Corels. Besides, a new Corel is hellishly expensive. Plus she'D have to relearn so many things.

Halp :-\

Wrong thread, I imagine.
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Part of the reason why Kevin Garnett jumped straight to the NBA is because he couldn't get into college.

He wanted to play basketball and study to be an architect, but he failed to get at least a 17 on his ACTs 4 times (which was the NCAA standard), and the NBA draft was going to happen before he got his SAT scores, so he declared eligible for the draft. It wasn't until a few weeks after he was drafted that he learned that he passed his SATs, and at that point, he weighed his options and opted to just sign his NBA contract.
 
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