Let me get this straight...you're upset because BC's players graduated on time? BC is simply being rewarded for requiring that its players attend class full-time during their initial four years on campus. The fact that a number of players are now enjoying their (de facto) senior seasons while also working on their Masters degrees is somehow a bad thing? No, Matt Ryan does not spend as much time in class as a normal undergrad student; that's because he's not an undergrad student. He's in a post-graduate program, the bulk of which meet at night, a few times a week.

He and the rest of the players in his situation went to class every day for four years, graduated on time, and are now taking advantage of the opportunity to play football and work toward a graduate degree at the same time. Why should BC be excoriated for it?

Oh come on. These guys graduated, and they're taking the minimum loads. They did so by succeeding in class during the school year and taking classes in the summer. They earned the right to meet the minimum NCAA requirements for this semester, because they already have their degrees. Last I checked, that's exactly what they're supposed to do as a "student-athlete". Get an education while having the opportunity to compete in athletics.

Your article is critical of the fact that BC does such a good job of making sure that their players are on track to graduate that they do so in 4 years?  And for that, you suggest that we take away the 5th year of eligibility for these players?  What your point misses is that the BC players were working that much harder during their first 4 years at BC that they are able to take a couple of graduate level classes (night school).  With the exception of guys like Ryan, most of the 17 or 18 kids that have already graduated will never see the NFL playing field.  Because they have a 5th year of eligibility, they are getting the opportunity (whether they actually use it or not) to spend a 5th year of free education (assuming they are asked back to play football) to advance their ability to work after college.  This sounds like something to be commended, not criticized.  BC is not only graduating most of their players, but making them do it in 4 years.  If BC wants to pay the kids a scholarship for a 5th year so that they can play football and get graduate degrees, then I say good for BC.  Show me another school that actually has this "problem" - as your stats reveal, most football players don't graduate at all, let alone do it in 4 years.

Oh, and by the way, unlike Matt Leinart at USC, Matt Ryan is using those credit hours to take business classes.  Masters courses are offered at BC at night, once a week.  This is designed to allow people to have jobs and get higher degrees.  If Matt Ryan and the rest of the BC seniors want to take advantage of this extra time to play football, then good for him.

Not only is this not a problem, it is to be commended, which, by the way, was the point of Maisel's article.

I'm obviously late to the party with this comment, but...

The NCAA has set standards low by measuring graduation rates in SIX YEARS for programs that are designed to take four years. Should BC really be penalized for graduating its players in the expected four years? If Ryan slacked off his first four years and then had to take two classes in order to graduate this fall, that would be okay?

 

 

So you're saying that BC athletes should be penalized for actually finishing their undergrad degree on time?  The bottom line is that they graduated in four years, and are still enrolled in classes (many of whom actually finish their graduate degree, taking a full course load along with summer classes.)  At other schools, many players are lucky to pass two undergrad classes per semester, and leave without a degree - 90+% of BC's players get their diploma.  Furthermore, BC doesn't have the ridiculously easy majors that athletes gravitate towards at other schools - the
"easiest" majors are Communications and Sociology, and neither of those are easy at all.

 Let's give credit where credit is due and not try to scam-up ridiculous analogies for why one top college football team is so vastly superior in academics to all of its counterparts.  Boston College only accepts players that can weather the academic load of a top university, often losing-out on excellent football recruits in the process, and then gives them all of the resources possible to make sure that they earn their degrees and can have a satisfying life beyond the football field.

 Finally, the $16.5 million revenue amount is irrelevant, because the football team's costs (largely academic-related) amount to more than $15 million -- this isn't a money-making machine, like Ohio State.  So advocate watered-down academic years for five-year players if you like.  But remember that BC is pushing its players hard in the classroom, knowing that many players are only around for four years, and showing faith in them to meet their potential in the classroom and have the chance to pursue a graduate degree if they're around long enough.  The last time I checked, a bachelor's degree plus some graduate credits is a hell of a lot better than some undergraduate credits without a degree. 

 Keep up the good work, BC.

You are getting on a school for graduating their players early and letting them attend grad school?  I have heard everything now.  Would you prefer that they tell them to spread out their classes to graduate in 5 years and not get some post grad work in?  Most kids never go to the NFL, if they work hard and can take some grad classes they might not otherwise afford, why would you single them out.  All schools get to have their athletes there for 5 years, why would anyone criticize kids graduating on time?

I have never commented on a blog before, but felt the need to clarify here. BC is a model for ALL NCAA members. Those players like Matt Ryan have graduated in four years, just like most "regular" students. They also put in countless hours of practice, film, and weight work on top of their regular studies. If they are red shirted, those that have graduated more often than not go on to take graduate level courses, which is the case here with Ryan, or complete a second undergraduate major. They also take three classes or nine credit hours, not the six you suggest. And in Matt Ryan's case, he is more than earning his scholarship with his play on the field and the publicity he is generaing for his school off of it. In contrast, you could take a look at fifth year senior Dennis Dixon, the fantastic QB at Oregon. He is taking ONE class this semester - billiards. If you look at the curriculum at Boston College, I don't think you'll find that option available.

Before you go casting BC in this light, you may want to look a little closer into the facts before coming to a conclusion such as this one. NCAA athletics does have a professional aspect to it and BC is certainly not immune, but I am very proud when they show GPA's of my alma mater's players and majors in things like Finance and Education, while other schools show their kids majoring in General Studies or Kinesiology (Michigan favorite) or Sociology (check out the Duke basketball roster in the last 15 years).

I would have commented on this sooner had I known this was out in the blogoshpere. I hope other alums have also commented. I appreciate the thought and effort that goes in to your work, and I'm very happy and not surprised to see BC playing the championship game! 

Finally someone calls BC out for what has been going on for a long time.  BC holds itself out as a model for academic integrity but in reality the school's commitment to academics comes second to athletics.  Same can be said for a school like Michigan

I think that all schools should develop the system currently in place at Notre Dame.  There, players are not allowed to red shirt and they are required to graduate in 4 years.  If, after their four years at ND are done and they still have a year of academic eligibility, the student-athlete may then apply to grad school at Notre Dame.  If admitted, they must take classes to pursue a graduate degree.  This is good because no one is getting a free pass and those that arent going on to the NFL have a head start on a graduate degree.  Notre Dame truly is committed to preparing their players for life after college, which, for the majority of their players, is not in the NFL.

You're actually criticizing the BC players for graduating in four years instead of five? Almost all college football players who take a redshirt year and don't leave early for the NFL spread their courseload over five years before graduating. These players didn't take it easy - they completed all of their requirements a full year faster than was necessary, and you're actually claiming that's a bad thing?

Memo to all college football players: Don't work extra-hard in the classroom when the bare minimum will do. Apparently, it's just a complicated form of slacking off.

WHAT??? They graduate in 4 years, and then most of them work on a double major, or get a masters degree. I would love to do a study on where BC football players are now, and see what they're doing. My bet is that they are contributing much to our society.

I am confused perhaps you could address a few questions:

1.  Should BC be limiting the number of classes red shirt athletes take so that they get their undergraduate degree in five years?  

2.  What graduate program are BC's red shirt athletes enrolled in?  What percentage of the classes in these programs occur at night (for MBA it is pretty heavy)?

3. Of the players that have taken graduate classes in the past how many have quit once their football eligibility expires?

4. While NCAA regulations require a minimum of 6 hours what are BC's rules regarding full time graduate students? (Hint: Matt Ryan takes 3 classes)?

While I agree that BC has found a loophole in the system, isn't better they take advantage of this loophole, make sure that their athletes graduate, and take some graduate courses then take the alternative route, which would be spread their credits over five years and have the top athletes leave half way through their fourth or fifth year to prepare for the draft and leave without a diploma?  Articles like this are the problem with the media today:  Always trying to find fault in everything everyone does.  BC should be applauded for what they are able to accomplish educationally.  I for one am happy to see a school graduate its players in four years, even if it means they get to take advantage of a system in the fifth.  This means they are recruiting truly "student" athletes.  Also, how about mentioning the fact that BC does not offer the easy majors that other top football powers offer?  While some of the players will take easier classes than others, I would guess a look over the majors of the athletes would show that they take a more rigorous course load than other teams.  

Again, thank you again for somehow shedding a poor light over what is right in college athletics. 

BC's players still go through the typical 4 years of studies that other students do. Instead of bailing after that, they stay and take take 2 classes and play an extra year of football. Where is the harm in that?????

BC football players graduate at about a 90% clip.  They've been doing that for as long as I can remember.  This year's team has 17 guys who have already graduated with real majors.  BC doesn't shuttle players into bogus majors like some big state schools.  Not only does BC graduate almost all of its players but the discrepancy between white and black graduation rates is miniscule compared to other schools.

 Matt Ryan is taking three graduate business classes this semester and playing football.  How exactly is BC "gaming the system" or "using" these players?  How is this increasing the professionalism of college football?  What exactly does the author mean by professionalization?  The players haven't signed with an agent.  They aren't being payed to play.

Ms. Luebchow:

I assure you that Boston College would be more than happy to see all other colleges be required to graduate their student-athletes in four years, as BC typically does.  Likewise, requiring a full courseload for the fall football season would be a much easier pill for BC to swallow than other schools, as our student-athletes seem from the graduation statistics to be more accustomed to the rigors of college academics than those elsewhere.

While you single out as "too light" the graduate-program workload of fifth-year student-athletes at Boston College like Matt Ryan, you ignore that the fifth-year student-athletes representing many other schools are taking far lighter loads--of nongraduate courses.  For example, it has been reported that Oregon's star quarterback Dennis Dixon is taking only a single course this fall: billiards.  You may recall USC's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart joking just two years ago about his sole academic pursuit in his final season: a ballroom dancing class.  Quality academic institutions like Boston College don't even offer "classes" like those, let alone steer their student-athletes toward those sorts of community college extension classes rather than legitimate academic courses of study.  Instead, Boston College encourages and enables them to pursue their graduate degrees, in the knowledge that the overwhelming majority will eventually be making their living in fields other than professional sports.

As commendable as your concerns about the marginalization of the college academic experience for football players may be, I suggest your energy would be better spent decrying and calling for the end of the far more common and irresponsible practices, particularly prevalent at public institutions, of placing student-athletes in easier undergraduate schools/programs or of assigning them the minimum courseload just to maintain their athletic eligibility, without regard for their actual academic progress, matriculation, or ultimately, careers outside of sports.

Congratulations, this could single-handedly be the biggest case of stat manipulation ever. Sure, BC has its fair share of athletes taking the bear minimum. But they still graduate at least.

This isn't the only example of this happening either. At Oregon, Dennis Dixon, their star QB, was taking one class this year to stay eligible. Anyone want to guess what it was? Billiards.

You make it seem like BC is breaking the rules and is the only team out there doing it. Lots of colleges do it and it's actually a normal thing to extend the playing life of a particularly good player.

Who wouldn't want to live the life Matt Ryan is? Stud quarterback, already graduated, still living the college life, and having a damn good time.

Thank you for your comments.  In this blog post, I was using Boston College as an example of practices that are happening across the country—it is certainly not specific to BC.  It happens that a number of BC’s better, more visible players were not true student-athletes this semester (as documented by the ESPN article), and thus provided a good example for the blog.

I applaud BC for having high graduation rates and also performing well on the football field (See my “Academic Bowl Championship Series,” which BC would win).  The issue here is with the NCAA arguing that the mission of college athletics is to “enhance the educational development of student athletes.”  In justifying the tax-exempt status of college sports to Congress, the NCAA stated that “those who participate in college sports are students,” and argued that there is a clear “demarcation between college and professional sports.”

When football players are spending a majority of their time on the practice field and dedicating minimal time to academics (as evidenced by Matt Ryan’s comments), there is something wrong.  These are no longer student-athletes, and the NCAA should not pretend that they are.  This gets at the heart of the tax-exempt status of big-time sports programs: are these programs maintaining the primary of “student” in “student-athlete,” and are they ensuring that football is contributing to the educational purpose of higher education?  If the players are no longer student-athletes, should they be paid?  Should we be letting Ohio State rake in $57 million in revenue from its football program tax-free?

These are the questions that I wanted to raise with this blog.  While I singled out BC, this is obviously an issue that the NCAA and all of Division I-A football needs to address.

Ms. Luebchow,

I don't know what your college experience was, but when I went to school (BC '07), I had plenty of free time.  The time I spent in class taking 5 classes a semester was roughly 13 hours per week.  While I wasn't in high demand, I would have had plenty of time for Jime Rome or USA Today.  If you're interested in how he's doing as a student, I'd talk to one his professors. 

When football players are spending a majority of their time on the practice field and dedicating minimal time to academics (as evidenced by Matt Ryan’s comments), there is something wrong. 

________________________________________________

Lindsey,

Sorry, you have pulled a comment from a Heisman candidate and a BC graduate that will get drafted in the first round of the NFL draft who will make millions from a signing bonus to support your theory. Matt Ryan is absolutely preparing himself for his post-BC life. Taking a class in communications at BC can't compare to what he is exposed to right now.

The absolute majority of BC athletes including football players will not be in Matt Ryan's position. Yes I am a BC graduate and yes I was a student who played basketball at BC. 90+% of the BC athletes will never make a dime as a professional athlete. They will become doctors lawyers, businesspeople.......with staring salaries out of school probably less than $50,000. Matt Ryan will get drafted partially on his public image so of course he should be spending his time in front of cameras.

Everyone knows Doug Flutie for "The Pass", but I know him as the head of The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Doug has combined his son's challenges with his national profile to do many great things for Autism families. I saw Doug grow from a very quiet local kid into now a national figure at both a sports and fundraising perspective. Certainly that started at BC when he probably skipped a few classes to attend the Heisman dinner.

I agree with many of the things that you say, and trust me BC (at least in the old days) can do a better job with balancing student athletes. I have former teammates who played in the NBA, some that literally took 14 years to graduate after pro ball and some that are in jail due to drugs. Nothing is perfect including BC, but your focus in this discussion is simply wrong and way off base.

Hopefully in 20 years from now Matt Ryan will do more with his life that throw a "Hail Mary" against Virginia Tech. Certainly Doug Flutie did.

The working class mothers that take one or two night classes because they are at work all day advancing their professional careers, should they not be entitled to financial aid?  I mean, they're not even real full time students after all.  Graduate school, which the BC players are enrolled in, often happens part time and at night.  How they spend their days is their business as long as they pass the classes.  There is a clear demarcation between college and professional sports.  Matt Ryan doesn't get paid to play football.  That's the demarcation.  You didn't even mention tax exempt status in your article.  For your information, Boston College's athletic department runs a deficit every year because it has so many varsity sports in addition to the revenue generators like football and basketball.  Boston College takes in no profit whatsoever from its athletics.  If Ohio State makes $57 million a year, write an article about Ohio State.

Implying that Matt Ryan isn't a student because he has free time is laughable. The interview you referred to was probably given on a day when Ryan had no class. On a day where Ryan has night classes (graduate level MBA classes), I doubt he has the free time he mentioned. For you to bemoan the fact that Matt Ryan doesn't take enough class is foolish. Perhaps Ryan, and other BC players, should not go the extra mile by taking summer classes, and simply stretch their undergrad career out over a 5 year time period. Would that be more to your liking?

Miss Luebchow,

You appear to take issue with Matt Ryan participating in various media interviews with ESPN, FOX, the L.A. Times, Comcast, and the like.  There is a very good reason that Matt has the time during the day to take part in these activities : he has graduated.  He has fulfilled his undergraduate requirements and is now working toward a graduate degree at night.  I can relate because I am also attending Boston College's graduate school at night and can testify to the academic rigors that come with working toward a degree part-time.

Are you proposing some arbitrary daily schedule that both athletes and non-athletes should adhere to in order to be labeled a "student"?  I work full-time during the day and attend BC at night.  Does that make me any less of a student?  Of course not.

But hey, maybe future student-athletes should listen to you and instead of working hard for four straight years like they do at BC they should work hard enough just to get by for five.

This article makes absolutely no sense at all. BC graduates its players bottom line. LSU and all others teams do not. Go rip them for academics. Matt Ryan has aready graduated in 4 years because he worked hard and passed his classes, so now he has graduated and still has a year of eligibility left so he's playing. He graduated and did more than any players on many other schools ever do. This article is ridiculous and people will misinterpret it and get the completely wrong idea. Graduating in 4 years is all Matt Ryan did.

To Danny Davidson above: Notre Dame does an exemplary job in preparing student athletes for the life after college, but your comments on Boston College are misplaced and ignorant. At the very least, provide some examples or data to support your outrageous claims; otherwise, pipe down.

Miss Lubechow:

Of all schools to pick on with regard to academic standards and student athletes .... BOSTON COLLEGE?

Boston College is famous for - year in and year out - graduting 90+% of the members of its football team.  This makes it unique among programs that compete at a high level on the football field - most other leading football programs have graduation rates that hover around 40%.

The NCAA gives scholarship athletes 5 years at the university.  Virtually every school allows their players to spread their undergraduate degree requirements out over the 5 years and hence, they are taking a lighter work load than a regular student at the university.  Not so at Boston College.  There, students must complete their undergraduate degree in 4 years, just as a normal student would.  Then, in the 5th year, the BC student-athletes START GRADUATE SCHOOL!  In their 5 years, BC student-athletes do more academic work and take more courses than student-athletes at any other university.

So, Miss Lubechow, what is it that you are suggesting?  That BC should relax its academic standards and allow its players to spread their coursework out over 5 years?  That certainly seems to be the gist of your article.

If you want to criticize players and or programs for not living up to the "student-athlete" title, then why not look to Heisman Trophy candidate Dennis Dixon, the quarterback for the University of Oregon, who recently bragged that he is only enrolled in one course: billiards.

Or how about former University of Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart who once laughingly informed reporters that he was only taking one course: ball room dancing.

Instead, you choose to go after a group of student-athletes who, unlike their counterparts at other schools, have completed their undergraduate degree in 4 years, and now have moved on to GRADUATE studies.

What a disgrace.

Wow.

Boy, did you ever bark up the wrong tree.

I have a hard time believing that you, Ms Lubechow, actually get paid to write. With all the problems with college athletics, to waste your time writing about Bostoon College's athletes who DID graduate and are simply taking advantage of the NCAA rules is a disgrace. If you don't like the rule, your problem is with the NCAA not with Boston College. BC IS a model for college athletics and you are a disgrace to journalism.  

This article is one of the worst researched, poorly thought-out pieces of writing that I have seen in a long time.  

It smacks of someone who found Maisel's article, confirmed the "facts" of his piece, and regurgitated the same with minor editorialization.  No independent thought.  No demonstrated comprehension of the academic landscape for collegiate athletes.

The article completely takes facts and statistics out of context and, for no reason, takes a swipe at one of the academic "good guys" on the collegiate sports scene.

Surely, there are dozens of other programs you can raise your misinformed eyebrows at.

Yes, that money that they make tax free goes to support all the other programs that dont male money and adds to the endowment and helps further education.

If you want an article you should harpp on athletic programs that dont make money.  How about RU cutting classes and sports and asking the state for a 30m loan to expand the stadium.  Dont look at athletic programs that make money and add to the school like OSU or BC, look at schools in budget crunches that lose money.

You should do a story on the schedules of Duke basketball players.  I'm sure they're all enrolled in pre-med courses. 

 Bottom line: BC graduates its players.  Don't try to hide behind this tax-exempt argument.  Give me a break.  How about any "non-profit" Hospital?  You should investigate that if you think this is such a travesty.