Photo by: Will Gentry
Oklahoma Christian University student-athletes provide a contrast to CNN’s national claim that college athletes are stereotypically less intelligent than other students.
According to the recently published article “CNN Analysis: Some College Athletes Play Like Adults, Read Like 5th-Graders,” said “…a staggering achievement gap between college athletes and their peers at the same institution.”
Particularly when dealing with Division I schools, claims of tipped scales in favor of collegiate athletes usually come to the forefront of media outlets.
“I think when you read the article, they’re primarily talking about Division I,” Dean Findley, director of academic excellence in athletics, said. “Here at OC, we’re going from NAIA to Division II, and they’re both more of a focus on academics. Most kids who come here to play a sport are going to get a job out of here – they’re not going to play professionally.”
With the possibility of a professional sports position after college being unlikely, academic priorities seem to be a little higher on the list.
“I realize that there is a future after basketball, and I have to work hard on my academics in order to achieve what I want to later in life,” senior center Andee Wayne said. “I actually just got accepted into OU medical school to become a doctor.”
As coaches at Oklahoma Christian prepare their athletes for a career, other schools seem to cater to different goals, according to Director of Athletics Curtis Janz.
“At the University of Oklahoma athletics is a billion-dollar business, and that changes the way things are done,” Janz said. “They want to make sure that the team is successful so they can continue to have 85,000 people buy tickets.”
Athletics is only a portion of the student-athlete’s experience.
“Athletically, it’s important that we are competitive,” Janz said. “Academically, it’s important that our kids graduate. Socially, it’s important that they learn what Oklahoma Christian is about – our values and then, obviously, spiritually. So we really do try to focus on a four-or-five-prong approach that we’re doing things to make them successful.”
With a variety of majors and sports, there is no clear-cut answer in dealing with every student-athlete’s path to graduation.
“I think what sets OC apart … is where the student finds their identity,” Connor Davenport, senior men’s soccer player, said. “Obviously, here the student finds that in Christ, and hopefully after that is grades and then sports.”
Maintaining a clear view of priorities is something that is vital for every person.
“Being a student-athlete is just like anything else – it just takes balance,” Matt McLain, senior men’s soccer player, said. “If your education means something to you, then athletics isn’t going to get in its way.”
Last year, Mo and Richard Anderson presented one million dollars to the university to fund the Anderson Endowment for Academic Excellence in Athletics. Directed by Findley, the program monitors in-class grades, provides tutoring and enables the podcasting of classes for all excused absences for athletic-related travel.
“I think if the general student body realizes how much time it takes the normal student with the 16-hour schedule to study … and then take 2 1/2 hours out of your day, what do you sacrifice?” Findley said. “It’s nice to represent the school … but behind the scenes, just know that [athletes] cut out 2 1/2 to three hours of their day to prepare for that and still have to study the same things everyone else has to.”
Every sport requires a minimum 2.0 GPA to stay on the team. According to Janz, less than one percent of Oklahoma Christian athletes ever drop below that requirement.
“[Coaches] put a lot of emphasis on [academics]. They say we’re here primarily to get an education,” McLain said. “So they see our athletics, and for me soccer, as a way to get an education. It pays for it.”
With the incentive to maintain the scholarships received through athletics, many student-athletes have a high drive to maintain good grades to stay on their respective teams.
“The majority of our student-athletes receive only partial scholarships,” Janz said. “And any time you pay your own money, you value it more.”
According to Janz, the overall grade-point average of the 200 athletes in all sports since 2007 has ranged from a 3.09 to a 3.24.
“We’ve always heard that athletics builds character,” Janz said. “Truly, athletics reveals character. And I think that’s a good thing for somebody to sometimes have to evaluate. Sometimes character traits they don’t like only come out in pressure-intense situations and they have to grow to be better.”
Every school is different and every student has a different story. Most Oklahoma Christian athletes work hard to make sure their story reflects personal success in both athletics and academics.
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