[RoShamBo]

Can I ask exactly what is wrong with expecting academic excellence in hand with athletic? Look at the number of kids who actually go on to play in college, much less play in the pros. A good education will go far in life. It would be far to easy for me to accept mediocrity in academics for the HOPE of excellence in athletics. And arriving to college without adequate study habits is setting them up for failure. That is my job as a parent. If your kids were making C's and D's, would you still let them play if they were capable of better?

Let me also ask you this. Purely out of curiosity, because you state you weren't the smartest kid. Were your parents smart? I'm not trying to belittle or be mean.

You make good points but I don't think he was saying that academics should be put aside for the pursuit of athletics. I think he is simply referencing the fact that athletics, especially football, can teach young men as much about life and responsibility as a school can teach them academics. I agree that education should be priority number one, but you should not discard a young man because of a few bad grades but instead provide them with the incentives for future academic success. Removing them from a sport that gives them a reason to succeed is simply enforcing the vicious circle that some young people, especially those from tough backgrounds, get caught in. former has got it nailed.

Sorry, work spilled into that post.