Kevin’s Key: Moderation of Athletics and Why it Must be Stressed

KEVIN KONG
Sports Editor

Many athletes spend countless hours for whatever challenge lie ahead. However, when students place a stronger focus on sports over academics, the balance may tip.
On Feb. 13, University of Southern California’s (USC) baseball Head Coach Frank Cruz was fired two days before the team’s season opener against Cal State Fullerton after knowingly breaking a National Collegiate Athletic Association Countable Athletically-Related Activities rule that limits the amount of hours that athletes can spend in activities supervised or directed by the coaches.
In addition to Cruz’s termination, USC self-imposed a reduction of practice hours for the team that will be in effect until 2014. The penalties set forth by USC were completely justified as those rules were put in place for a reason; after all, athletes are students first.
Sports are a dynamic part of many students’ lives and can prove to be rewarding in terms of the life lessons and the scholarships they may bring. However, when too much emphasis is put onto sports, such as in the case of the USC baseball team, the players’ focus on schoolwork diminishes.
Emphasis must be placed primarily on school because after high school, a few athletes go into the professional leagues. For the majority who don’t make a career out of sports, they must ultimately face the reality of a competitive workforce. Glory from sports-related achievements is only temporary, but an education that can provide a living is forever.
As with everything else in life, moderation is the key to success and student-athletes must recognize that academics are top priority. Sports are in no way a negative experience, but they can become so when students fail to properly prioritize.