Ethical Issues with the Ncaa

There are several ethical issues in the news lately about the treatment college athletes are receiving compared to the non-athletic students of universities. Is the practice of favoring athletes and bending the rules in the favor of universities to enable the best college sports stars to play ethical? Two major ethical issues that have been in the public eye as of late is cheating and grade tampering, and recruiting tactics. Both of these actions are unethical, but it still isn't stopping universities around the country to discontinue in these manners. Cheating and grade tampering is not allowed in any way for a normal student of a university. Why are teachers and administrators helping and giving alternate academic options to athletes? For example, last year, star running back Maurice Clarett, a student and football player at Ohio State University received alternate test methods, and was supplied answers to various quizzes by teaching assistants. An article on ESPN.com states that Maurice Clarett had walked out of a midterm exam last fall and ended up passing the entry-level course after the professor provided him with an oral exam. Clarett was the only person of more than 90 students taking the class who received an oral exam ("Whistleblower: Buckeyes' Test Scores Altered 2). I believe this is totally an unethical example of how schools are favoring athletes rather than their normal students. Clarett was apparently failing the class, and instead of Ohio State losing their star running back, they altered the rules so he could pass. The article then goes on to say that Clarett and other football players sat together and copied answers that tutors had supplied to the player before the quizzes had been administered. Fresno State University has been alleged with a similar academic scandal in recent months. In February, former team statistician Stephen Mintz said he wrote 17 pieces of schoolwork in correspondence courses for three former basketball players in

Cited: Associated Press. Documents Link Adviser to Academic Scandal. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from http://espn.go.com/ncb/news/2003/0528/1560284.html Associated Press. Tressel Doubts Clarett Will Be Ready For Opener. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2003/0820/1599853.html Associated Press. Report Resulted In One Indictment. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1892551&type=story Farrey, Tom. The ‘Academic Freedom ' Loophole. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from http://espn.go.com/ncaa/s/2003/1007/1632676.html