Athletics is an important part of college life. Millions of dollars are spent each year on providing student athletes with scholarships. Of course these scholarships dollars allow student athletes to attend school free or almost free. Coaches spend a great deal of time talking with and meeting with young men and women about coming to their school. Many years ago now, I was offered a scholarship to play sports in college. The first question that each of the coaches asked me was, “how are your grades?” Fortunately, I was a good student in high school so that was never a worry. Like yesterday, I am sure that coaches today have the “grades” question right at the top of their list. They should also add the character question.
While some may disagree, I believe that some of the best athletes might just be on the street corners of America. Unfortunately life’s circumstances trumped their ability to stay focused on academics and athletics. Having the emotional staying power to remain committed to your chosen sport cannot be minimized. There are countless stories of student athletes who triumphed over different challenges to become successful. For an example, you may wish to check out the story of Isaiah Thomas. If you recall, he had a successful college career at Indiana University and later won an NBA Championship with the Detroit Pistons. There are many other stories of men and women who played sports and conquered life’s curve balls. When the academic and athletic prowess is peeled back, you have the most important element and that is character.
Character is what carried Isaiah Thomas through the rough spots. As college athletics continues to grow, where does character count in the recruitment of today’s student athletes? Back in the day student athletes felt honored to have a scholarship. We carried ourselves with dignity and respect. I don’t ever remember with any consistency our students who were athletes falling out of favor with the college. We had an obligation to be good ambassadors for our college and for our team. Equally important was that we were standard bearers for our families and for our communities. I can’t imagine getting into any kind of trouble while being on a tennis scholarship at Johnson C Smith University. I would have been totally ashamed and been an embarrassment to my family and friends.
I have a colleague named Elmon Prier, and he conducts workshops in Ohio about character. These workshops start as soon as elementary school and continue through high school. Mr. Prier makes the assumption that everyone wants to have good character. He has developed a village mindset model which allows him to partner with parents, places of worship, schools and community centers. These workshops conducted by Prier have produced focused, tough minded students who have their priorities in order.
