Pregnant Student Athletes Losing Scholarships

[14ledo81]

9 months is a different story, I'm talking about one semester. Of course taking a year off is gonna lose you your scholarship.

If you "burnout" to the point on not doing the work well enough to keep an academic scholarship, then there were probably more deserving people than you in the first place. I worked (3 jobs at one point) and finished my degree in 3.5 years under academic scholarships. It isn't all that difficult. Sure, I got "burned out"...everyone does. So what? Be an adult and get your s*** done.

Sorry if that's harsh, but it is what it is. I went through it, I feel like I'm allowed to have an opinion on it.

Sounds like you were raised to take personal responsibility.  I really aplaud your parents (or whoever raised you).

That is one thing I have tried to teach my children.  "Man up, and get it done.  Nobody is going to do it for you."

[Ratliff]

Yes, it's an athletic scholarship.  You are there to play a sport representing that school.  Now maybe they shouldn't lose the scholarship, but at least for the time they are unable to play the sport.

[Lihu]

Sounds like you were raised to take personal responsibility.  I really aplaud your parents (or whoever raised you).

That is one thing I have tried to teach my children.  "Man up, and get it done.  Nobody is going to do it for you."

That was kind of my point. Anyone should lose a scholarship if they can't perform the task for which it was given.

I know of at least a few cases in my own class that had to do this. All of them eventually finished up on their own.

[newtogolf]

I had a partial scholarship to play football for a college but broke my leg the summer after I graduated H.S. (non-football related) they revoked the scholarship offer because I wouldn't be cleared to play my freshman year.  I see that no different than a female athlete getting pregnant, neither of us would be able to provide the value that we were offered the scholarship for.

[MS256]

Scholarships are year to year. Plenty of athletes are told their scholarship won't be renewed for any number of reasons. Usually because they simply aren't good enough to compete at that level.

In most cases the school tries to help the athlete get a scholarship from a smaller program where they can play, but they don't have to do that.

In the 60s one of Bear Bryant's players came into his office and said he was getting married. Bryant congratulated him and asked him where he was going to play football. He said he still wanted to play for Alabama and Bryant told him he couldn't do that if he was married. The player said "Leroy Jordan is married" to which Bryant replied "Son, you're no Leroy Jordan."

I read most of this thread because I coached a high school girl in fast pitch softball that was truly a world class pitcher. She ended up getting pregnant her freshman year in college and dropped out.

[club ho]

I think it would be judged as discrimination to take away a scholarship for these reasons. I find it hard to believe that a female student would intentionally get pregnant in order to get a free scholarship. I have been out of college for 35 years but back then abstinence was least popular form of birth control on campus. I find it hard to believe that it has grown much in popularity since then. I think  a female pregnant athlete should be given a maternity leave from her team similar to work place situations.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

[Slice of Life]

I think it would be judged as discrimination to take away a scholarship for these reasons. I find it hard to believe that a female student would intentionally get pregnant in order to get a free scholarship. I have been out of college for 35 years but back then abstinence was least popular form of birth control on campus. I find it hard to believe that it has grown much in popularity since then. I think  a female pregnant athlete should be given a maternity leave from her team similar to work place situations.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Where did you get "intentionally" get pregnant from?

The bottom line is, you make a decision outside of the sport you're in that prevents you from being able to compete, you should lose your scholarship.

A guy is out skateboarding with his friends, tries to grind a rail and lands on his nuts....he needs surgery and is out for 7 months. He should lose his scholarship. Is it discrimination because he has balls?

[iacas]

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Slice of Life responded to the main points, but to this, I have only one question: huh? What does that have to do with anything that came before it?

[liveeel]

Drinking is illegal? Not where I live. But if it's easier to understand, call him cold sober.

It's simple. You sign a contract agreeing to provide a certain service in exchange for certain compensation. You intentionally do something that you know in advance could cause you to be unable to fulfill your part of the contract. When it subsequently comes to pass that you are unable to fulfill that obligation, can you actually argue that you should continue to receive that compensation?

No understanding of "scholarship rules" required. Simply common sense and a belief in personal responsibility for the consequences of your actions.

Well said.

[club ho]

Where did you get "intentionally" get pregnant from?

The bottom line is, you make a decision outside of the sport you're in that prevents you from being able to compete, you should lose your scholarship.

A guy is out skateboarding with his friends, tries to grind a rail and lands on his nuts....he needs surgery and is out for 7 months. He should lose his scholarship. Is it discrimination because he has balls?

Given the amount of money that colleges and Universities make from there athletic programs off the huge commitment that these young athletes give to there programs the least a school can do is provide an education for those who happen to get injured and are no longer able to perform. It is no wonder that we see athletes opting to go professional rather than chance four full years of college competition. The actual cost of providing a scholarship is relatively miniscule compared to the enormous revenues that are realized to these schools endowments by there sports programs via alumni support,  ticket sales and TV revenues.

I don't care if it is pregnancy or  busted busted balls it is not a big compensation for a school to provide a continued scholarship for an injured athlete. I would say 99% of these affected players would rather be out on the playing field than being injured and receiving the free scholarship.

[iacas]

Given the amount of money that colleges and Universities make from there athletic programs off the huge commitment that these young athletes give to there programs the least a school can do is provide an education for those who happen to get injured and are no longer able to perform. It is no wonder that we see athletes opting to go professional rather than chance four full years of college competition. The actual cost of providing a scholarship is relatively miniscule compared to the enormous revenues that are realized to these schools endowments by there sports programs via alumni support,  ticket sales and TV revenues.  I don't care if it is pregnancy or  busted busted balls it is not a big compensation for a school to provide a continued scholarship for an injured athlete. I would say 99% of these affected players would rather be out on the playing field than being injured and receiving the free scholarship.

Pregnancy is not an injury, and most college sports lose money. Only football and basketball (men's) tend to make money. Whether you like it or not there are a limited number of scholarships and so leaving it with a pregnant person deprives another of that scholarship.

[David in FL]

Pregnancy is not an injury, and most college sports lose money. Only football and basketball (men's) tend to make money.

Whether you like it or not there are a limited number of scholarships and so leaving it with a pregnant person deprives another of that scholarship.

Moreover, it's 100% preventable.

[Slice of Life]

Pregnancy is not an injury, and most college sports lose money. Only football and basketball (men's) tend to make money.

Whether you like it or not there are a limited number of scholarships and so leaving it with a pregnant person deprives another of that scholarship.

Nailed it.

Club Ho, you honestly think if people get injured being irresponsible outside of their sport, the college should continue to fund their education through athletic scholarships? That's ridiculous...

[Golfingdad]

Moreover, it's 100% preventable.

Tell that to Mary.

[club ho]

Nailed it.

Club Ho, you honestly think if people get injured being irresponsible outside of their sport, the college should continue to fund their education through athletic scholarships? That's ridiculous...

I respond to this collectively to all the posts that question my reasoning. We as consumers look at a scholarship as a  let say 40K dollar annual free ride for a student. In fact the actual cost to a school is far less.

If there was no money to be made from sports than there would be no scholarships offered.  "Irresponsible behavior" leads to a very slippery slope that ultimately leads to letting schools out of there contracts to there athletes.

[iacas]

I respond to this collectively to all the posts that question my reasoning. We as consumers look at a scholarship as a  let say 40K dollar annual free ride for a student. In fact the actual cost to a school is far less.

And the cost to the other student that it could be going to while someone is pregnant or injured is $40k.

If there was no money to be made from sports than there would be no scholarships offered.

That's not true at all.

"Irresponsible behavior" leads to a very slippery slope that ultimately leads to letting schools out of there contracts to there athletes.

You do realize they can revoke scholarships pretty much any time as it is.

[MS256]

Given the amount of money that colleges and Universities make from there athletic programs off the huge commitment that these young athletes give to there programs the least a school can do is provide an education for those who happen to get injured and are no longer able to perform. It is no wonder that we see athletes opting to go professional rather than chance four full years of college competition. The actual cost of providing a scholarship is relatively miniscule compared to the enormous revenues that are realized to these schools endowments by there sports programs via alumni support,  ticket sales and TV revenues.

Uhmm. Actually almost all women's college sports lose money. Occasionally a women's basketball team will be in the black, but not very often, and it's a given the other sports have no chance to pay their own way.

Surprisingly even football revenue can't pay all of the bills for many athletic departments, and many operate in the red every year.

[club ho]

And the cost to the other student that it could be going to while someone is pregnant or injured is $40k.

That's not true at all.

You do realize they can revoke scholarships pretty much any time as it is.

Obviously the pregnant part really rubs you the wrong way. I see three options the first two could happen if she loses her scholarship.

1) She has found a good guy who takes care of his family and they work things out. A fairly unlikely reality.

2) She gets a part time job at Walmart and let her receive an EBT card to help her put food on the table. She gets pregnant again and the cycle continues and probably gets worse.

3) The school shows compassion for the the pregnant student and allows her to continue with her scholarship and offers her young baby child care so she can continue her studies and get a career in her field of study. She graduates and is no longer a burden on the state.

True women's sports do not raise a lot of media based revenues . They do however get alumnae support and offer a more rounded cultural setting to the school.

Yes I do realize that students have there scholarships revoked and I think it is wrong unless the student  gets involved in illegal activity. Do you realize that the endowments of many of the large Universities are so large now that most students of average means are granted large scholarships? I have had done research work with a girl who went to Harvard who paid a quarter of what her sister did who went to Umass as an instate student.

My point is that the schools have a responsibility which they are shirking and are using there student athletes for financial gain which is wrong.