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Joined: Oct 2011
The big picture here, IMO, isn't about whether we can/should feel superior about the quality of student-athlete who comes to Stanford, it is about the way the NFL uses college football as a free farm system. Talented athletes who really have no desire to go to college must do so if they want a chance to play in the NFL (realistically the same is true for basketball, though some try Europe). They go, often where they feel they can study the least, and resent when they do have to attend classes because they sense (probably correctly) that for many boosters and alumni, all that really matters is success on the field. In sports like baseball and hockey, where viable minor leagues exist as an option for such athletes, you get far less of this attitude because those with talent who don't appreciate university life go the minor league route, and those who want college go to Uni. Want to stop reading these tweets? Get the NFL and NBA to pony up for meaningful farm systems. Getting athletes who don't want to study out of the system also reduces a host of other forms of corruption (acaemic, financial, etc).
But, of course, many colleges don't want that since football and basketball provide both prestige and $$$$$.Â