This is the con argument for whether National Letters of Intent are acceptable for college admission or not. To read the pro argument, click here.

Would it be surprising if I told you that according to CNN.com, America scored its all time lowest since 1995 on the SAT this year?

The emphasis in contemporary society is skewed.  It’s not uncommon for a diligent student to be looked down upon while an athlete or socialite is praised.

You could argue that I’m just being bitter about being teased for not caring about sports and having terrible coordination in games, but is this really a baseless complaint?

In the end, grades are what will propel you to the top in life, not how well you know the Ravens did in a previous game or if you can kick a soccer ball.  Of course, athletic commitments are certainly helpful for students to showcase another facet of their ability to a college and significantly increase or secure their
chances of getting in.

However, realistically speaking, will playing football secure you a steady income?  According
to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the chances of senior high school boys playing “interscholastic football” to be drafted in the NFL are “eight in 10,000, or approximately 0.08 percent.”

If you look at the site, the statistics for other sports are either lower or around the same as this football
statistic.  The securemoneymakers will be the doctors, the engineers, and the CEOs: the “nerds.”

Despite this, what statement are we making if we hike the chances of an athlete getting into a selective college over a student who is a hard working, straight A student?

According to The Chronicle, a report in 2010 “suggest[ed] that the most academically rigorous institutions in Division III often recruit athletes with far weaker academic credentials than the overall student body.”

Why are many colleges today excusing athletes’ poor grades in exchange for their commitments to play on their sports’ teams and raise their performances in collegiate sports competitions?

America must emphasize education especially now in a time of increased international competition. According to US News, a 2008 “Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study” (TIMSS) revealed that America is falling behind in performances in math and sciences when compared to
Asian countries.

If America wantsto be a world power, we can’t allow this to happen.

Being a committed team player on a sports team should definitely be a part of any person’s application, and just like any other extracurricular, it should be heavily considered.

However, it should never be a top priority and signing to colleges based almost entirely on athletic performance tells the rest of the world that all America is concerned about is playing with balls.

Grace Kim is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.