Friends -

Too many colleges are failing to provide student-athletes with the education they deserve.

College athletes are "paid" with a scholarship, but the reality is that many of the kids in big time programs are full-time athletes. Many of them don't graduate or, if they do, they don't get the same education as their peers.

It's time for that to change.

Last week, I released a report highlighting how colleges too often treat student-athletes, especially at the lucrative football and basketball programs, like commodities whose chief job is the make money for the university and the multi-billion sports industry that surrounds college athletics. While the NCAA tries to sugarcoat the data, far too many athletes never make it to graduation. Those that do make it often are not sufficiently prepared for life beyond athletics.

The NCAA and colleges, especially those with money-making Division I teams, have found ways to systematically exploit these young people who are disproportionately black and/or poor. It's a civil rights crisis, and that's why we should all care about the treatment of college athletes.

Here are just a couple of common ways that colleges perpetuate this broken system:

Academic fraud: From fake test scores to fake classes, many schools' mission seems to be to keep student-athletes eligible at all costs.

Pushing students into easy majors and courses: Being a student-athlete means basically having two full-time jobs. Instead of helping students find balance, schools push them into majors deemed less demanding, usually unrelated to the students' interests.

Of those who do make it to graduation day, too many are left with a degree that does not align with or further their interests.

These young people dedicate their bodies and well-being to their sport, and in return, they're left with broken promises.

Sure, lots of college athletes get both a great education and a great athletic experience. Coursework and teamwork can certainly coexist. And that's why it's our responsibility to do more than cheer on these student-athletes. We need to start fighting for the young men and women who are being exploited by this system.

Every best wish,

Chris Murphy

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