Tash Mahnokaren
Staff Writer
Recruitment opportunities are often a promising prospect for student athletes pursuing a college education. They open avenues for athletes to develop their passion and abilities in a sport and represent the academic institution all while receiving an education funded through the establishment.
In the hype of recruitment however, certain stipulations are often overlooked regarding the welfare of college athletes. Assistant Professor Karen L. Hartman of Idaho State University’s Department of Communication, Media and Persuasion speaks on what the NCAA doesn’t tell you about athletic scholarships in the December edition of The International Journal of Sport Communication.
One topic highlighted was when coaches offer students one year scholarships, they can be taken away at the end of any college year if athletes aren’t meeting the standards of coaches or simply fall onto their bad side for whatever reason.
Another common factor is injury to the athlete.
“Most parents and high school students that receive a scholarship often times have an understanding that the scholarship will be good for four years when really it is not because if the coach doesn’t like you or if the player isn’t playing up to the coaches ability then he or she can take that scholarship away at any time,” said Hartman.
Hartman, whose research area focuses on sport communication and the culture of sports in the United States, became interested in the aspect of the one-year scholarship after research in this field. She expressed that a lot of media attention is often focused on how much athletes are paid and salary negotiations.
The general spectator public, according to Hartman, is often unfamiliar with how the NCAA scholarship contracts work and the topic of NCAA scholarships in themselves is a rarity in national media outlets.
Her published essay, “The Most Evil Thing About College Sports: The 1-Year Scholarship and a Former NCAA Athlete’s Personal Narrative,” appeared in the December 2014 issue of the International Journal of Sport Communication and describes Hartman’s personal experience of having her scholarship revoked in a mere 15 minute meeting as she describes it.
Multi-year scholarships, according to Hartman, are undoubtedly becoming a norm in college institutions across the nation, however in some schools they are still non-existent.
“I think that the NCAA needs to be more ethical and offer these multi-year scholarships,” said Hartman.
The 2013-2014 NCAA Division Manual vaguely touches on the fate of athletes when they have incurred an injury. The manual expresses that an institution “may finance medical expenses” and highlights the circumstances under which an injury may deem permissible for medical coverage financed by the respective college institution.
The manual also states that since 2005, student athletes are required by the NCAA to have an insurance policy through their parent or guardian, their institution or on their own.
Athletic departments, with the exception of California, are generally not required to disclose healthcare policies in writing. This can create a discrepancy between department policies and promises made by recruiters to potential athletes.
For Hartman, her research is something she believes falls in line with some of the goals of the university.
“Idaho State University wants their faculty to be productive in their research agendas,” said Hartman of her research pursuits. “ISU also expects service as well as strong records of teaching.”
Hartman’s piece was published six months after final acceptance and submission. Like Hartman, there are many other professors at ISU also pursuing research in their area of expertise outside of the classroom.
“When faculty are able to publish it brings some variety to the university, but also faculty members like myself are able to bring research into the classroom,” said Hartman.
This research emphasis aims to allow students to gain a further understanding of areas of current importance in whatever their field of study.
