They are also, especially at the collegiate level, required to maintain a certain grade point average, a certain number of credits, and to attend class in order to be eligible and able to participate. In addition, many of the athletes use sports as a Segway to get out of their poverty stricken homes by earning college scholarships. For example, William and Arthur from the movie Hoop Dreams, earn basketball scholarships in order to go to college and get out of their poverty stricken neighborhoods in the heart of Chicago (James, 1994). Sports in school are positive thing, especially for people like William and Arthur who use interscholastic sports to get out of poverty. Although the argument is made that sports take away from the focus on education, Arthur and William prove the opposite because they stayed in school and used sports in school to improve their life like many other athletes like them do. Many African Americans especially depend on sports in school because it is “...one of the few means by which they can succeed in the highly competitive American society because their opportunities for upward mobility in the economic system are limited” (Sage & Eitzen, 2016). For many minorities it is difficult for them to afford college or decent high schools because they are too
They are also, especially at the collegiate level, required to maintain a certain grade point average, a certain number of credits, and to attend class in order to be eligible and able to participate. In addition, many of the athletes use sports as a Segway to get out of their poverty stricken homes by earning college scholarships. For example, William and Arthur from the movie Hoop Dreams, earn basketball scholarships in order to go to college and get out of their poverty stricken neighborhoods in the heart of Chicago (James, 1994). Sports in school are positive thing, especially for people like William and Arthur who use interscholastic sports to get out of poverty. Although the argument is made that sports take away from the focus on education, Arthur and William prove the opposite because they stayed in school and used sports in school to improve their life like many other athletes like them do. Many African Americans especially depend on sports in school because it is “...one of the few means by which they can succeed in the highly competitive American society because their opportunities for upward mobility in the economic system are limited” (Sage & Eitzen, 2016). For many minorities it is difficult for them to afford college or decent high schools because they are too