THE INTRUSION OF CORRUPTION INTO ATHLETICS: AN AGE-OLD PROBLEM

Intercollegiate athletics has become an integral part of college life, and, as most educators would agree, a potential contribu tor to the total campus environment and value-system, as well as to the educational development of the student-athlete. Yet of all the issues facing intercollegiate athletics today, perhaps none is more crucial than its role in higher education. Given the almost daily occurrences of violations, ranging from tampering with student transcripts to insure academic eligibil ity, on the one hand, to bribery, on the other, the question of academic integrity is a legitimate one and is cause for concern in the academic community. What are the reasons for the improprieties that have plagued collegiate athletic programs throughout the United States? Should educators be satisfied with the notion (sometimes suggested) that athletics mirrors society, and that, since society is fraught with problems, it is natural to expect the same in athletics? Perhaps part of the reason for the willingness of some ath letic departments to compromise their standards can be linked to the win-at-all-costs syndrome. The pressure to produce winning teams is, in many instances, connected to financial considerations, as the president of a large university recently admitted. According to Fred Davidson of the University of Georgia, his school relaxed its admission standards for ath letes in order to keep the University's profitable athletic pro gram competitive.1 This situation suggests that other universi ties may be following the same policy; otherwise, there would be little reason for the University of Georgia to give special treatment to its student-athletes. Problems of corruption in athletics are not necessarily a