Do athletes deserve special treatment?

I'm an ex team Canada professional athlete. Reading this topic just shows how you people know nothing on how hard it is to become an athlete in the olympics. If you judge yourself by looking at players that play football, soccer , baseball or hockey professionally, please stop spouting bullshit.

My electrical Engineering class is easier than when i had to train.

Those school benefits are usually for the olympians that are in sports which are less popular by media. If you're going to judge athlete keep in mind those that are in sports which are less financially stable.

Because I was in one of them.

And Michael Vick showed that doesn't make someone a good person. Not saying all athletes are bad people, but they should not be treated as saints because there rich or people to emulate.

ya that much is true lol

No I don't think it's fair because he is going to school for free with certain benefits.

http://socialtimes.com/whoever-told-you-playing-games-wouldnt-get-you-into-college-was-wrong_b30688

video games can get you into school now to so no more complaints right? lol

I'm inclined to say no because I don't believe their "jobs" are essential to the structure of a stable nation/state.

However, I'm pushed towards yes because sports (specifically sports entertainment) is definitely in high demand. If giving some preferential treatment to a student or pro athlete allows them to keep playing and satisfy popular demand, then it needs to be done. They are essentially a part of the market, and the entire industry pumps a lot of money into the economy, especially local economies (cities losing big sports franchises would definitely feel the impact financially). A team is a product; the better the product, the more revenue is makes.

The problem is that when there is too much preferential treatment it can actually hinder your chances of actually going anywhere. Anyone who's read the book Friday Night Lights or seen the movie should definitely know what I'm talking about. High school athletes that barely get by with lows GPA's and test scores because of special treatment from their schools are almost always doomed to fail once they step into the halls of any major university. When you start out in college sports, they don't care how good you were in high school; it's a new proving ground, and there's plenty of fish for them to choose from.

So while I agree that some preferential treatment is necessary in order to ensure that fresh athletes make it to the top level where sports do the most good to the local economies, I stick to my belief that too much is never going to help anyone.

PS: On a side note, despite the fact that I believe that major sports are necessary for the economy, I think athletes (and the entire industry) are grossly overpaid. Even if they are somewhat necessary for economic prosperity in local areas, they're not THAT important. And these NBA players had the gall to complain that they were getting paid too little...

They don't need formal special treatments.

They can just go to h- nah.... heaven... :D

i agree with you.
equality? piece of bullshit.
if equality means everything then there's no need to work at all
does a farmer gives all his vegies to other ppl because of equality?
without anything in return?
because of 'everyone is equal. so everyone should get one. not just me.'?
then no one will work.

Athletes have desirable skills people are willing to trade special treatment for, so yes.

They deserve nothing, I wanted to be a surgeon but I checked how much money I would have made and I would make nothing compared to a basketball player. A surgeon saves lives, and faces life or death situations on more occasions then Tim Tebow has I am sure. Oh look Tom Brady got a charlie horse (back of the leg injury) and can't play? Ridiculous.

I have many, MANY first or second hand accounts about Ivy League or Big Ten athlete kids being basically talked through their tests.
Many are literally just sat down in rooms with a tutor and told how/what to write on exams and papers. Frankly, I do not approve.

However, when it comes to their post-collegiate life or career, once they get put out of athletic commission, they'll soon see how fucked over they are.

I belive in this:

Everyone is equal no matter the race or sex.

a lot of shit about the world aint right but the justification of do athletes deserve special treatment goes back thousands of years before team sports and stuff? Gladiatorial events fights to the death for our entertainment there were doctors saving people back then as well so sports people do a service of entertainment now and get sponsors sponsors are what get them the money and there sponsors are what keep them out of jail cause lets face it they have 2 much pull to fuck over.

and remember one thing as well a good sports team is known nearly every where in the world a good doctor? no one knows about him until you need him.

also equality is a bunch of bull shit from all experiences women make less money then money why?
a year ago a black officer was chasing a criminal the officer had his gun out he hadn't fired on the criminal a white police officer doesn't say drop your gun or anything he shot an under cover police officer for being black and having a gun out and running with it was proven he did it cause he was in a bad neighborhood had a gun and was black that the officer shot him.

equality? has no basis in life a perfect world yes but unless all races are equal all men are equal with women and vice versa all wages for jobs are equal and everything is equal down to the last piece until then equality is something people say so they feel they want to be treated as equals and after there equals they want to be your betters.

it is in human nature to want to be dominant look through all of our history and point out 1 part of it were someone wasn't trying to be someone better.

That sounds kind of selfish to me, or it was a joke.
That really is no different that someone saying they are only good at videogames, so they should get special treatment or whatever. That is insane.

I really don't think children/young people should get special treatment, although it is preparing them for the real world if they do make it to the NFL after highschool/college, when everyone will wipe their a$$.
I am pretty sure a vast majority of the children that destroy their bodies for some bs highschool football team(their parents and communities D measuring contests??)while skipping class and taking dips of cope, then end up bagging our groceries.

Yeah, kind of harsh, and obviously not wholly true, but you guys get my view on the subject of athletes being pampered.

Pro athletes, kind of a different ballgame, IMO. I dont think they should get paid so much, but, they bring in lots of money. To me, this is more of an issue with major corporations/big business vs local mom n pop. Then again, I really dont know how the moneys are split from a ballgame or whatever, but I am willing to guess that anheuser-busch and the food companies(prob same parent corp) pull in more than the city or county where the stadium is located does.

That's good and all, but the problem lies in letting the "athlete" students slide by in academics and get held to much lower standards (whereas other students might be failed for poor performance).