Description
Book SynopsisFeatures evidence that recruited athletes 'underperform': they do even less well academically than predicted by their test scores and high school grades. This book examines the forces that drive this process and presents proposals for reform. It argues for re-establishing athletics as a means of fulfilling the educational missions of our colleges.
Trade Review"Reclaiming the Game paints a disappointing picture of the negative influences of college athletics... Bowen and Levin demonstrate repeatedly that recruited athletes get preferential treatment in admissions despite lower SAT scores, underperform academically throughout college, choose easier majors and graduate at a lower percentage... [A]s the athletic-academic gap grows, the need for visionary leadership from college presidents becomes more pressing. Reclaiming the Game provides an excellent blueprint to do exactly what its title suggests."--Mark Luce, Chicago Tribune "A work of extensive research, impressive statistical analyses, and excellent writing."--John Savant, Commonweal "In the comprehensiveness of its research and the solidity of its argument, Reclaiming the Game breaks new ground and probably will become the most influential book in the field for many years... Unlike other proposals for the reform of college sports, Bowen and Levin's do not exist in a vacuum but have been tested in the real world. They actually work."--Murray Sperber, Academe "Rooted in convincing data, this powerful, thought-provoking work will likely receive wide national attention and will have a substantial impact on campus discussion."--Library Journal
Table of Contents*FrontMatter, pg. i*Contents, pg. v*Chapter 1. Introduction, pg. 1*Chapter 2. Recruitment of College Athletes, pg. 43*Chapter 3. The Admissions Advantage, pg. 57*Chapter 4. Athletes in College: Academic Credentials, Athletic Participation, and Campus Culture, pg. 85*Chapter 5. Academic Outcomes, pg. 116*Chapter 6. Academic Underperformance, pg. 145*Chapter 7. Orbits of Competition: The Role of the Conference, pg. 173*Chapter 8. The Widening Athletic Divide, pg. 196*Chapter 9. The Athletic Divide in Context, pg. 219*Chapter 10. Retaking the High Ground, pg. 243*Chapter 11. Reform at the Institutional and Conference Levels: Recruiting, Admissions, and Coaching, pg. 262*Chapter 12. Reform at the Institutional and Conference Levels: The Athletic Program, pg. 280*Chapter 13. Reform at the National Level, pg. 303*Chapter 14. Achieving Change, pg. 316*Summary, pg. 327*Notes, pg. 333
