Sport

The teenagers present a great challenge to parents who have the duty to bring up righteous individuals who adheres to the rule of law. Sports have been identified as one of the ways in which the youth can spend their free time in a constructive manner to avoid getting into troubles.

The youth in the current times do find themselves in trouble even when they least expect it. The media, internet, and availability of drugs and prohibited substances are the major causes of social problems facing the youth today. Young lads are often found engaging in troublesome activities like petty crime and drug abuse if left unattended to. The youth therefore requires to be well occupied during their free time with constructive activities so as to avoid the problem of being lured in deviant behavior.

This paper shall emphasize on the importance of sports as one way in which the teenagers might be kept out of trouble.

Sports and Teenagers
Parents are presented with a great challenge of bringing up the youths in the righteous manner especially during their teens.  The parents have to be on the forefront and take the necessary measures in preventing the youths from falling prey to the dangers that they are prone to within the society. Sporting is one way in which the youths should spent their free time. It is obvious that the teenagers who are engaged in sporting activities shall have little or no time to engage in troublesome activities which include drinking alcohol, taking drugs, engaging in violence, sex and delinquent activities. This can be substantiated by the survey that was carried out by an opinion research organization-Public Agenda- which revealed that sporting and other constructive activities were very crucial in the positive development of the teenagers.

Conclusion
It is imperative to note that sports provide the teenagers with the best alternative to spend their free time. Sporting activities leaves the youth with no time in which they might be able to think of engaging in trouble. Their free time is spent in the sporting activities and also the sports help in maintaining their physical health and building a good social life.

The company is private and deals with provision of services such as food, beer, transportation, parking among others in event of sports to students, alumni and facility members. Provision of quality services especially focusing on traffic control and safety of children is the main mission of the company. According to Mullins 7 domains of attractive industry, there are certain considerations that make the company attractive. The five forces include threat of entry, supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitutes and competitive rivalry. From the macro economic level of view, these opportunities provide a mechanism for evaluating the attractiveness of the company.

The provision of transport services to and from UCLA and USC stadiums, supply of food, drinks and other services is a very involving business. The games provide the organization with attractive opportunities to serve students and alumni better. To gain good reputation, venture in investment opportunities and get name recognition in LA area requires proper strategies. As serious entrepreneurs with objective of serving an attractive market, the company should consider forces that determine attractiveness of an industry.

First force is threat of entry, which defines the scope of business. During the time of planning for the party, it is important to consider strong and durable barriers to entry so as to preserve a favorable position (Herman Barry, 2001). To survive in the industry the company should consider time in picking students to and from the stadiums. Second force is supplier power and the major consideration is the number of suppliers with their unique products or services. The company has fewer supplier choices and this is a positive step towards achievement of the companys goals. The fewer the supplier choices and high demand for suppliers help means the suppliers are more powerful.

Third, buyer power is a consideration that ensures the company is recognized in LA area. Buyer power is high for this company and certain considerations have to be put in place. It is important to note how the students and alumni will drive prices down, importance of each individual buyer and perhaps the cost incurred by the students for switching from companys services to others. Fourth, threat of substitutes is an area that should be put under consideration when planning for the party. The company should consider providing services that cannot be compromised by presence of other substitute products in terms of quality.

There are a number of alternatives in the industry but the company can survive through provision of their transport and food services at affordable prices and quality should be of essence. Fifth, competitive rivalry is an area of consideration, as high number of competitors will reduce the capability of the company to supply adequate transport services, food, and drinks.

The company can satisfy students by providing students with well-conditioned buses that have music and video. This will maintain competition at high level beating other companies providing the same services. After clear consideration of the five forces, I find the company more attractive in providing services to students, facility members and alumni. The college games have provided the best opportunity to the industry making it effective to offer the services of transportation to and from the venue for games.

Associazione Calcio Milan, more popularly known as A.C. Milan, was originally formed in the year 1899. It is one of the richest clubs and most prestigious clubs in Italy also well known for the quality football they play. A.C. Milan has won 18 trophies including seven Champions League titles, five UEFA Super Cups, three Intercontinental Cups, two UEFA Cup Winners Cups and one Club World Cup. It does not end there for the AC Milan has also been champion in the National level 17 times.

On the 2nd of June, 2010, AC Milan was up against Montreal Impact at the Olympic Stadium. The teams were equally excited at the historic game that they were facing and both thought that the game will be a historic event. Indeed, it was. With 47,861 spectators in the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, it was a bomb for AC Milan to win 4-1 against Montreal Impact.

The scoreboard was opened by AC Milan on the twelfth minute when Ronaldinho centered the ball for Seedorf who fortunately crossed to Pato safe on the right side pulling a clean score up against Impacts Matt Jordan. The score was tied on the seventeenth minute by David Testo. On the twenty-fifth minute the score was already 2-1 in favor of AC Milan with the efforts of Ronaldinho, Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi. Ronaldinho scored the winning goal at the 81st minute against Montreal Impact goalkeeper Srdjan Dkekanovicswitch.

The game was an over-all success and was fairly played by both teams. Tonights game was an excellent experience for the club, the players and the city of Montreal, Marc Dos Santos, Montreal Impacts coach said. In the same way, AC Milan was glad about the great welcome they received from their host.

Specific Purpose I will inform my audience of the history of football and why the FIFA World Cup is the most popular sporting event.

Central Idea The history of football reveals how the sport was once a way of life to several nations the sport is widely appreciated across the globe because its roots can be trace to influential nations that spread the football fever worldwide.

Attention Getter For the Game. For the World. That is FIFAs commitment to its fans (Federation Internationale de Football Assocation). Indeed, the Federation Internationale de Football Assocation, or FIFA, has the world hooked on football.

Reveal topic The history of the sport itself will tell us how it has become such a popular sport globally.

Credibility Statement As a great fan of soccer, as the Americans would call football, I have done some detailed research on the sports origin and how it rose to fame.

Relevancy Statement It is worth our time to explore the beginnings of football and the FIFA World Cup because it brings together football players and football enthusiasts to celebrate the most popular sport.

Preview The history of football reveals how the sport was once a way of life to several nations the sport is widely appreciated across the globe because its roots can be trace to influential nations that spread the football fever worldwide.

Transition The immense popularity of football can be best understood if one takes a glimpse of its history.

Body
There were already primitive forms of football long before the codes and rules of football were formally created.

The earliest known form of football was called TsuChu (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

The game consists of kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through the opening, measuring only 30-40 cm in width, into a small net fixed into bamboo canes (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

The only body parts that were allowed for use were the feet, chest, back and shoulders to withstand the attacks of opponents.

The Romans had their own versions  the Harpastum (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

There were two teams on a rectangular field marked by boundary lines.
The objective of the game was to get the ball over the oppositions boundary lines and as the players passed it between themselves, trickery was the order of the day (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

The game remained popular for 700-800 years and the Romans took it to Britain with them (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

Official history documents show that football was born in the British Isles from the 8th to the 19th centuries (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

Primitive football was more disorganized, more violent, and more spontaneous and usually played by an indefinite number of players (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

There were many forms of football in the early British times, depending on the region.
Scholars say that early football players found inspiration in the natural impulse to demonstrate strength and skill during pagan rituals.

It was not until 1863 that the rules of football were established.

While primitive football was widely appreciated, the sport met opposition views when it was turned into a formal sport in as early as 1314 football was a highly controversial sport for over 300 years (Federation Internationale de Football Association).

There were some movements to refine the sport to make it more acceptable.
Football only became acceptable in the 19th century when schools started mandating football as a sport because it fostered qualities such as loyalty, selflessness, cooperation, subordination and deference to team spirit.

The progress reached its Zenith when Cambridge officials convened to discuss common ground rules for the game.

This meeting marked the birth of The Football Association.

Progress was quick from there and spread all over the world, mainly because of the British influence abroad.

The Federation Internationale de Football Association was founded in 1921.
Its membership grew from 21 in 1921 to 41 in 1930, when the first World Cup was held.
(Internal Summary The global history of football reveals that the sport started as a way of life and was gradually transformed into a formal sport.)

The FIFA World Cup is currently the largest and most lucrative sporting event in the world (Doley).
It is a de facto sport of almost 2 billion people from 93 countries (Doley).

The sport also has the largest fan base, players and professional leagues in Europe and Latin America.

Football has also become a great source of income because of football clubs where major shareholders and players profit from the sport greatly (Giulianotti, 87).

Football, FIFA in particular, has become phenomenal because major brands sponsor the game as a way of advertising their brand because of the sports huge fan base.

(Internal Transition The football fever has become so intense for millions worldwide that businesses see it as an opportunity to profit)

Transition Football has indeed gone a long way from a primitive, regional sport to a global phenomenon

Conclusion
Summary Statement The main reason FIFA World Cup is the most awaited sporting event is that football is a way of life that has been embedded in the history of major civilizations.
History reveals that it is both appreciated in the West (Britain and Rome) and the East (China).
FIFAs major sponsors invest in the sport because football is one of the greatest cultural institutions which shapes and cements national identities throughout the world (Giulianotti, 23).
Memorable Closing Statement For the game, for the world. FIFA, indeed, brings nations across the world closer together in one highly-anticipated event. Watch FIFA matches and see how cultural diversity in one venue through a single, very simple sport.

Mental Skill Training
Parents often come to trainers with the problem that their kids need  help as they are  not confident  about playing well on the field, and asking what can be done to help them, get over their fears and develop into more confident and  better players.

The use of imagery as a means of building confidence can be used, and used at the simplest level whether you are a coach or a parent, and it is a system which can easily be worked.

The first step towards this would be to question the child what they want to be, and what does it feel like to be someone who is able to perform. By keeping at it, the child begins to have an image of that in mind.  As the mind does not differentiate between the real thing and the imagined, and by keeping at it, the practice of just getting in as much positive thought as possible, and using the power of the mind to help build confidence. The need is to develop consistency in whatever aspect of the sport that is needed, and just to avoid seeing the negatives and getting to see the positives.

Some kids have a problem that they just cant keep their attention on the game and allow their mind to wander. To overcome this, performance routine can be introduced and there should be a purpose between the exercise, especially as each child needs a check list, so that they can focus on the next play rather than let their mind wander around to the stands where their parents may be sitting.  This can be called CPT - control, play and trust.  Control covers learning to stay calm and getting ready for the game. Play can involve warming up and running around and finally Trust which is meant to help focus on the pitch or game and trusting yourself to do whatever it is that is to be done. In this manner they develop some accountability.

Self Doubt and Change
Dr.Patrick Cohn who is a well sports Psychologist in his video on  High and  Strict Expectations of  Sports Persons, talks about  how players can  carry self doubt into a game which  can affect their performance. He describes self doubt as the opposite of self confidence, and as something that undermines you. When you doubt your ability to perform well at any time, and you are questioning yourself that is self doubt.

How does one determine self doubt  The mind at any given time is either contributing or undermining your confidence. If the answer is NO, then you are undermining yourself. If the answer is YES then you are confident, and should just carry on.

To help determine undermining thoughts, a system whereby a pocket diary or pad is kept handy, in which immediately after game, specific doubts are written down, probably listing the five most important ones that come to mind. The key is to know what the things that are undermining your confidence , and once you have them, its possible to address them. The key is not to allow mistakes to cause you to make more. In this manner you are to bring about self change.

How to use positive thinking
Research has shown that that use of positive thinking in sports help you beat negative thought by helping you switch thoughts from negative to positive ones.  All of us with good mental skills have a bad day and may be feeling down. On such days, you will find that you are doing something wrong. Now when you are in that position the kind of images that come to mind, is like whats wrong with me and so on, and in turn this creates self doubt. When that situation comes to mind, stop that thought and turn it around. There are different ways of doing this. Some think of a stop signal or others train themselves to see a red light and so on. Using such signs as soon as you get that first negative thought, and dont think about that again. Come up with a productive replacement thought, so that you can turn that around. In your situation where you get a negative signal, use the stop or whatever works for you and then find that positive statement that you can push.

Improve Confidence through Body Language.
One of the most important things that are required about sports is confidence. Its easy to talk about but how do to get it. A lot of people forget that sport is physical so it has a lot to do with our athletic ability. It has also a lot to do with physical confidence.

When you are at a time of having difficulties, and think of what your emotions were at that time, you will be able to visualize, what as a player you might look like at that time. It is hard to accept that we all make mistakes and those are things we dont feel good about. Your shoulders begin to droop, your eyes look down and so on. Now take a moment and see yourself in your sport and see what emotions you feel when things dont go right. The thing to do is to say to your self that this is my play, and I am going to do it. Hold you head up high and probably push your chest out a bit more. You visualize it, fix it by looking confident, and acting confidant. Thats how you insulate your mind and improve through body language. This will set about a flow in your movement as you relax without negative thoughts, and in turn your game becomes better.

Meeting Competition
According to Dr.Cohn there are three myths in sports Psychology. he explains that it is more of mental coaching, teaching the athlete to have a positive mind set through training. The word Psychology has a negative connotation to it

Firstly that sports psychology is useful only if you are trying to get out of a slump
Secondly  that you need to go to a sports psychologist only as a last resort
And thirdly that something is wrong with you.

People who do not understand these are the ones who propound the above myths about sports psychology.  The word Psychology is much misunderstood and therefore usage of words like mental training, mental toughness and mental preparedness are more apt to use.

Mental training helps in developing mental strength and in turn helps develop strategy. Mental toughness take you to a high zone and helps you stay there. Mental preparedness helps thinking with more confidence, so you can perform at your best. These should be kept simple and not made complex, and will certainly help the athlete meet competition and perform well constantly.
Use Psychology to be a better athlete.

We all have the same technical skills, but why do some perform better at a higher level. Its the bottom line that drives these athletes. Learning to maximize both the mental capacity and technical skills simultaneously and taking it to a whole new level. That how you get there. The mind is a very powerful instrument and once you have mastery over it, success follows.

Comment  Analysis
The project has been interesting because you realize that in sport the on field performance is a direct result of the amount of trainng and preparation which goes into it. In this aspect the Pycholological part takes as much importance as both developing technical skills and physical skills. In fact we can see that without having proper training of the mind, it would be harder for athletes to go the higher levels of sport.

Sports Psychology can be viewed not as corrective step but as part of sports development and training, to help athletes get better and achieve far more. In fact, the importance of this aspect of science , should become part of sports curriculum and  be introduced  at an even more basic  level, when the  athlete is developing. In that sense, introduction of sports Psychology at the school level will prove beneficial for all sports and games, and help raise standards of performance.

Prrrrrrrhhh the last whistle to mark the end of the game went off. The Lions could now not manage to book a place in the World Cup soccer quarter finals. They had shamelessly lost 2-0 to the Leopards. Perhaps if their super striker Bernardo had been in the game, they would have beaten the Leopards. Unfortunately, he was still lying in a hospital bed nursing a severe ankle sprain that he had suffered the previous day during a similar match. Ankle sprains are a common injury in all sports. These kinds of injuries occur by accidents as well as failure to observe the appropriate measures like wearing the proper sporting shoes. It is therefore very important to take precautionary measures especially for players whose career is in sports. An injury such as an ankle sprain can leave the player out of action for a short or even a prolonged period of time.  In some extreme cases, the player may not be able to engage in a sporting activity ever again a sprain can result to a permanent disability. This research therefore seeks to look at the causes of ankle sprains, effects that result from the sprain as well as treatment and preventive measures in regard to the ankle sprain.

Background
To understand the causes and effects of an ankle sprain, we must first understand what an ankle is and what it is made of. The ankle joint is situated on the third and lower part of the foot. The joint at the ankle is made of four bones the tibia, the fibula, the talus, and the calcaneus. Moreover, it is comprised of three ligament structures the anterior talo-fibular ligament, the posterior talo-fibular ligament and the calcaneo-fibular ligaments that enables and support the stability of the ankle.

The structures and other small parts that put the ankle are very important for the general functioning of the lower as well as the upper part of the foot. They ensure that there is efficiency in the foot movements. Therefore, if the ankle is injured or sprained, each of these little parts must recover in case of injuries for the ankle to fully re-function. In addition, many other parts must be taken into consideration when treating an injured ankle. The joint at the ankle is mainly considered to be one of the most important body structures that help in stability and movement of the entire foot, from the knee up to the hip joint. However, sometimes when an ankle injury is treated, these parts may not be properly fit back together as they had earlier been thus causing problems elsewhere in the foot.                                                                                          
The joints are put in place by the ligaments that make the joint to only move in particular directions. The ligaments are then attached to the bones of the leg on each side. When the ligament faces an abnormal stretch or gets torn the resulting injury is referred to as a sprain (Wedro 2010, par 6).

From the above explanation, the definition of an ankle sprain can be given as the displacement of a ligament when it is overly stretched or torn partially. Many ligaments that make up the ankle joint encounter an abnormal situation causing them to injure (Quinn 2010, par 1). On the other hand, in sprains that are severe, the ligament is torn completely. At times, the bone-end to which the ligament is firmly attached can either crack or get pulled off a condition known as avulsion fracture.  This causes an even more severe ankle sprain (Bupas Health Information Team, 2010 par. 3).

Symptoms
One of the basic and main symptoms of an ankle sprain is initially a popping or a snapping sound and as Bupas health information team puts it in their article on Sprained ankle a feeling of giving way  as the ligament is torn or in worse cases the bone cracks. The pain from the sprain is instantaneous, but it can also grow as the injured person tries to move their feet. In the case of a severe sprain when the ankle ligament is completely torn and the bone is cracked, the injury can cause incapability of bearing any weight on the particular foot, thus making walking impossible (Bupas Health Information Team 2010, par. 4).                                                                              

Another basic symptom of a sprain is swelling or bruising. Swelling occurs shortly after the injury, whereas bruising can take as long as 24 hours to develop fully. Swelling around the ankle may make the foot movement very difficult. The ankle will feel unstable if any movement is made (Bupas Health Information Team 2010, par. 5).

In short, some symptoms that the injured person can suffer from are extreme pain, swelling and bruising of the ankle for almost two to four weeks, redness over the bones of that area of the foot, along with the difficulty in withstanding any weight on the injured leg (Bupas Health Information Team 2009, par. 13).

Causes                                                                                                                                      
Ankle sprains are basically caused by unnatural movement of the foot that make the ligaments holding together the ankle to stretch or even worse tear (Mayo Clinic staff 2010, par 1). One of the main causes of a sprained ankle is the inward turn of the sole, ligaments overstretching on the outer part of the ankle as well as squeezing the inner ligaments. This kind of sprain is referred to as inversion sprain. This inversion is so common because it mostly occur in sporting activities that entail jumping, running, jump landing, fast changes in direction or many stop-starts such as those in playing football, basketball and volleyball (Bupas Health Information Team 2010, par 6-8).

Another leading cause of ankle sprain is uneven ground. Walking on a surface that is irregular, may put a sudden pressure on the ankle. The instant change of level may cause this sudden pull on the ankle muscles that the latter was not prepared to handle. These irregular surfaces include presence of pot-holes, bumps, rocks on the walking paths. In relation to this, another cause of sprains includes standing on surfaces not meant for standing (Walker 2010, par 7).                                                    

Another cause that might affect mostly the population of female individuals is the twist of the ankle due to the loss of balance when walking in high-heels. The small surface covering the sole of the high-heel can cause unbalanced walking and most probably a twist causing a sprain (Bupas Health Information Team 2010, par. 6-8). Additionally, if an ankle sprain has occurred in the past, it is very probable that it can happen again under the same circumstances (Sprained Ankle Care 2000, par 10).

Diagnosis                                                                                                                                    
It is not always easy to diagnose a sprain. A sprained if not closely diagnosed can be confused with other injuries such as a strain. However, if the situation includes some of the points mentioned above, then a more proper diagnosis should be considered.

In the case of a more severe sprain, when the doctor gets to diagnose the patient, heshe will first physically examine the ankle by moving the ankle in different directions. This can be a painful experience but it helps to identify the hurt or else the torn ligaments. An X-ray can be done in case of serious injuries to identify if there is any broken bone. In a very severe injury, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is recommended to make sure diagnosis is correctly made (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2005, par 7-11).

Treatment                                                                                                                              
After going through the points and steps given above, the next step in dealing with an ankle sprain is to apply the appropriate treatment. As it had been mentioned earlier, depending on the kind of the sprain, and how severely the injury has affected the muscle and the soft tissue of the ankle, then a specific treatment must be applied accordingly (Bupas Health Information Team 2009, par 13).                                                  
In case the injury is not severe, some suggestions can be used for self-help guidelines. They constitute some basic steps that prevent the already injured part from worsening further.  They include what PhysioRoom in their article, Sprained Ankle Injury calls the PRICE protocol -Protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation (PhysioRoom 2010, par 2).                                                                                                                        
The first and the basic guidelines are to immediately protect the injury from any further harm, so that the symptoms are at minimum. The sprained ankle should then be rested for 48-72 hours immediately after the injury. Clutches can be used to aid in movement. After the 48-72 hours are over, movement of the affected part is re-introduced slowly by slowly to retain the muscle strength around the ankle, and to ensure that walking is possible (Bupas Health Information Team, 2009 par 13).            

Furthermore, a very helpful treatment is the use of ice packs frozen ice that is wrapped in a towel for a period of 15-20 minutes after every 2-3 hours. This helps in minimizing bruising and swelling of the ankle. However, if ice is used and applied directly to the skin, there is a high risk of ice-burn. If covered well with a piece of cloth, then the treatment would be successful. The ice should be applied for 48-72 hours immediately after the injury. However ice is not recommended for persons with skin disorders (Bupas Health Information Team 2009, par. 13).                                      

After the pain softens, compressing the ankle using a bandage is necessary to offer support to the injured ankle and decrease the swelling. The bandage should be elastic fitting well but not too tight. It should be removed when one is going to bed. However, before doing any of these steps, it would be very useful to keep the ankle elevated and the foot resting above the level of the heart, at a well supported point. This ensures that swelling is kept in check (Bupas Health Information Team 2009, par. 13).                                                                                                                      

Nevertheless, if the injury is severe and needs special treatment or specific medicine, then the self-help approach may not be helpful (Bupas Health Information Team 2009, par. 13).

If need be, a physiotherapist can be contacted or use other professional treatments to address the sprain more effectively. Some exercises are also healthy to strengthen the soft tissue and muscle and restore ankle movement. Any further treatment would definitely depend on the extent of the injury and the symptoms following the sprain (Bupas Health Information Team 2010, par. 14-17).

Medicines
Along with these treatments that have been discussed above, sprains can also be dealt with by simply using medical treatments such as painkillers, tablets or painkilling creams. Painkillers can well reduce the pain from the sprained ankle. Painkilling creams can also reduce the pain notably, but they are no better than a single tablet or a painkilling pill. However, any tablet containing NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) should not be used until a period of 48 hours. These chemicals can cause more harm than good if used wrongly. Precautionary, an important point in this is that the individual treating his sprain must take advice from his or her personal pharmacists before using and applying any medical treatment methods (Bupas Health Information Team, 2010 par 18-19).

Prevention Measures
It is advisable to do some warm-ups before as well as after any sport activity. This helps to strengthen the ankle muscles. Additionally, good sporting shoes can play a good game against ankle sprains. Avoid walking on uneven grounds or if a person must, then be careful. In conjunction with these, platform soles as well as high heels should be avoided. Likewise open shoes as well as sandals are unstable and should be avoided. Interestingly eating healthy diets as well as exercising regularly strengthens the muscles. Ankle sprains are however unavoidable, but taking some preventive measure can reduce the chances of occurrence (The Health Central Network 2009, par, 17).

Conclusion
In conclusion, ankle sprain can be a very serious condition in the day to day life. As had been posted earlier, it is extremely impossible to avoid ankle sprains. With these remarks therefore, it is very important to get a better insight of what an ankle sprain entails. Understanding the whole concept of ankle sprain is very essential to players who have made sport part of their career as well as a profession. Moreover, it helps sports specialists in body injuries to better diagnose an ankle sprain and be able to prescribe good and effective treatment methods as well as give advice to prevent possible future injuries or simply prevent any other additional injuries or symptoms. Beyond the world of sports, the ability to identify such injuries and be able to apply self-help treatments will help in fast recovery and improvement of the sprained ankle. Importantly, it gives the world of physiotherapy and physiology a better insight in the human body.

Every year, thousands of students are enrolled into universities and colleges in the United States on scholarships based on their sporting prowess. Intercollegiate sports are a fertile breeding ground for sporting talent in professional sports like basketball, baseball, American football, ice hockey and many others. Being a college athlete has many challenges to it. It is usually already hard enough to balance between academic work and sporting activity in high school, and once in college, sporting students are more strained since class work becomes more demanding and athletic coaches embark on rigorous training routines seeking to attain the prestige that come with winning national honors in sports. Participation in college athletics offers a student many opportunities. Teams travel throughout the nation and members gain new experiences and exposure. However, a number of college student athletes on scholarships or even those not on scholarships end up leaving college without a degree. As I shall elaborate in this research paper, it is very necessary that college athletes on scholarships should graduate with a degree.

The nature of College Athletic scholarships
High school students who have exhibited exceptional athletic prowess are usually contacted by college athletic coaches for recruitment into college athletic teams. Intercollegiate sporting athletics are very prestigious, and every college is always looking to be a force to reckon with. Hundreds of other high school graduates especially those who cannot afford to finance their college and university education apply for consideration for either full scholarships or partial scholarships to various colleges throughout the nation.

Upon successful application, college students on athletic scholarships are expected to treat their sporting obligation very seriously. The rigor followed in training often matches the standards of professional sporting activity. It becomes very hard to balance between class work and athletics, no wonder some students academic performance drifts below standards. Many college students view acquisition of college athletic scholarships as the doorway to a professional athletic career. It is so unfortunate since very few actually manage to make the cut to be drafted into professional sports like baseball and football.

All college athletes are usually not paid for their commitment and input to college athletics. It is therefore a pity that a student on scholarship puts all his or her effort in sporting activity at the expense of his or her formal education, gets no payments from it despite having compromised his or her standards of formal education. Time in college passes by very fast, and before long other obligations step in to increase the pressure on a student.

Acquiring a degree therefore is like an insurance policy and a ticket to a better life when a student on scholarships dreams and aspirations of breaking into professional athletics unfolds into nothing. This is one main reason why college athletes on scholarships should graduate with a degree. It increases their chances of making a better life for themselves and their families if their ambitions of building a professional career in athletics are not realized. A student who graduates from college with a degree is more likely to have access to alternative professional disciplines like in economics or information science.

The main objective of going to college is being awarded with a degree at the end of the course each student is pursuing. Not graduating with the degree is therefore a failure on the part of the student and the college itself. A formal education has always opened up more doors to the majority of college graduates than other extracurricular activities like singing, acting and athletics. Colleges must therefore put I place elaborate mechanisms to ensure that their students, more so those on scholarships (because in most cases they have higher urgency of establishing themselves socially and economically), graduate with a degree so that they may be better equipped to pursue their dreams of self sufficiency and accomplishment.

Importance of Formal Education
Many college athletes, not just those in scholarships, are not sufficiently prepared for life after their stint in college. This is mainly due to their excessive optimism that an athletic scholarship in college is going to lead to a career in professional athletics. However, according to statistics released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), only between two and three percent of athletes in the intercollegiate sports arena end up securing a career in professional sport.

Without a degree, college athletes who do not make the cut to be drafted into professional sporting establishments like the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball would find it hard to earn a living. Despite this reality, intercollegiate athletic competitions are long and do not leave sufficient time for academic work. Most colleges do not make public the rates of successful graduation for athletes under scholarship. Having a degree not only increases a college leavers chance of securing a real job but is also an opener to establishing better working relationships with people in different levels in contemporary society (Framball, 2010).

Even for those college graduates who successfully manage to build a professional career in sport, a degree comes in handy as it will help them manage their affairs better. There have been cases of college athletes who graduate from college and make it big in professional sport, but they are virtually illiterate. For example, Dexter Manley secured a scholarship in Oklahoma State University based on his prowess in football. He left the university unable to read and had a very successful career with the Washington Redskins as a defensive end. Dexter could not even read the praises newspapers poured on him based on his prowess in the field. He had to go back to school after retiring after openly admitting that he could not read or write. Such embarrassments and inconveniences can be avoided it is ensured that college athletes on scholarship graduate with a degree.

Application of a degree in sports management
Whether or not a college student makes it big in professional athletics, it is necessary to have the realization that a sporting career ends very early in life. It is very unlikely that professional athlete will compete actively into the forties and fifties. Since most college athletes on scholarships are hell-bent building a career in sports, they should realize that a degree is required for one to be deemed qualified in sports management.

Alternative avenues for establishing a career in professional sport include coaching at different levels, managing sports facilities, referring and formulation of sports policy. A person cannot get into these without first having a degree. Of more concern is the fact that athletes who turn pro have the highest chance of venturing into these careers, and they face the highest risk of failing to graduate without a degree. Acquisition of an academic degree should therefore not be viewed as an auxiliary to college athletic scholarships but an integral part of the endeavor to establish a wholesome profession in sport and in other disciplines.

Application of a degree in investment
Graduating with a degree will enable college graduates athletes on scholarship who make it professional to make wiser decisions to invest the money they make while still active more wisely so that they can secure their future and those of their families. Without adequate training in personal and financial planning and management, all success garnered from a career in professional athletics is thrown away. The essence of having gone to college therefore goes missing. College education is supposed to equip leavers with the capacity to plan their lives in a more organized way so that they can build better lives for themselves. The hallmark of this is in the award of a degree in a significant field. If this is not achieved, then it is an opportunity wasted, virtually.

Measures that should be taken (Recommendations)
So far, I have emphasized on the importance of college athletes on scholarship graduating with a degree. Now, I want to discuss several measures that can be taken to ensure that this happens. Number one, the admission departments of colleges should actively participate in determining who gains scholarships based on athletic talent rather that leaving the whole exercise to the sports department. In this way, the capacity to enforce minimum academic requirements upon all high school graduates who seek to attain college scholarships. This will prompt high school students who aspire to apply for basketball, football or baseball scholarships to work extra hard in their studies. This input will in turn increase their chances of graduating with a degree at the end of their scholarship.

Secondly, college athletes on scholarships should be given a time limit to complete their degree courses, making them only eligible to participate in their respective sporting events before that time limit expires. Additionally, college athletes on scholarships should be made to integrate more with regular students to make them acquire an outlook on education that promotes their pursuit of academic degrees. Such is for example the practice in the University of Notre Dame and in Duke where athletes on or not on scholarship are made to take a full academic load alongside other students so that they can also graduate in time. The National Collegiate Athletic Association should also make its programs more lenient to leave college athletes with ample time to fulfill academic obligations.

Conclusion
Many of the athletes who seek scholarships do so because they are unable to fully finance degree programs at such institutions. The institutions should not just seek to exploit the talent suck students possess because in the end, it will only compromise their lives. It is very important that college athletes also graduate with a degree since it opens up many opportunities for them after college regardless of whether they make it in professional athletics or not. A degree will enable a former student to seek an alternative career if athletics fail, and can also help him or her manage him or herself better once an opportunity beckons in professional athletics. Colleges should therefore make arrangements to ensure that college athletes on scholarships graduate with a degree as this is very important.