Essay Sample Considering College Student-Athletes

Step 1.a.

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It is kind of ironic to expect talented sportspeople to perform equally well in academics. Nonetheless, people with both academic and sporting talent exist. One might be forgiven for thinking the cut-off points for gifted performers on the pitch or court are substantially lower than those of academically-capable ones. However, colleges still insist on recruiting students based on their academic performance, even though the student's focus is primarily on sports. A significant number of these students eventually pursue regular employment, but it is likely that the incessant pressure to perform in class reduces the amount of energy and dedication they would otherwise commit to their sport. Therefore, colleges should review their admission criteria regarding sportspeople to enable them to apportion the necessary time to help them make a career out of their sporting passion.

The piece features a foot having kicked a pile of books. The foot belongs to a football player, as is evident from gear - a helmet, sock, and type of shoe. The sock has the words "college sports" written at its back, while one of the books is titled "academic standards." The books are flying high up in the air, clearly in a state of disarray. In essence, the picture describes the impact of college sports on academic standards, as illustrated above. The idea that students' commitment to sports affects their classroom performance adversely. Alternatively, colleges' need to admit students based on their sporting abilities has reduced the overall performance of such institutions.

Step 1.b.

The story speaks of the relationship between academic performance and college sports, as is the case with the art piece. Telling a tale indeed helps one understand the story a lot better than examining it alone would. The reason for this observation is that the story helps one connect the work with a real-life scenario or experience. By knowing of a similar experience, issue, or situation, one may understand the relevance of the piece and its connection with the topic at hand. One can critique or agree with the portrayal of the issue in the piece from a variety of aspects.

People have their own experiences and opinions on just about anything. It would be highly unlikely that they would have a similar story. However, the underlying themes would probably remain. Therefore, while viewers may describe the story differently, they would still speak about college sports and academic standards, only that they would use a different route to it. Therefore, rather than approaching it from the perspective of college admission and requirements thereof, they would perhaps make their more personal by, say, talking of their close relative's performance in sports versus the same in class. Alternatively, they may provide a story that opposes the artist's point of view.

Step 1.c.

The title of the story is "Should Colleges Change their Admission Criteria for Sportily Talented Students?"

Step 2.a.

David Seavey created "Academic Standards" in 1990. Its exhibition is at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum.

Elements

Line - The artist uses lines to indicate the boundaries on the piece, show signs of movement and to illustrate the objects contained in the piece.

Color - The blue color fills the lines of the objects while white is the background.

Shape - Rectangular and trapezoidal shapes define the books in the piece, while ovals and semicircular depict the shape of the leg, shoe, head, and the book's base.

Space - Negative space is present in the upper parts of the piece where few objects feature but the same color - white - appears as a fill-in color for the other objects.

Texture - The piece is smooth to touch because the outer surface is thin glass.

Typography - The font is playful and in sync with the rest of the drawing.

Scale - The piece is almost the size of a typical laptop, albeit slightly smaller in all dimensions.

Dominance and Emphasis - The kicking foot is dominant over the falling books; the emphasis is the point of interaction between the two.

Balance - The entire drawing is asymmetrical.

Harmony - The blue color is complementary with the white one, and the proportionality of individual objects makes it harmonious.

Step 2.b.

The foot is in motion after kicking the books, as the curved lines behind both objects indicate. Since the original motion comes from the foot, it is the dominant object, although it is part of the football player. The lack of symmetry is perhaps a significant part of the genre of the piece. The shapes introduce perspective into the objects, depicting the books as they fly in the air while giving them a closer similarity to the actual objects. Spatial use provides contrast while providing coloring balance; in addition to giving the notion of movement using the lines used.

Step 3.a.

Hints of exaggeration make "Academic Standards" an art form. Exaggeration is a special feature of cartoon pieces and caricatures (Richmond 91). The foot rises to an abnormally high level as it kicks the books off their platform. Also, the very idea that a football player is hitting the books when he should normally do so to a ball makes it artistic. Since the piece sits in the Ohio University Library, it would have a different impact in, say, the locker room of a college football player. While one would appreciate the sentiments it puts across for the academic fraternity, the sporting enthusiasts may protest because they would not want to paint this passion in a bad light. The reason for the contrasting opinions is because the work depicts college sports as having a negative impact on the academic standing of both the institution and the students themselves. Its nature as a caricature makes it a playful critique of the relationship between the two aspects.

Step 3.b.

I like the work because it portrays an accurate picture featuring the relationship between college sports and academic performance. Seavey is opening up the discussion about the issue, which is often undermined by the lucrative nature of college sports and academic fanatics. He tries to create a midpoint between the two, by showing that academics are failing due to the overemphasis on sports in college admissions. The footballer is not kicking books per se but is pushing academics to the curb. It is worth noting that eighth-graders can read better 60 percent of basketball and football players at the University of North Carolina (Power). Therefore, Seavey makes a valid point through the drawing.

The pursuit of immense sporting success that often characterizes intercollegiate football has made it increasingly difficult for educational institutions to maintain high academic achievement standards. On average, 18 percent of football players do not graduate from college (Power). The fact that they are engaged in football and sometimes benefit from lucrative deals that set them on a desirable financial path makes the entire situation quite dire to handle. The ability of universities and colleges has not been effective as it should be ideally. However, the inequality in the US means that some students hail from poor backgrounds. Academic programs do not often match the student's passion, making sport their surest way out (Kissinger and Miller 72). While reforms are necessary to change this issue, the message in "Academic Standards" still stands. For this reason, my judgment has remained the same as it was initially.

Works Cited

Kissinger, Daniel B, and Michael T. Miller. College Student-Athletes: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications. Information Age Pub, 2009.

Power, Clark. "Athletics Vs. Academics." HuffPost, Huffington Post, 6 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/clark-power/athletics-vs-academics_b_4592926.html. Accessed 18 July 2018.

Richmond, Tom. The Mad Art of Caricature!: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces. Deadline Demon Pub, 2011.