University of South Florida athletes receive MacBook Pros

Why do they get laptops? Everyone knows, the tutors take the classes and tests for student athletes.

My point is BJ most schools argue that they need sports teams to be academically competitive, less than 10 sports programs in the entire country actually make money for the school, therefore money and scholarships should not go towards them, and while they may not have 'jobs' they can still have work study jobs which may be as challenging as turning out the lights in the arena after practice. No other country in the world allows athletics to rule universities as much as the United States do but I don't think I've ever heard another student from other countries complain that they didn't get as much money/compensation/adequate education because money was spent on sports. You want to compete after high school go be on a pro team, earn some money and then pay your way through school like the rest of us do.

Very few "regular" students bring revenue to their college or university. There are a few exceptions here and there, but for the most part, they pay their tuition and receive an education. End of transaction.

Student athletes raise a *huge* amount of revenue at most large universities. And because of the NCAA regulations, they rarely see a dime of it. Yes, they get a free education -- but their universities make *millions* from ticket sales, TV revenue sharing, increased alumni donations during winning seasons, and a huge increase in the sales of sweatshirts, coffee mugs, and everything else with the school logo on it.

In a free market system, many college athletes would be making millions of dollars a year, while even second-string players would be drawing healthy salaries.

For the record, I went to (and graduated from) college as a "regular" student. But I think the current system takes far more from student-athletes than it gives them. Offering them free laptops to help keep up with their studies while traveling to frequent road games is the least they can do.

I would have given anything to be able to fast forward through my college professors' lectures.

This is a good idea, but the problem is like those above me have said:

Student athletes do get too MUCH as it is, I mean yes they're talented at kicking a ball around or dunking a ball in a hoop, but in all seriousness -- this seems to be a little too much, perhaps giving ALL students the option to be loaned a Mac for their classes is a better idea. But giving athletes such a good treatment on top of an already FREE tuition is a joke and an insult to the students who aren't athletes yet studious and balancing a job, or even two jobs.

I attend college down in South Florida and I know how this all goes, the jocks get the star treatment while the Chemistry or Journalism student struggling to pay for books and classes get treated second rate.

This is why America is behind on education, we emphasize too much stardom instead of intelligence.

I'd love to see the hissy people threw if all the drama students at USF got MacBook Pros instead.

Student athletes deliver value to their universities, be it tangible - like, athletics programs that make money - or, intangible... the increasing of alumni interest/pride, often leading back to more money. Hence the concept of athletic scholarships. And this is eminently fair. If a loaned MacBook Pro is part of this, helping them stay on top of their studies while they necessarily have to be away from class, I really have no problem with that. It's in the name of furthering their education, which they are "paying" for with their hard work and dedication of time. Students on campus have full use of computer labs - this is essentially a mobile computer lab.

I hope USF has a tech support team that is prepared to answer call after call describing difficulties getting a copy of Madden 2009 for the Xbox 360 to run on a MacBook Pro.

On a less chuckleable note, anyone else disgusted at the dominance sports have at *academic* institutions?

Apparently these so called student-atheletes are more special than 'students-period'. Every non-sports student has a laptop?— why can't ALL the school's students check out the laptops?

It doesn't sound like these athletes are going to get to use the MBPs *only* when they're traveling — they get to use them for all their local schoolwork too. And every other student should be provided with a school-owned laptop for use in the school.

It's great that school's are mass-adopting Apple computers, but this case was a testosterone-blinded move. Athletes are volunteering to be "anywhere in America, or for that matter the entire world," and not in class. That is their choice. No school has an obligation (nor right, in my opinion) to specially aid them for that choice.

Did anyone notice this in the footnote... "This game-changing initiative was made possible by....a grant from the Verizon Foundation."

I got a little chuckle from that.