Our nation places too much of an emphasis on sports, and schools are no exception.

The problem that I have with blending athletics and higher education is just that. Sure, sports support team-togetherness, keep its players in good physical condition, and build a large alumni base, but they do so with a cost.

Athletic programs have benefits, but certainly more so for the university than the student representing the school.

It’s all about the money, and for the student-athletes who are putting in their time and energy, there’s little of it to show for.

Take for example, our own Big Ten team. Northwestern took in $235 million as revenue from the university’s football team over the course of the past 9 years. The students didn’t make a dime.

This might change with the creation of the College Athletes Players Association (CAPA), if the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decides to certify the group.

An emphasis on athletics not only effect college students, but high schoolers looking to get into college.

As a senior myself, I am all for students trying their hardest to make themselves a more appealing candidate for colleges, whether that be through grades, clubs, or sports.

However, I believe that it is the responsibility of universities and colleges to regain focus on what their purpose is: to provide a higher education.

It’s no coincidence that high school students looking to be that well-rounded package of a person when universities have declared the norm deduce that they cannot do so without playing a sport at some point over their high school career.

And to some extent, these students are right. Stellar academic performance doesn’t seem to be enough. From my perspective, it seems that universities are not treating sports as the extracurricular that it is, but an activity on par with education.

Recruiting nights for high school students by university coaches are an example of the heightened interest placed on sports. You don’t see conferences of admissions officers and professors picking out national merit scholars to be offered quiet early acceptance—maybe they’re kept under the radar?

It wouldn’t be as absurd if these coaches represented professional sports teams looking to form business contracts, but it isn’t. There’s no exchange of money, only the lure of early admission into high-ranking universities—enough to entice any student.

I do not believe that high school seniors and juniors should be offered admission into schools solely based on their athletic ability.

Those same students should be held to the same standards as every other student applying, whether that may be in the form of test scores, grades, or portfolios. If the student shows the same prowess in the classroom as he does on the field, great.

Academics come first—at least they should.