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Message: [QUOTE="pfister1, post: 878170, member: 285"] Those of you getting up in arms about the author focusing on Syracuse need to read the article more closely. He is picking on Syracuse in direct response to JB's position that Division I athletes should not be paid. His decision to focus on Syracuse isn't about Syracuse or what Syracuse does or doesn't do, it's about JB's position on stipends for student athletes. That said, as others have pointed out this a very poorly written article, surprising to see it associated with Forbes. The whole argument is overly simplistic and fails to acknowledge all of the additional supports that college athletes are given to compensate for missed class time. It doesn't even get into the fact that athletes oftentimes take a lightened load in season and make up by taking additional coursework (which I assume SU would pay for) during summer months, or that many can get 5 years of academic scholarships out of the deal. It also doesn't get into the fact that coursework can be loaded on particular days of the week to accommodate travel schedules and oftentimes totally free up other days. It also doesn't give any credit to the position that the participation in the sport, the competition and the travel that goes along with it offers those athletes something that sitting in a class room on campus could never give them. It isn't strictly academic, but in some ways it has similarities to an internship, study abroad or classroom without walls concept. The final point that I want to make is I played and traveled as a Division I athlete. I missed more classes because I chose to skip them and stay in the bed in my apartment than I ever missed as a result of athletic travel. In fact my attendance in the fall (offseason) was probably significantly worse than it was in the Spring, because I knew I had less margin for error in the Spring and was watched more closely in season. I still managed to graduate in 4 years with an honor roll GPA that allowed me to get into grad school. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?