College Athletes: Students First, Athletes Second? (1/2)

One of our listeners has a question about college athletes in the United States. Amni Garcia in Mexico would like to know how much they study. Well, we suppose that like any other students, there are those who study a lot, those who study just enough and those who struggle. But this question touches on a hotly debated subject.

College sports, especially football and basketball, are a big industry. Nationally rated teams and television broadcast rights can be worth millions of dollars. This could be seen as a good deal all around. Colleges invest in their players and, in return, the schools earn money and attention. The athletes often get a free education. And they gain experience that might lead to a chance to play professionally.

But critics question the morality of a situation where college athletes may seem valued more as athletes than as college students. Praise is heard for recent improvements in graduation rates. Yet critics say that some players who finish college never really learn anything except their sport.

Getting back to the question of how much college athletes study, a better answer would be: it all depends. The expectations and pressures on athletes differ from school to school and sport to sport.

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我们的一位听众问到美国大学运动员的问题。墨西哥的Amni Garcia想知道他们学习多少。那么，我们假设他们像其他学生一样，有的很刻苦的学习，有的仅保证学习足够就可以，还有一些在及格线边缘挣扎。但是，该问题触及了一个争论的热点问题。

大学运动，尤其是足球和篮球，是一个大产业。国家级队伍和电视转播权可以价值数百万美元。人们都认为这是一笔好买卖。大学对他们的队员投资，反过来，学校获得了金钱和关注。运动员通常可以获得免费的教育。并且，他们可以获得使他们有机会成为职业选手的经验。

但是评论家对这种情况的道德问题提出了质疑，这里，大学运动员作为运动员似乎比当大学学生更有价值。由于近期毕业率的改善，也听到了些赞扬。然而，评论家说一些运动员在完成学业后除了他们的运动，什么都没学会。

回到大学运动员学多少的问题上，最好的答案可能是：依情况而定。对运动员的期望和压力因学校和运动项目的不同而不同。