<p>My comment wasn’t disparaging. Sorenstam did, indeed, turn pro. She also did, indeed drop out of school to do it. And it worked out for Sorenstam. Good for her. </p>
<p>I would love to see all college athletes get a degree. There are many reasons to get a degree, but the lifespan of a career is one of them. Not everyone is Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam or Kobe Bryant or insert name of your favorite professional athlete here. </p>
<p>It’s also not easy being a student later in life. Trust me. I have been there. Going back to get a degree later on can be a big challenge. </p>
<p>My comment about Sorenstam’s opinion being idiotic is simply a subjective opinion on my part. I am so tired of women questioning other womens’ life choices - whether it’s a young career woman climbing the fast track and missing out on family, or being a stay at home mom and missing a career or whatever. Women tend to be more critical of other women, and it can be painful. It was painful for Wie to hear these comments. </p>
<p>What’s good for Golf isn’t necessarily good for Michelle Wie. If she is that good, she will be good in a year or two. If she isn’t, someone else will rise to the top.</p>
<p>A long, long time ago now, there was an amazing young cellist. He was already a star–or as much of a star as a classical musician can be in the USofA. He was accepted to Julliard. He was also accepted by Harvard. He chose Harvard.</p>
<p>His parents thought he was insane. The world of classical music complained. He would NEVER ever be the musician he would have been if he had gone to Julliard.</p>
<p>Yo-Yo Ma has said on numerous occasions that it was the best decision he ever made.</p>
<p>I hope Wie will be able to say something equivalent many years from now, but, in any event, it’s her life and her choice ought to be respected.</p>
<p>I find nothing wrong with Sorenstam’s remark. It’s her opinion about the (lost) potential of Wie’s impact on the LPGA if she had remained on course. I don’t know the context of her full comments, but stand alone, Sorenstam’s comment has lots of merit. I’m not suggesting that Wie needs to dance to anyone else’s beat but her own but why are people so up in arms about Wie at Stanford? Does anyone think that if she had decided to leave Stanford, play for 10 years, and then return to Stanford – that they would turn her away?</p>
<p>It’s her choice and since she’s in the spotlight, people are entitled to comment on her choices and their ramifications. I don’t hear people on CC decrying Major League Baseball. At one time, only FIVE players in the majors had bachelors degrees. How about dem apples? How many times have you been at the ball park this year? Following the pennant races? It’s the nature of the sport – the vast majority of top players eschew college or never even planned on it.</p>
<p>The graduation rate for male NCAA athletes is abysmal. The rate is much higher for women NCAA athletes. In college basketball, if you are a male in the NCAA, your chance of getting a degree is around 25% - 50%. If you are a female, the odds are much, much better. </p>
<p>I guess the question that we have to ask is - what is more important? Sports or athletics? Expanding your mind and preparing for a life that may not include athletics is more important to me and my D, who is a recruited athlete in her sport. There won’t be a big payday for her sport - but it has taught her many, many things along the way. She knows that her sport may help her get an education, not that it will make her rich beyond reason.</p>
<p>Michelle Wie is saying pursuing her intellectual dreams are more important than golf at this stage in her life. Good for her. She could theoretically get the best of both worlds and still have a long, long career, to boot. </p>
<p>Maybe we should be more surprised when other athletes opt to finish their degrees instead of joining the draft or going on tour. However, when the big payday comes, most of them opt to go pro. I understand it - but it’s still a little sad. </p>
<p>Those knees won’t hold up forever. Not everyone makes a killing and even the ones that do aren’t always good with managing their money. How many stories have you heard about the football player who lost it all and has too many concussions to play? Or the baseball player that can’t pitch anymore because he trashed his shoulder and turned to drugs to deal with the pain and can’t beat it, ruining his life?</p>
<p>Of course not. Stanford is not the problem. The problem is that taking the equivalent of 10 consecutive gap years has a way of overtaking your previous plans. Business commitments, mortgage payments, marriage, and having kids, all have a way of adding up to make it very difficult to resume the relatively carefree life of an undergraduate. </p>
<p>There are exceptions. Both Michael Jordan and Shaq later went back and finished their degrees. But they are the rare exception, not the rule.</p>
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<p>I agree. Which is why I’m thrilled when an athlete comes along who proves me wrong. Allyson Felix is a case in point. She was a star sprinter in high school and was recruited by many colleges. She eventually signed with USC. But at the last moment she walked away from her scholarship and signed a big-money shoe deal with Nike, saying she would get her college education anyway as she competed on the pro tour. I thought “Yeah, sure. That’s what they all say.” </p>
<p>I was wrong. Four years later she graduated right on time with the rest of her class at USC with a bachelors degree in elementary education. She plans to teach after she retires from track. In the meantime she has won world championships and Olympic medals. You can watch her compete in the World Championships again when the meet begins this Friday.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, for every Allyson Felix there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of young stars who don’t finish school and whose pro careers flame out, leaving them with a not so bright future.</p>
<p>Yes, for years. She started when she was 13 amidst an amazing amount of hype and publicity in the golf world. It was ridiculous and I felt very sorry for her, both for the unreasonable expectations of the press as well as the situation with her father. It’s been many years and she has never lived up to the expectations, which is a shame. I never said that she won’t eventually do so. I thought my comment was pretty clearly referring to the hype that surrounded her playing as a young teen. The decisions that were made back then were likely not in her best interests, which is a shame. Of course it’s a good thing that she’s getting a college education, I don’t think anyone has argued otherwise. She is, as I said, almost finished her degree.</p>