Major Obstacles; How Wii Can Help
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January 2007
Fast News
Major Obstacles NCAA Division I student-athletes seem to enjoy the best of both the academic and athletic worlds. But their so-called free ride doesn't offer as much liberty as many people might think. According to a study released at this month's NCAA Convention, nearly a third of 2,077 Division I football and men's basketball players say their participation in athletics has prevented them from pursuing their preferred academic major.
Although the survey neglected to ask student-athletes why they didn't pursue their desired major, its results raise questions about whether college sports' academic reform movement has done enough to ensure that athletics administrators give student-athletes sufficient opportunity to be students first and athletes second. Most of the college football and men's basketball players surveyed said they didn't regret their major. Yet, 57 percent of men's basketball players and 64 percent of football players said they'd prefer to spend more time on academics. In addition, more than two-thirds of them said their grade-point average would be higher if they weren't competing in their sport. NCAA President Myles Brand defended the survey numbers, comparing the academic choices made by student-athletes with those of non-student-athletes. "Everyone doesn't get in this world to do everything they want to," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "A lot of students don't get the major they want because they have to work after school. ... Many find they can't do science majors that require an enormous amount of time in the lab because they've got to wait tables. What we get is student-athletes trading off having an athletic scholarship for not having to work 20 or 40 hours a week." How Wii Can Help Children spend an average of eight hours a day in front of a TV screen, either watching TV or playing video games. That said, it's clear the fitness industry faces an uphill battle in getting kids to engage in more physical activity. Youth fitness advocates may consider embracing a group of unlikely allies - video game manufacturers. According to a new Mayo Clinic study, children can get as good of a workout playing interactive games as they can by treadmill walking. The Mayo researchers measured the amount of energy expended by 25 children (10 of whom were mildly obese) in five states of activity. When the children played a video game using a camera to control the action - games tested included the EyeToy-compatible Nicktoons Movin' and Microsoft Xbox's Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2 - they burned three times as many calories as they did while sitting. Moreover, the obese children used six times as much energy while playing DDR and five times as much energy when playing Movin' - the same amount they expended by treadmill walking. Its results published in this month's Pediatrics journal, the study was completed before the November debut of Nintendo's Wii system - on which players use a motion-sensitive wireless controller to simulate movements common to a variety of sports, including swinging, throwing and rolling. Acknowledging the small size of their test group, the researchers claimed their findings are sufficient to warrant further studies in randomized trials. "Even though we might want children to be outside and engaged in more traditional children's play, I don't think that children are going to abandon video games anytime soon," Mayo obesity researcher Lorraine Lanningham-Foster told GameSpot.com. "It's important to look at it this way because video gaming may potentially be a better way for obesity researchers to develop better interventions for children." In the Field
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Want to see your name in lights? Send press releases and news to our Web Editor for consideration: [email protected] It's Show Time
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Fast Job
WTS International is currently seeking an activities director for two new residential clubhouses near Atlanta in Dallas, Ga. The activities director will be responsible for organizing, implementing and managing recreation programs and activities for both communities.
And the Survey Said
In response to last month's Quick Question, an overwhelming majority of you agree that homeless squatters should be evicted from public parks and efforts should be made to refer them to appropriate social services.
Complete Results: Homelessness is admittedly an uncomfortable topic. Nevertheless, in many cities parks officials must deal with the issue head-on, particularly when homeless people make parks their abode. What is the best way to handle squatters in public parks?
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