I walked up and down the rows filled with students that occupied the computers in the library. On this particular Tuesday it seemed as if the library was extra crowded and filled with students eagerly typing away on the keyboards. Small chatter and the constant clicking of the keyboard was the only sounds on the floor. With no hope of me ever finding a seat on the normally accessible first floor. I patiently waited for the elevator, and made my way up to the fourth floor, the quiet floor in the library.
This time I had no problem locating a computer to occupy and better yet I found two next to each other. I placed my bag in the chair next to me and began my own clicking and typing away at the computer. I looked at my watch. He said he would be here at 4 pm it was now 10 minutes after four. I remained patient and continued my Internet surfing.“Hey is this seat taken?” “Yes it is,” I replied. People looked irritated by my book bag, as it was soon occupying the only free computer on that floor.
I looked at the clock on the computer screen..it now read 20 minutes after 4. Wow I thought to myself, if he doesn’t hurry up. Suddenly my phone begans to vibrate loudly. I raced to pick it up as heads began to turn around me and everyone was looking to see whose phone that was vibrating. “Hello.” It was him and about time I thought to myself. “Im on the fourth floor”…”OK I’m on my way up.” Athletes seem to walk with a swagger different from the rest.You couldn’t miss him as this tall 6 foot 10 inches male smoothly breezes into the room and now fills the once empty space next to me.
“‘I’m sorry I’m late. We had to stay late and lift weights.“
“Oh OK, I replied, “how’s that going. He lifted up his shirt and shows off his abs. “I’m a lil’ sore, look at my abs but besides that its good.”
And by the looks of his abs things certainly were good.
“So tell me more about school how is everything going,” I asked.
He looks at me and began tapping a pencil as though he was really contemplating a good answer. He describe how the coaches were really clamping down on the team and ensuring that there wasn’t going to be any missed practices. Then he said something that really astounded me.
“Man you don’t know how hard it is to play basketball and go to class.”
All I can think of was “are you serious” but he sat there with a completely serious face.
“They are really getting down on us and making us go to class. Then if we miss class we don’t practice and if we don’t practice we don’t play.”
“Naw… really I thought to myself”… This is the sad example of some athlete coming to college to play a sport and not to learn anything while they are here. This incident sheds a light on how some athletes in college think they are exempt from the rules we all usually follow like going to class…
Note: Link to article on athletes in school from the University of New Mexico newspaper The Daily Lobo added.
