The Shadows of the Collegiate Field: How We Failed Michael Oher and Countless Others

NBC New Lester Holt

In the bright world of intercollegiate sports, it's easy to be blinded by the glamour: spirited games, ardent fans, and the tantalizing prospect of fame and fortune. Yet beneath this veneer lies a sadder, more complex reality. Michael Oher's story, as depicted in "The Blind Side," offers a compelling lens into this world. But as recent revelations and personal experiences suggest, Oher's experience isn't an outlier; it's emblematic of a deeply flawed system.

Michael Lewis, the author of "The Blind Side," was once interviewed about Oher's academic achievements, leading to chuckles about the "dean's list at Ole Miss." Such jests, while entertaining for some, underscore a problematic truth. Institutions, including revered ones like Ole Miss, have developed a parallel universe within the realm of academics, especially when it comes to athletes. As Lewis candidly put it, schools "seem mainly to exist to sustain a football team." They create pathways, not for holistic education, but rather to maintain an athlete's eligibility for the field, court, or track.

This damning observation finds an eerie echo in a personal experience shared recently. An intern, placed in the heart of a university's academic system, recounted how he found himself in the middle of a grade-fixing scheme. This was no minor endeavor; it was a well-orchestrated operation, one that involved professors, grad assistants, and even unsuspecting interns. With a few strokes of a pen, failing athletes were magically transformed into academic achievers. It's a sobering revelation, highlighting the extent to which colleges will go to maintain the façade of their athletic programs.