Should NCAA Weigh Teams' Graduation Rates for March Madness?

Academically indifferent colleges don't deserve a bid, says Education Sector's Ben Miller; Marc Isenberg, author of Money Players, disagrees, saying the NCAA should admit that its players are pros. Your feedback: 

Graduation rates for athletes at many colleges are abysmal, but what is the comparable graduation rate for all students who enroll? Is that six-year rate significantly higher? That would make the statistic more meaningful.

JIM ROBBINS Fort Wayne, Ind. 

It is a cruel and sick joke to call the NCAA anything but a professional league. Need proof? Look to the billions of dollars in revenues, the marketing agents, the NCAA games, the bowl games—and it goes on. The worst part is it is an or­ganization of hypocrites who enforce rules without due process. I need operations from college injuries and last spring walked across the field with two coaches who could hardly walk—injuries from college, and neither played pro. The responsibility rests with the NCAA.

RALPH E. CINDRICH Pittsburgh 

There should be a standard established to limit participation in March Madness for colleges or universities. However, we should start with high school, as many of these talented athletes are treated as special at that level. I would establish a minimum of academic achievement for athletes as well as a graduation standard beginning in 2015. In this way, athletes who have been working in the current system will not be unduly singled out, while the NCAA can begin conforming to the goal and allow a transition.

JIM FLAHIVE San Antonio 

I was an athlete at the University of Arizona and in class with a lot of the higher-profile players. It just so happened that some of them turned professional before they graduated (and who could fault them for looking at their best options?). The numbers are also skewed by transfer players, which shouldn't be the fault of the school. Universities are doing their best to prepare young adults for employment by providing the best opportunity for student athletes to grow up and improve their character and education, while possibly showcasing their athletic talents.

AARON LOWE San Francisco 

The graduation rate hardly matters for college-level sports teams since freshman players can opt to go into the professional team draft at will. Any change would have to come from the NCAA and other governing groups, such as not allowing freshmen to play or disciplining any school that has scholarship players turn pro before they are seniors. The dividing line between amateur and professional is so veiled. Look at the Olympics!

JANE EDWARDS Sun City, Ariz. 

It's time to stop the charade! Major college football and basketball are the equivalent of minor-league baseball.

RALPH MAURIELLO Moorpark, Calif. 

I applaud Marc Isenberg for having the courage to suggest major changes to big-time college sports without resorting to the much more common, holier-than-thou, it-has-to-be-pure perspective. Isen­berg's opinion and solution may not be the most popular, but they may be the most honest.

BRAD HERZOG Pacific Grove, Calif. 

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