THE MALCOM X-FACTOR: Athletes In Class Of Their Own

When reports first surfaced that University of Texas start quarterback and projected top-three NFL draft pick Vince Young scored a “six” on the Wonderlic test, the annual exam given to attendees to the pre-draft NFL combine, many were skeptical—especially considering a score of 20 is considered merely average on the scale of human intelligence. Scouts for teams at the top of the draft order breathed a collective sigh of relief after Young reportedly went back and took the test again, this time scoring a much more respectable 16 on the 50-question, 12-minute test.

We learned little about Young at the combine, except that he’s no Ryan Fitzpatrick (the former Harvard QB reportedly scored a 38 in a record nine minutes on the test before last year’s draft). What we did learn, however, was that this so-called measure of intelligence is meaningless.

That the last time Young scored six points that mattered, it was the game-winning run against USC in the Rose Bowl, Division I-A’s national championship game.

That, when it comes to student-athletes, what they do in the field of play is what people care about.

And that when a school places greater emphasis on the student portion of that double entendre, no one should feel sorry for the institution in question.

Here at Harvard, we’re some of the biggest self-loathers of all.

As stated in a sports column earlier this week, a newly introduced “Academic Progress Rate” (APR) released by the NCAA found that Harvard is home to 18 teams in the top ten of their respective sports based on the standard, ten of those teams having received perfect scores according to the rating.

That’s fine and dandy, but, remind me again, when was the last time the Crimson won a Rose Bowl? Oh, right. 1920.

You see, we might have some of the smartest teams in the nation, but when it comes to performance in the big-time sports, the moneymakers—the basketballs and footballs of the world—we come up short. Because what measures success in those arenas is wins, and a basketball team coming off its fourth straight losing season and a football team whose growth is consistently stunted by shortened schedule thanks to Ivy League postseason rules earn us little praise—(un)deservingly so. As great as it is to see us near the top of the APR ratings, it should be expected, not lauded. This is, of course, Harvard.

Granted, the life of a Harvard athlete is indeed a hectic one. Few exceptions from coaches regarding schoolwork and even fewer from professors regarding athletics equal awfully busy days full studying, lifting, and trekking back and forth across the bridge to and from the athletic facilities. It’s a demanding existence, no doubt—but I would argue that the chances of a great payoff from the impending Harvard degree are much greater than any potential payoff of playing college sports at a “big-time” Division I school. While graduation rates stagger at many well-recognized D-I colleges—in part at the hands of student-athletes who won’t go on to play professionally—the student-athlete at Harvard is almost guaranteed to earn a degree. After all, Harvard’s graduation rate stands at 97 percent. And that degree won’t be from just any university, mind you. This is, of course, Harvard.

You see, the athletes here don’t have it so bad. Like the other members of the Ivy League, the university does not give out athletic scholarships. We see few programs scrambling to fill up their rosters, and with even with no scholarships to be revoked, few athletes are quitting teams. A recruited student-athlete at Big State U might not have as much pressure to perform in the classroom as does a student here, but, when his spot at that university hinges on his performance on the field or the court, it might take just a little bit of the fun out of the college athletic experience.

It’s true, our student-athletes, on the whole, do enjoy their time at Harvard. Nobody here is masquerading as Vince Young, though—they know they’re here for something more than just sports. Most of the student-athletes here could surely score better than a ‘16’ on a Wonderlic in their sleep (Sample question: Paper sells for 21 cents per pad. What will four pads cost?). But just because that’s the case doesn’t mean we should expect undue praise.

Our standards are higher, sure. But student-athletes who want to come here know that, and they also know that they probably won’t be in a SportsCenter highlight any time soon. No, they’re guaranteed to get something else—something arguably a lot better and a lot more important. This is, of course, Harvard.

--Staff writer Malcom A. Glenn can be reached at mglenn@fas.harvard.edu. His column appears every third Thursday.