Three hundred and seventy-five of their athletes have competed in the Olympics since 1904. They have won 122 gold, 76 silver and 60 bronze medals. Since 1912, at least one of their athletes has won a gold medal at every summer Olympic games. Where do these athletes come from? Australia? Britain? Perhaps Italy? No, surprisingly, they don’t come from a country, they come from a university: the University of Southern California. The USC has got the 12th best Olympic record in the world.
Universities in the USA are very serious about their sports teams and athletes. American universities have been playing American football and basketball games against each other for over a hundred years. They play in big stadiums in front of crowds of 100,000 spectators. Millions of sports fans also watch the games on TV. Student sport makes a lot of money for the American universities.
American universities want the best sportsmen and women to play for them so that their teams continue to do well. To do this, they offer school students who are excellent at sport an athletic scholarship to their university. Scholarships in most countries are given to intelligent students from poor families. The universities give these students some money every year to pay for their course, accommodation and food so that they can get a degree.
American universities also give money to people who are very good at sport. They give these athletic scholarships to people from all over the world. Of the 375 athletes from the USC who have competed in the Olympics, nearly 150 come from more than 50 foreign countries. The universities give them first-class coaches and training facilities, and they expect the athletes to perform well in their sport. At some American universities, success at sport is as important as success at academic subjects.
Students have been able to apply for athletic scholarships since 1952. They have become passports to a university education for people who couldn’t otherwise pay for one or who have got poor academic qualifications. Because of this, there is a lot of competition to get a scholarship in the USA. Teenagers who are in school sports teams are not playing to win a sports competition. They’re hoping to win a free university place. And what could be better than playing your favourite sport while you study? The American University system has produced famous sports stars such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. These men are examples of outstanding sportsmen who have also achieved good university degrees. But is it really that easy?
The answer, it seems, is no. Students on athletic scholarships do twice as much work as normal students. Their lessons often start at 7 o’clock in the morning so that they can do four or five hours' training in the afternoon. When their friends are enjoying university life or studying, students on athletic scholarships are often travelling on long journeys to different cities for games. Therefore, they have got less time to study, but they have still got to achieve good exam results. The universities want academic, as well as sporting, success. It is not surprising then, that a lot of students think of athletic scholarships as being very hard. People do it because they need the money to pay for their studies. Some students, however, find they can’t do both things. They decide to stop playing university sports after their first year and find other ways to pay for their studies.
Most people think sport is fun and they play games in their free time. But as a lot of students in the USA have discovered, it’s difficult to do well at your studies and play sport like a professional at the same time. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods had the natural talent to be successful students and outstanding sportsmen. This is something that only a few people can do.
Three hundred and seventy-five of their athletes have competed in the Olympics since 1904. They have won 122 gold, 76 silver and 60 bronze medals. Since 1912, at least one of their athletes has won a gold medal at every summer Olympic games. Where do these athletes come from? Australia? Britain? Perhaps Italy? No, surprisingly, they don’t come from a country, they come from a university: the University of Southern California. The USC has got the 12th best Olympic record in the world. Universities in the USA are very serious about their sports teams and athletes. American universities have been playing American football and basketball games against each other for over a hundred years. They play in big stadiums in front of crowds of 100,000 spectators. Millions of sports fans also watch the games on TV. Student sport makes a lot of money for the American universities. American universities want the best sportsmen and women to play for them so that their teams continue to do well. To do this, they offer school students who are excellent at sport an athletic scholarship to their university. Scholarships in most countries are given to intelligent students from poor families. The universities give these students some money every year to pay for their course, accommodation and food so that they can get a degree. American universities also give money to people who are very good at sport. They give these athletic scholarships to people from all over the world. Of the 375 athletes from the USC who have competed in the Olympics, nearly 150 come from more than 50 foreign countries. The universities give them first-class coaches and training facilities, and they expect the athletes to perform well in their sport. At some American universities, success at sport is as important as success at academic subjects. Students have been able to apply for athletic scholarships since 1952. They have become passports to a university education for people who couldn’t otherwise pay for one or who have got poor academic qualifications. Because of this, there is a lot of competition to get a scholarship in the USA. Teenagers who are in school sports teams are not playing to win a sports competition. They’re hoping to win a free university place. And what could be better than playing your favourite sport while you study? The American University system has produced famous sports stars such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. These men are examples of outstanding sportsmen who have also achieved good university degrees. But is it really that easy? The answer, it seems, is no. Students on athletic scholarships do twice as much work as normal students. Their lessons often start at 7 o’clock in the morning so that they can do four or five hours' training in the afternoon. When their friends are enjoying university life or studying, students on athletic scholarships are often travelling on long journeys to different cities for games. Therefore, they have got less time to study, but they have still got to achieve good exam results. The universities want academic, as well as sporting, success. It is not surprising then, that a lot of students think of athletic scholarships as being very hard. People do it because they need the money to pay for their studies. Some students, however, find they can’t do both things. They decide to stop playing university sports after their first year and find other ways to pay for their studies. Most people think sport is fun and they play games in their free time. But as a lot of students in the USA have discovered, it’s difficult to do well at your studies and play sport like a professional at the same time. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods had the natural talent to be successful students and outstanding sportsmen. This is something that only a few people can do.
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