'The Underbelly of the Beast' The Role Of Athletic-Academic Advisors In Intercollegiate Athletics

Mae West is credited with saying, "When I'm good, I'm good. When I'm bad, I'm very good."Intercollegiate Athletics in American society has taken on the attitude and swagger of the legacy of Mae West. At its very best for the active and passive participant, intercollegiate athletics can be a breath taking, exhilarating experience. However, to attain and maintain successful teams at the competitive pinnacle of its amateur expression, Division I athletics comes with some human costs. The exploitative nature of Division I athletics is hidden in the shadow cast by the cultural myth of the inherent good of competition.While portraying the dynamic working relationship between first-generation college student-athletes and their Athletic-Academic Advisors, this qualitative study presents a case that concludes that the objectives of intercollegiate athletics function as a cultural action system that inculcates the capitalist paradigm.Despite long standing research that addresses the negative effects of competition, we continue to frantically engage in the effort to outdo others. This has become the paradigm at work, in our schools, and on our playing fields.Yet the true meaning of life can only be discovered through fully experiencing another human being ― by loving him. In the end, the quality of our life is solely predicated on the quality of our relationships.