Looks like the number of foreign athletes taking scholarship money away from home grown kids has surged in recent years. 2/3rds are in Division I schools.
I wouldn't dream of accusing lazy coaches who don't recruit well of using "hired guns" from other countries to win championships. I'm sure they are only accepting foreign athletes for the altruistic good of helping to diversify the student body..... :-)
Influx of foreigners presents new challenges for NCAA
www.usatoday.com/.../2008-10-01-foreign-influx_N.htm
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Former Member
There may be billions of dollars of unclaimed scholarships of all types - including adademic. I just don't believe there are billions of dollars of unclaimed athletic scholarships.
There are some nuances to this issue by the way.
If you are a resident of Texas - you can attend Texas or A&M for about $24K a year. A fractional swimming scholarship isn't really worth much money. I spoke to a Texas swimmer (a Big 12 champion) recently who for many semesters just earned book money. A&M's 2nd fastest 50 free guy (19.6?) was a walk-on. But these guys were Texas residents and $24K wasn't a big deal for those particular families. Look at Eddie Reese's roster this fall. It is huge. Most of the guys must be 100% walkons.
A fractional scholarship to Stanford is worth a lot more. And a fractional scholarship is worth a lot more to out of state and foreign students.
There may be billions of dollars of unclaimed scholarships of all types - including adademic. I just don't believe there are billions of dollars of unclaimed athletic scholarships.
There are some nuances to this issue by the way.
If you are a resident of Texas - you can attend Texas or A&M for about $24K a year. A fractional swimming scholarship isn't really worth much money. I spoke to a Texas swimmer (a Big 12 champion) recently who for many semesters just earned book money. A&M's 2nd fastest 50 free guy (19.6?) was a walk-on. But these guys were Texas residents and $24K wasn't a big deal for those particular families. Look at Eddie Reese's roster this fall. It is huge. Most of the guys must be 100% walkons.
A fractional scholarship to Stanford is worth a lot more. And a fractional scholarship is worth a lot more to out of state and foreign students.
