Topic > From the Field of Play, to the Game of Life: Examining the Value of the Student-Athlete in Corporate America

IntroductionIn Good to Great, Jim Collins (2001) observes that the leaders of phenomenal companies where he studied during his career, they have paid enormous amounts of time and resources into trying to hire the "right people" for their organizations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay" When determining the right people, good to great companies place greater weight on character attributes rather than specific educational background and practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience. Not that specific knowledge or skills aren't important , but they considered these traits more teachable (or at least learnable), while they believed dimensions such as character, work ethic, basic intelligence, dedication to fulfilling commitments, and values ​​are more ingrained” (Collins , 2001) Collins (2001) highlights the fact that “good to great” companies have a clear understanding that people constitute a company's greatest asset when attempting to gain competitive advantage within their respective markets These companies considered “large” understand that once an individual with the right talent is found, he or she can acquire the specific knowledge and skills needed for a particular role through training (Gordon, Crabtree, 2006). According to an economic press release published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017, 368,000 students earned an associate's degree. 1.2 million students have earned a bachelor's degree and 442,000 students have earned an advanced degree, i.e., a master's degree, professional degree, or doctorate in the United States of America (bls.gov, 2018). What seems surprising on the surface actually serves as a crisis. The oversupply of graduates presents a problem for human resources departments, responsible for recruiting, attracting, hiring and retaining initiatives. Likewise, students find themselves constantly searching for fruitful ways to differentiate themselves from the excessive and oversaturated candidate market. In the United States ### students participate in collegiate athletics, in addition to balancing the mandatory curriculum in which the Institution establishes among all are students, without exception. Employers are starting to recognize the value student-athletes' experiences bring to their company and overall work environment. As a result, new recruiting and career services firms are becoming increasingly important, with an ongoing focus on acting as intermediaries between corporate firms and former athletes. In an interview with Game Theory Group CEO Vincent McCaffrey said, “Six of the last 11 presidents of the United States were college athletes… You can train an employee on day-to-day job requirements, but you can’t change the work ethic. Athletes already have this dedication.” However, the value college athletes bring to the “real world” often goes unnoticed not only by the companies they aspire to work for, but also by the student-athletes themselves -athletes recognize their value, as well as the applicable skills that their collegiate athletic careers have brought to the surface of their lives. What exactly are these embodied skills? Do they have value to business organizations? workplace?Historically, scholars have continually questioned the extent to which intercollegiate athletics aligns with the mission of higher education (Enlinson, 2013;..