Forbes – Education
Supreme Court’s racial preference ban in college admissions prompts universities to end legacy admissions. However, eliminating athletic recruit advantage would have greater impact on admission equity. Athletes are twice as likely to gain elite college admission than legacies, four times more than under-represented students. Recruited athletes have increased 45% since 2003, with majority being white. Almost half of Harvard’s recruited athletes have family income over $250,000. Athletic recruiting is considered the biggest form of affirmative action in American higher education. Recruited athletes are 30% more likely to be admitted than non-athletes. Despite costing families thousands of dollars a year, athletics have no significant effect on socioeconomic composition or racial diversity of schools. Athletes underperform