SIAP: Michigan Daily looks at life after football

Honest, non snarky question. Why the concern for athletes but not for other students at the same University? 

I'm not worried about Denard. He is a smart guy and I swear I read a quote from him (on this blog) saying "I would play center if that's where they want me." Sorry no link but ill try and find it if if you really want.

This seems like a piece on the department stringing along a great addition to the staff, then screwing him over in the end for nonsensical reasons.

At schools like Michigan, but get very little out of it except for the degree. I think that's the argument. I'm not making it so don't neg bomb me.

With a role model in coaching like Hoke, who does things the right way (like other football coaches in the past), there is a reason so many of our football alumni who didn't have the best pro careers become coaches.

http://michigandaily.com/opinion/23-viewpoint-no-leader-left-behind-56

It's a rough and tumble world out there for everyone...  I know many students who've recieved degrees in architecture, Chinese, and German from Michigan and Michigan state and they're all either working odd-jobs not related to their degree or back in school for engineering, or pharmacy.  Athletes run a higher risk of these kinds of situation since they're generally in less-desirable/employable "easier" degree programs than engineering, business, or medical (which are three that tend to give graduates their pick of job offers, rather than the jobs getting their pick of the graduates).

It sounds to me like Chris Floyd was doing just fine before making a less-than-perfect decision to come back to Ann Arbor without an official job offer.  None of us know what was said in his interview(s), and they might've pretty much handed him the job on-the-spot for all we know.  It doesn't change that his move was a bit premature.

From what I've gathered in other articles and the comments of anyone who claims to know the man we're fortunate to have him back in Ann Arbor and I wish him nothing but the best.  It sounds like he's passonate about giving back to the University and thought he had the perfect way to do so lined up, only to pull the trigger and discover that he didn't...  It's still his fault, but he doesn't seem like someone who's wallowing; he'll dig out.  Maybe he'll find a different position in the athletic department; maybe not.  Regardless I'm sure he doesn't need the advice or judgement of us to find his niche; though a little support wouldn't hurt.

Best of luck to Chris.  Go Blue!

...I find it very hard to empathise with the athletes because at least they graduate debt free.  Without having that financial burden, they are in much better position to chase after the many low-paying and/or volunteer opportunities that many industries require to get a foot in the door.

Although I'm sure it can be difficult for athletes after graduation, at least they aren't getting billed for their past four years.

“I don’t mean to be contradicting myself, but there’s got to be something that could’ve been done to open our eyes about X-Y-Z.” - Sam Sword, from the article

For as many programs as there are (now including M-PACT) to help with career transition and offer career services, the onus is typically still on the person wanting the help to get that support. Unless something had been mandated by Carr as a requirement of being on the team, as Hoke has made M-PACT, then all the school could realistically do is tell players about the support available to them in this regard - programs, classes, and the like.

That being said, I am not sure if there was  quite the awareness of this phenomenon in the 1990s when Sword played, so the relative level of sensitivity to post-football career planning seems like it may have been substantially less at that point in time. To me, that would be much like how there were virtually no financial planning and budgeting courses beind taught for the individual consumer in the 1990s, but there is a variety of such classes now. It simply was not a problem in the general consciousness at the time. Sword may be wondering about something now that few wondered about then. 

So let me get this straight.  Chris Floyd has a job working for the Department of Defense.  Then he sees a job in Ann Arbor for Athletics that he wants to apply for.  So his logic states that in order to apply for this job, he has to quit and move to Ann Arbor?  

And when he doesn't get it, he rips apart the University on Twitter (which we had a rather lively conversation about here when it happened).  And now he's whining to the Daily about it.

Something tells me there's more to this story.  And if Chris Floyd ever thought he'd have a job in the AD, he should probably stop thinking that right about now.

And if many of these young men did not excel in football, how many would receive a 4 year scholarship to such a wonderful university? How many would ever go to college? How many people reading your post were "given" a job? I myself earned my degree, paid for it, took out a HUGE loan for med school and started my own solo practice. Most people have a similar story so I don't think that the free education and the degree will ever be a consolation prize. Football is the consolation prize and if you make to the NFL, great! If not, use your opportunity you got from the degree!

Anyone else notice the glaring errors on the captions to the photos in that article.  Who edits these things?

Not sure if there is any. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Mayan calendar ends after college football season?

But in all seriousness, they leave with a degree from one of the top universities in the world. They can get a job anywhere on earth with it. But it's not automatic-- nothing is.