“Too much Nintendo.” -Shaquille O’Neal in response to his GPA at LSU dropping from 3.0 to 2.0.
The notion of the “dumb jock” is misleading. Many sports stars have also excelled in the classroom. D.J. Augustin, a 2008 ESPN Magazine Academic All-American has since been drafted into the NBA. While studying Education, he maintained a 3.64 GPA at the University of Texas before signing a $3.8M deal with the Charlotte Bobcats.
Brian Brohm , a quarterback for the GreenBay Packers, had a GPA of 3.5 as a Finace major while at the University of Louisville. Bill Bradley (NY Knicks) was a Rhodes scholar. Myron Rolle (FSU) is currently a Rhodes scholar after finishing college in just 2.5 years. Chad Pennington (Miami Dolphins) was a Rhodes scholar finalist with a GPA of 3.83. Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, Alan Page, is also an NFL Hall of Famer. Kobe Bryant, who speaks fluent Italian and Spanish, dreamed of attending Duke after attaining 1080 on his SATs had he not gone directly into the NBA. American hero Pat Tillman, a marketing major at Arizona State with a 3.84 GPA, turned down his renewed $3.6M NFL contract with the Cardinals to become a member of the elite Army Rangers.
Research has been able to connect fitness and cognition by studying a part of the brain called the hippocampus , a key component of the cerebral cortex or “learning center”. The Journal Of Neuroscience published a paper from The Salk Institute in La Jolla showing exercise enhances learning in mice. In the study, the mice that had unlimited access to a running wheel completed the Morris water maze 45% faster than their couch-potato counterparts. The scientists attribute this “Speedy Gonzáles effect” to excercise’s ability to enhance the birth and growth of nerve cells. These were measured and a 50% (!) increase in neural development was discovered when compared to the control group.
Clearly there is a complementary relationship between fitness and learning. Young people with Hoop Dreams should maximize potential by being a star on and off the court. In 2000 Shaq returned to LSU to complete a BA in General Studies. He has stated, “Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else.”
