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March Madness = Academic Slump For Student-Athletes

Jeff Turner
/
Wikipedia Commons

Millions of tournament brackets, underdogs, perennial powerhouses, more than $1 billion and basketball make up the spectacle known as March Madness.  At this time of year, how much is the tournament taking away from student athlete's education?

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sportswriter Emeritus Bob Dvorchak says classroom time doesn’t seem to have the priority that it used to.

"It’s always been a delicate balance between extracurricular activities and the benefits of those weighed against the lost time in the classroom time,” he said.

So if students are missing class, why would the tournament expand?

“It is about the buck," He continues "This whole thing is driven by TV, media, sponsors and return to schools money-wise.”