A lot of college athletes wouldn't otherwise qualify for college admission because their grades are not good enough. It's my opinion that the false hope of "making the league" leads a lot of kids to put all of their eggs in the "athletics basket" and none in the "academics basket". It's no secret that most of the kids on a football roster wouldn't be granted admission as a general student. That's not a function of "the system" being discriminatory - it's a function of kids not putting an emphasis on their own education.

No one is requiring these kids to be good at a sport in order to go to college. The opportunity is there for everyone, and more and more emphasis is being put on providing those opportunities to minorities. As far as the financing goes, there are plenty of grants and student loans available for kids to pursue a college degree these days, so even if a family can't afford to pay for the cost of college for their child, that's not a barrier to entry. A lot of my friends took out student loans to pay for their degree. This is where community colleges can play a vital role, as they offer opportunities at a much lower cost than traditional universities.