The Term "Scholar Athlete"

The term 'Scholar Athlete' is under controversy in many schools saying that it is just an oxymoron and is only true in few outstanding cases.  If you were to read Stan Katz's "Is the Term 'Scholar Athlete' an Oxymoron?" you will find that the term, in his words, is just that.  Though he argues that there are always a couple exceptions to the rule, like the physician playing Florida State football who won the Rhodes Scholarship, and highly respectable scholarship created by Cecil Rhodes.  Now, to really decide whether the term in question is a true oxymoron, you need to speak with a player actually in a football program.  I play football at a smaller division 3 university and I receive help in all directions from coaches along with the help from all of the friends I have met through football.  Now, I am not saying that a division 3 program is as rigorous as a division 1 program, because they are very different in that aspect, but it is hard to measure the help that players may get from coaches, players, and professors close to the program.  Life is all about who you know, and the first day of football you will get to know 100 or more other football players, 30 or more coaches, and you will reap the benefits of being a football player, free tutors, help in a study group, and any other educational tools the program may offer.  So as for the term 'scholar athlete,' I believe it is not an oxymoron but a true statement, and to add to that statement, I think a player may benefit more than he has lost being a player, learning lessons of hard work for the future.