Middle Tennessee State team: 11 African Distance runners, 1 Tenn distance runner

You a Trump supporter?

Middle Tennessee State has international students. Unlike domestic students, most international students are not eligible for aid from state/federal sources (merit scholarships excluded) and pay substantially more than domestic students. Just think of it as internationals funding other internationals and you're fine.

As far as home grown talent goes, this just means the US runners who applied to Middle Tennessee State were largely incompetent and sub-par.

Sorry.

But the Plantation Class enslaved West African blacks and not East Africans so we (the Americas) have all the best sprinters but are largely saddled with white distance runners.

Why should tax money support college athletics at all? These are supposed to be academic institutions.

Death to the NCAA.

Here's a better link. Very interesting. However spectacular it is, seems like an isolated extreme case. Some school in Tennesee decided to go balls to the wall on Africans, mostly in distance but some lower distance/sprint and field. 6 Kenyans, 2 Ghana, 3 Nigerians.

But There's not that many athletes on the team altogether (track field and xc). Perhaps they are at their limit in total size and scholarships given the school size. If that's the case and a local athlete were really, for circumstantial reasons, missing out on participation and scholarship money, that would be sad.

However it's still just an isolated case and even in Tennessee probably not the case that local American high schooler #0014838 is suffering.

Overall however across the country I can see your point that it adds up and in today's competitive And stressful environment it can add to young Americans' problems.

"Middle Tennessee State has international students. Unlike domestic students, most international students are not eligible for aid from state/federal sources (merit scholarships excluded) and pay substantially more than domestic students. Just think of it as internationals funding other internationals and you're fine.

As far as home grown talent goes, this just means the US runners who applied to Middle Tennessee State were largely incompetent and sub-par."

I don't buy your statement/s

Please explain how might 11 African "international students" gain funding to attend Middle Tennessee State University?

Of all the learning institutions in the world why such a draw for these student/athletes to Murfreesboro, TN?

For $25k in out of state fees for a marginally ranked college (at best) wouldn't a student/athlete look elsewhere? Or might there be specific incentives to attend MT and be a distance runner?

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/middle-tennessee-state-university-3510

"Mission: Middle Tennessee State University is a comprehensive university that embraces its role as the destination of choice for Tennessee undergraduates while expanding its reach nationally and internationally through signature programs and select master's and doctoral programs".

The sixth guy in those results finished almost a full two minutes behind the top guy. I'm sure if a white American student there could finish within two minutes of the leader, which isn't that much of an achievement, they'd let him run.

The University of Florida has over a dozen foreign athletes on its track team. WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE?!

The Realist wrote:

The University of Florida has over a dozen foreign athletes on its track team. WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE?!

I didn't know that.

Good point.

Case in point.

You are a racist.

My post was not meant to trigger scum like you. Your post should be removed.

My point is how the Middle Tennessee's in the NCAA system are not good for the overall development of US HS runners. One can agree or disagree and perhaps enlighten on why this is taking place and if changes within the NCAA system are needed.

I actually don't have a problem with a small, not very well known state college recruiting a team of Kenyans. Not only do they provide more competition for us Americans, but it gives them an opportunity for an education that they might not get otherwise.

footnote: my Dad lives in the coastal area of Kenya, is married to a Kenyan woman and has adopted her son as his own, so I'm somewhat biased.

What kind of stupid statement is this?

They most likely received scholarships. However, the fact that they receive scholarships does not mean it's at the "taxpayer's expense". As I mentioned, Middle Tennessee State has internationals, who most likely pay full tuition rather than the subsidized tuition levels for domestic applicants, and in-state applicants in particular.

The only reason many schools are able to maintain subsidized levels for in-state applicants to begin with is because international students and out-of-state students pay full price. The University of California system is a prime example.

International students receiving athletic scholarships can be spun such that they have nothing to do with taxpayers at all. Since the University is receiving tens-hundreds of millions in additional revenue from internationals, what's the problem with letting a few hundred thousand of that go towards athletic scholarships for the internationals as well?

Performances are not great. One of the guys (a senior) ran 25:58. US kids can't run 25:58? Surely they can. The problem is probably the school. Good US runners are probably not applying there. If they did, I am sure that the school would recruit them.

Such a ridiculous, falsely victimized, white privilege view.

If you want a scholarship, you'll try to run the times required.

If a kid feels discouraged by his warped view of this sort of thing, that's his fault. He does not deserve a scholarship. If he is a victim, it's only his own mind that victimized him.

Shut up and run.

"As I mentioned, Middle Tennessee State has internationals, who most likely pay full tuition rather than the subsidized tuition levels for domestic applicants, and in-state applicants in particular."

That is spin. The internationals being discussed are 11 African distance runners. Of course universities have international students and those students pay far more and provide far more profit to those universities.

I may be wrong with these 11 African distance runners and they may all come from rich African families that want to pay US $33k/year to send them to Middle Tennessee State or have their country's tax payers paying for their education.

I'll go out on a limb, just for you, and say that is most likely not the case.

They should be celebrated for developing a Ghanaian distance runner. Who does that?

Really? This is what you worry about?

==============|=============== wrote:

Really? This is what you worry about?

Not a worry.

It is concerning though. It is my feeling that that kind of practice does negatively impact the development of young talent in US HS's. Clearly it goes on, and has gone on for a while. Maybe there is a better way for the NCAA. Maybe it's too sticky a topic.

I do hear US male HS runners complain about how hard it is to get a scholarship. Does that have to do with their being too slow or the number scholarships going to foreign athletes or a combination?

I do see US HS runners over trained during HS. Both athlete and coach say they need to train like that in order to get a scholarship. Has it always been that way - perhaps. Is that good for developing talent - no. Why, because so much rides on a HS kids Junior year times/finishes at big races for college recruiters to take notice and therefore requires more intensity and mileage during their Freshman and Sophomore years.

I also believe that African runners are often older than what is on their birth certificates which exacerbates the situation that I clearly am doing a bad job at voicing.

Over and out.

I really hate seeing teams made up like this. There is talent in TN, but when a "coach" reduces his job to van driver I have no respect for them.

When you do stuff like this and then they cut the program and nobody cares, you've done it to yourself.