That mindset may be right for some. It probably is correct if an athlete is optimizing for their track experience. As someone who is later on in life now, I'd encourage college age folks to optimize for the rest of their life and get a good marketable degree. I have see people chase athletics across different schools and end up with 2.3 GPA in Communications because it was the only degree their credits would apply to, only to realize there is no job market for a 2.3 GPA in Communications. The rest of your life is long time.