[Peaches-n-Cream]

The fact of the matter is that for some athletes, college is merely a way to showcase their talents before going professional. The college gets a good athlete for a few years and the opportunity to publicize and profit financially from this person. Is there something wrong with that? It seems to be a mutually beneficial situation.

The bottom line is money. The student-athlete who drops out to go pro will earn more money in a few years than most college graduates earn in a decade or in a lifetime in some cases. The college knows that the athletic program is a great source of revenue. If they produce a pro athlete, the college will profit from it from donations and from an increased number and quality of applicants.

When I was in college, it was a Division 3 school, so I never encountered this first hand. Anecdotally, my cousin demonstrated athletic talent before she was even in high school. When she was in seventh or eighth grade, colleges began to contact her. By the time she was applying to college, she had her choice among dozens of schools, not only because she is an athlete, but she's a great student. She continued her education at a Division One school where she ran track. The track team had an excellent record during her four years. She had an excellent record as a student, graduated with a Phi Beta Kappa key, and currently attends an Ivy League graduate school. Her athletic experience was one facet of her college experience. Sports didn't define her. I think that that is the difference. Running helped her get into and pay for college. Running was a means to an end for her, the end was a college education and degree. I know that there are many student athletes just like her who value education and use their talent to earn a degree.

edited to add: Cheating, as described in the article Deltalum posted, is wrong and crosses the line.