Justin Combs has received a full athletic scholarship to play football at UCLA. This should not be terribly alarming for most people, an 18-year old senior in high school has worked hard enough both on the field and in the class room to full fill a dream of playing high level college football. It is his last name that has people fairly outraged about his athletic scholarship.
That last name is the same last name as Sean "Diddy" Combs. Yes, Justin Combs is Diddy's son. Diddy is a rap mogul worth over 500 million dollars. So, needless to say, it would seem that Justin's father could easily pay for the expensive UCLA education on his own.
Because of the wealth he comes from, people and critics are calling for Justin to give up his scholarship in order to possibly help another student-athlete that may not be as financially privileged. The $54,000 education could be free for someone that could not afford it.
Both UCLA and Justin Combs have expressed the disappointment in the critics opinion of passing off the scholarship. Combs believes he is just like every other teenager in the country that has worked hard for his scholarship, that it has been fairly earned. UCLA has made it clear that student-athlete scholarships, especially for football, do not come from state funded scholarships, so the argument is mute.
As of now Combs is keeping the scholarship and UCLA is supporting the decision of their new addition to the football team this fall.
Shauna Johnson
Kin 577
The controversy on the UCLA full ride scholarship given to Justin Combs really sparked my interest, and I thought Stephen A. Smith on Sports Center made some very powerful arguments as to why the existence of this controversy is a disgrace:
ReplyDelete1- The scholarship doesn't involve tax payers dollars
2- Justin Combs EARNED this scholarship
3- Any whisper of a complaint should be directed to P. Diddy himself who can afford it, not at his son
4- The message we are sending reeks with hypocrisy
The 4th argument holds the greatest strength in my opinion, because the media is sending such mixed messages. We as a society hold a standard of approval that one should make his own success. It's a negative trait to ride on your parents coattails, and the youth are constantly being told that "the exploits of your parents doesn't automatically mean your entitled" (Smith, 2012). So why are we suddenly discriminating against the success of Justin Combs, who worked hard and made something of his future through his own efforts by earning a full ride scholarship to a Division 1 school? He doesn't deserve to have his achievements diluted just because he has a successful parent. If Diddy wants to take the initiative and voluntarily offer to pay, that's his own prerogative and it should be viewed as an act of social responsibility. But he should not be forced to do so, and no one should be pointing the finger at his son. What about the kids who earn academic scholarships that come from wealthy families? Shouldn't they be criticized for not waving their scholarship?
I believe the answer is NO.
The criticism shouldn't exist in the first place. If an individual decides to earn his way in life without the help of his parents, he should be applauded, because he has taken the road less traveled by many others who have that option.
Nicole Rothert
KIN 577