[Zen653]

Most schools see their athletes graduate at higher rates than the academic-only schools.

That's one of the advantages of tying athletics to college. It keeps at-risk students in school for a lot longer because they red shirt for a year, then miss another year with an injury, then hang around for a masters degree in an effort to become an assistant coach, etc. Four years gets stretched into five, six or seven, at which point the average athlete might be ready to become a productive member of society.