Many years ago there were classes created solely for the basketball team in response to their travel and game schedules. Because they could not attend classes on a normal student schedule, these classes would better serve their needs. In reality these classes never met or students simply would not attend but were still given "A" grades in the courses; sending the message that academics is not the biggest concern of an academic institution.
It is a fact of life that world class athletes get treated differently from the rest of us. However the "research paper" shown below shows just how glaring the dichotomy is and how far the general education of these athletes has fallen... The paper was given an A-.