This, of course, is what has happened in Texas - of all places - where the "no-pass, no-play" rule has gone into effect. Other states, I am certain, soon will follow Texas' lead. 

I don't think we have thought this thing out. As a matter of fact, I believe we may be making a terrible mistake in insisting schoolboy athletes become educated. 

There are several reasons I believe this: 

1. Students who aren't athletes have enough trouble as it is. I mean, how many dates can you get off your annual Science Club project? 

About all these students had to look forward to was the future, when, because of their superior grades, they could expect to get all the good jobs with IBM while all the dumb jocks would be working for Brake-O. 

If we insist athletes learn while in school, then the other students not only won't have dates, but they also will probably lose out when the IBM jobs are up for grabs. 

Let's face it. If both applicants have the same grades, who is IBM going to pick, a former all-state quarterback or some wimp? 

Who'll play the game? 

2. If we start educating athletes, we could wind up with a lot more politicians like Jack Kemp. 

3. How many athletes are going to continue to play such games as football if we teach them to think for themselves? 

Football is a fun game to watch, but it really can't be that much fun to play. You run around out there and large people are trying to knock you down to the ground. 

Football players have to learn such uncomfortable tactics as "playing hurt" and "sucking it up." Plus, you can get a variety of rashes and skin diseases from hanging out in locker rooms. 

What intelligent person is going, as the coaches say, "to pay the price?" 

Educate our athletes and most of them will quit playing ball and start hanging around playing video games with the other students. 

End of dumb jock jokes 

4. Give an athlete a quality education, and he might start saying intelligent things to the media. As it is, the media can simply make up quotes for athletes because they always say the same things. 

"Well, you know, Skip, you know, God gave me, you know, the talent, you know, to play this game, you know, and if you, you know, need any more information, you know, you know you can, you know, get in touch, you know, with my agent." 

5. And speaking of the media, if we quit turning out dumb jocks, where will our TV color men come from? 

6. Educate today's athletes and today's coaches, yesterday's jocks, will not be able to communicate with their players anymore. 

COACH: "Willoughby, what were you thinking about when you made that play?" 

WILLOUGHBY: "Goethe." 

7. If "no-pass, no-play" spreads, there won't be any more dumb jock jokes like the one where the teacher asks an offensive guard how many seconds there are in a year, and after some contemplation, he answers, "There are 12. January 2nd, February 2nd, etc." 

8. And think of this: If athletes become smart, they will stop accepting the charges when the president calls their locker rooms to congratulate them.