Yet most
athletic officials, even those who oppose it, regard Prop 42 as a well - intentioned effort to strike a balance between academic integrity and the need to provide an
opportunity for the disadvantaged athlete who wants a degree and is willing to work hard to get it — a
kid like John Thompson was as a high school senior in Washington, D.C. Thompson says he could not have gone to college under Prop 42, but he's careful not to paint Proposition 42 in racial terms.