Which is more important, Academics or Athletics?

What struck me as significant from this article was that a grown man could not read. Most people learn to read in grade school when their little kids. Some College athletes at UNC- Chapel Hill struggle to read at higher levels and it is unfair when they are accepted into colleges when other people actually work hard to get into them. The NCAA admits that almost 30 athletes in sports were accepted into college in 2012 with low scores of below 700 on the SAT composite. The average score is around 1000. Most schools have between 7% and 18% of revenue sport athletes who are reading at an elementary school level. This is unacceptable on many levels, how are you supposed to take and UNDERSTAND a college-level course when you can read at the same level as a fourth grader?