How does being a student-athlete affect academic potential and performance? On first glance, I’d probably tell you that participating in a sport has a profound negative affect in the classroom for a few different reasons, but according to professors and researchers alike, there may be a wealthy amount of benefits as well. In this post, I’ll be examining how athletics can both help and hurt students in the classroom and offer my perspective based off personal experience and observations of teammates.
When thinking about the downsides of athletics as it pertains to education, time constraint is the dominant thought that comes to mind. Travis Vogan, a professor at the University of Iowa, recognized that “an athlete’s education options are limited.” Due to daily practices, meetings, workouts, and games, which last year round, even in the summer, athletes are often unable to take afternoon classes and are discouraged from pursuing specific majors. When I came to New Student Orientation at Penn State over the summer, I sat down with a Biology professor to establish my schedule for the upcoming school year. Upon learning I was a football player, he advised me to reconsider my choice in major, simply because my schedule would make it incredibly difficult. Additionally, the culture created by “academic support advisors and staff” that student-athlete’s are provided doesn’t seem to encourage academic achievement, because their main jobs are to ensure that the players are eligible to perform on the field. It’s natural, as a human being, to gravitate towards the attitude of the majority, who simply are struggling to stay above the NCAA requirements for athletic participation.
On this website (link below), there is a question and answer commentary with professors from major Division 1 schools. I encourage you to check it out because they offer some very interesting insights into the lives of student-athletes: http://theallrounder.co/2015/02/04/professors-and-their-athletes-a-look-inside-the-college-sports-factory/
So do college athletics only have a negative impact on academic achievement? Well, according to researchers at the Brown Center on Education Policy, it doesn’t. In their words, “a commitment to school sports does not have to translate into compromised academic performance” while “the benefits of academic endeavors seem to the counterbalance the challenges they present.” One major benefit is time management. Most college athletes have played multiple sports throughout their high school careers, and have learned to handle the workload before even entering college. Once these athletes have enrolled in a university, they’re taught to manage their packed schedules from the minute they step on campus.
Here’s a look at the football teams’ in-season schedule during the week:
Class/Lunch: 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Treatment/Stretch: 1:15-2:45 p.m.
Meetings/Practice: 2:45-6:30 p.m.
Mandatory Study Hall: 8:00-10:00 p.m.
While the schedule is busy, as it is in many sports, having this kind of organized and structured timeline to get things done helps many athletes stay focused. The researchers mentioned above had something to say about the time constraints of college athletics: “Some student athletes…seem to thrive under the pressure caused by tight schedules.” A large part of that is knowing that you only have a certain amount of time to get something done, which almost completely eliminates procrastination.
I’m a student-athlete…so here’s my opinion:
I see it go both ways. For me, now that I’ve considered both sides of the argument, the structure that comes with being apart of college varsity sports team is very beneficial, because I waste very little time getting things done. Also, exercise seems to help my brain activity and helps me focus. On the other hand, especially on the football team, I see guys fall into the “I’m just here to stay eligible” trap, instead of attacking academics and trying to get the best grades possible. Yes, maybe for some guys college just isn’t the right fit, and that is a huge challenge within intercollegiate sports. Many guys come to school on full scholarship as entertainers on the field or court, while usually having very weak educational backgrounds. Regardless, I think every college athlete is different with how they respond to handing the academic side, but the effects of athletics on academic performance certainly aren’t negative for everyone.
I really like how you organized both opinions about how being a student athlete affect academic performances. Specifically I liked your personal opinion. For me, it seems very difficult to perform great in academic life just looking at your schedule. By 10pm and having done a lot of work outs, I would not be able to handle all the school assignments and just fall in sleep as soon as I get home. I’m amazed how you handle your academic challenges and I respect on how much effort you put into. Personally, I would be in the category where you mentioned in your post as “I’m just here to stay eligible” if I was an athlete because I always see my limit and ignore to challenge myself further more to over the limit. It’s very interesting to read your post and perhaps that’s because I’m not a sportsman and don’t know a lot about these things and this brings my attention to be more curious about what is it like to be a student athlete.