Student Athlete Identity

In the article, Class and Cleats: Community College Student Athletes and Academic Success, Horton first examines the statistics of evidence showing college athletes and their underachievement. There are many instances of concern about college athletes and their poor grades having an affect of their athletic responsibilities, though this belief is usually denied due to a student always being a student before anything else. This study researches the idea of the way that college students and college athletes view success. Many college athletes tend to state that success is passing all courses and being more successful in their sport, rather than academics coming first (Horton, 2009).

Again, professional, elite, collegiate, and high school sports are immensely popular in the United States. However, the aforementioned information highlighted some of the difficulties that may accompany an athlete’s retirement from sport. Moreover, research established that one of the major difficulties experienced by retired athletes is the loss of athletic identity (Hurley, 2014, Taylor, Ogilvie, & Lavalle, 2005). Therefore, a comprehensive review detailing the role of athletic identity will be conducted here.

Although most student athletes never become professionals, they spend excessive amounts of time playing sports neglecting their education. There are many possible solutions to balance academics with athletics. One possible solution may be to screen perspective student athletes before accepting them into

Students in college have to balance many activities: school, friends, work, health, and everything in between. Being a student athlete adds a whole new workload. Not only do student athletes have to balance class, studying, and homework, but they also have workouts, meetings, events, games, and of course, practice. Not even mentioning a social life, a student athlete 's daily schedule is already packed full. Typically, a student athlete wakes up, goes to a workout that is followed by classes, then another workout, and finally time for studying and homework.

Many athletes spend lots of hours dedicated to their sport of choice. They do this by practicing in their free time, team practice, team meetings, and traveling. Then, they have to study for their classes. This to me is like working a full time job with a heavy load ofn classes you have to attend to and do well. Dave Anderson stated, “College athletes spend an average of 43.3 hours per week dedicated to their sport” (Anderson 1). Also, Anderson stated, “This means that college athletes have to work 90 hours per week just to remain in school on their scholarship. This is the equivalent to working two full time jobs with a side job on the weekends just to pay their bills” (Anderson 2). Sports can put a lot of stress on a student’s school work achievement goals. People should know that college for student athletes demands a lot out of them and basically drains them physically as well as mentally. This is based on all the time they spend on sports and

Sports in conjunction with academics are capable of creating a balance that makes for a well rounded citizen and healthy, happy employee. Issues in the mix often come from the balance itself. Many students find themselves overcommitted to sport while others find they are not able to compete. I will examine issues in interscholastic and collegiate sport.

From the outside looking in, collegiate athletes live a life of luxury. They have the opportunity to perform the sport they love in front of massive crowds, and some are provided an opportunity for free schooling. Although this is undoubtedly true, outsiders are not capable of comprehending the true hardships associated with college athletics. Although they are granted acceptance and often a scholarship to their school of choice, they are not truly granted the opportunity to utilize their school’s academic resources to their fullest potential due to the immense amount of time that they are expected and required to devote to their sport. These activities include film review and playbook studies, team meals, traveling to and from games or

From my earliest memories school sports have been a part of my life. When I was in elementary school I watched my older siblings play basketball, football, baseball, and even male cheerleading. I couldn’t wait for my chance to play on a team, and make a difference. I have been very fortunate to be a part of many great teams at Mandan. I have grown and developed not only as an athlete, but also a person through the athletic programs. Sports have taught me to be accountable, to show up on time, to work hard, to practice, and to push myself to the best of my abilities. They have made me mentally and physically stronger than I ever thought possible and taught me to help push other members to be the best they can possibly be.

In my current school, St. Jerome’s, I participate in almost everything sport and activity that I can and enjoy participating in. Through my future years at Hill-Murray, I know that all the activities and sports that I participate in at St. Jerome School will be overtaken by the immense amounts of homework that every high school student endures, but others have managed, and so will I.

Everyone grows up wanting to be a college athlete, and have stories to tell when they are older and at the dinner table with their children about what most would call their “glory” days. While this is ultimately true, many young teens don’t know the struggles and hardships that college athletes go through each and every day. There are both benefits and disadvantages of being a student-athlete. It really depends on the person and if they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to live the “glory and busy life” of a student-athlete. Every morning as a student athlete you wake up to the same sound at the same time, knowing that your day of a student athlete has just begun.

A lot of people throughout the world go into college thinking that playing a division one sport would be something that would be a really significant thing to do and that it won’t be so difficult to do, as the individuals who are getting recruited and going to play a college sport to play the game. In college athletics today, teams are practicing and working out usually around five times a week. Student athletes have to manage their time between all their school work, practices, and sometimes even a part time job on the side. Not only is it a lot of stress put on these particular students, as they have a lot to do throughout the week juggling between all these aspects of being a college athlete, but it is a lot of sleepless nights as well.

While high school student-athletes invest a lot of time and energy into their sport, the collegiate lifestyle brings a new level of difficulty that many incoming freshmen can find intimidating and overwhelming at first. In addition to being under more pressure to perform on a larger, more competitive stage in front of a more expansive audience, they must also deal with the every day challenges that normal college freshmen face: homesickness, transitioning into a more demanding academic workload, and creating a new social network. College athletes have to have their routines extremely time focused, and make time management essential to their daily lives.

At the same time, these athletes are gold mines; they are living something far from an ordinary student life. People have the perception of college athletes living the dream of playing their sport in school, and returning home to a comfortable lifestyle. The actual reality has been swept under the rug. For instance, Jason Perry, a Track and Field athlete from the University of North Carolina, explains, “College athletes are known to encounter unique stress factors that the general student population does not always face. Because of this, student athletes can be at a higher risk of anxiety and depression” (Perry 1). The unique stress factors that Jason is pertaining to are: money troubles, physical and mental issues, high levels of stress, and balancing being a student and an athlete. Comparatively, these kinds of struggles are similar to ones of someone who works a job. However, an athlete, unlike a worker, is not awarded a pay for their efforts and accomplishments. Athletes involved in sports work even more often than

The term student athlete proposes that a man or woman who participates in sports as an extracurricular activity is still required to perform in the classroom. They are students first and athletes second. Yet the actions portrayed send a different message.

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough” (Og Mandino). Being a student athlete comes with a lot of hard work. Jobs in our society requires hard work and consistency. Managers want to hire people who work well with others and will work hard and give their best efforts every time they clock in. Having been a student athlete is an asset when in search for a job because athletes are leaders, they’re driven, and they manage their time effectively.