Student Athletes

Do student athletes make the most of their opportunity to obtain a post-secondary education? Do they have the same academic success as those students that are not athletes? Are student athletes just “dumb jocks?” The answers to these questions might surprise you. Much research has been done to dispel the myth that athletes going to college are only there to play sports with little regard to their education. Programs have been created to assure that colleges and universities hold athletes to the same standards as the everyday student. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has decided that the “magic number” to put the “student” back into “student-athlete” is 925 (Hamilton).

Division 1 student-athletes have a very busy schedule. To be a Division 1 student-athlete you must have great time management skills, determination, and be focused. For them to be successful in the classroom and in their sport, they have a very tough decision. They must pick two of the three: social life, academics, or athletics. They must also realize that they need to make the decision before they make a mistake for instance, becoming ineligible. Student-athletes have many options for help, just as a average college student does. Student-athletes need to have more readily available resources but also use their time wisely through counseling as freshman.

The NCAA believes “that a student-athlete is a student first and athlete second.” Student-athletes benefit more than from playing a sport that they love. The graduation rate is higher among the student athletes than the general student body. “NCAA studies show that student-athletes enjoy high levels of engagement in academics, athletics and community: have positive feeling about their overall athletics and academic experiences: attribute invaluable life skills to being a student-athlete: and are more likely to earn similar or higher wages after college than non-student athletes.”

For many students, the college experience is measured by the success of their NCAA-sanctioned athletic programs. Without the experience and athletic performance the student athlete brings, most colleges would not reap the benefit of these significant revenue-generating activities. At best, current NCAA regulations need to be revisited to ensure all avenues are addressed to enable the success of athletic students both in the classroom and on the field or court of play. As stated previously, even though students receive full and partial scholarships determined by their athletic performance, in both instances

The NCAA has relied heavily on the age-old characterization of college athletes as “amateurs” who are first and foremost “student-athletes” (Sanderson and Siegfried). Because they are considered students and

While football players at the University of Illinois are working at their sport or performing their sport nearly 32 hours a week, which is all right after coming from a full class schedule. The NCAA wants to treat student athletes like regular students, when these athletes are the farthest thing from being regular students. These athletes are expected just like the rest of the student body to perform at their highest capability in the classroom, but as well at their peak athletic ability in practice or in a game right after they have spent the day draining themselves into their school

Understanding the stringent rules employed by the N.C.A.A., the administrators of the university saw it fit to develop fake classes that student-athletes would attend and receive A 's and B 's. No one should fault the school alone because the pressure that some of these student-athletes undergo is enormous, and they find it hard to keep up with schoolwork. All universities have minimum academic requirements that they should adhere to when selecting freshmen students. Gurney posits the N.C.A.A. has specified the minimum academic requirements for universities selecting first-year student-athletes. Some of these requirements are followed, but since the high school test scores are low, the students find it difficult to cope with college academics.

Should College Athletes Get Paid? Would you like to work harder in college sports if you got paid? I know I would. I’m talking about this topic because I think it’s important that the college athletes get something for themselves. College athletes should get paid because some of them are tempted to gamble or accept illegal payments, they win games for their university in the premier sport, and they do the same stuff as professional athletes.

The typical Division 1 athlete devotes a whopping 43.3 hours per week to his sport- 3.3 more hours than the average work week (Smith). In addition to this, the athletes have to deal with waking up far earlier than others to lift, followed by going to classes and ending the day with more practice. They are then expected to be able to perform academically the same as everyone else. Student athletes are also expected to hold themselves at a higher standard than others simply because they play a sport. Many coaches monitor the social media of the athletes to make sure they are not putting their athletic career at stake by going to college

College athletes are finally getting attention on the fact that they are not paid. I believe that whether or not it is college or pro sports they deserve a salary. These players put their heart and soul on the field and get nothing in return. In the articles “Athletes New Day” by Paul Marx and “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid” by Warren Hartenstine, the reasons for college athletes to be paid are very evident. No matter the case, if the students move on to pro sports or not after college, they should be entitled to some pay for their contributions. College athletes deserve to be compensated for their playtime in these sports, sales of products with their name on it, and even compensation for their injuries.

Despite the many stereotypes that are connected with being a student athlete, student athletes in general are held to much higher standards by their institutions. Before a prospective student athlete even enters college, they are made fully aware of the academic standings and requirements of the college they choose. Although the academic requirements vary from college to college, the standards are still held high for all student athletes. The transition into college can be exceptionally difficult especially for the

Lowering eligibility requirements can be defined as what can be done to maintain eligibility and not necessarily just maintaining the required GPA. The whole purpose is to take into account the quality of education the student-athletes are receiving. The greatest concern when discussing eligibility requirements is based on all the topics of changing grades, encouraging the enrollment of ‘easy’ classes, and even the admission process. An article was written about keeping the colleges accountable in terms of making sure the student-athletes are getting the best education they can. The chronicle received a statement from a Big Ten academic advisor stating, “ you jump, online, finish in a week and a half, get your grade posted, and you’re bowl eligible” (Carey, 27). The same article stated that these online

There has been amplified debate on the treatment, education, training of the college athlete. To avoid exploitation of athletes, “The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), formed in 1905, set bylaws requiring college student-athletes to be amateurs in order to be eligible for intercollegiate athletics competition” (Schneider n.p.). Intercollegiate athletics have dramatically changed over the last several decades. Currently, intercollegiate athletics generate tremendous amounts of revenue, remarkably in football and basketball. College sports in America is a

Athletics and academics go hand in hand, in college. There is a direct connection between the two. Although numerous of people could say that this association is viewed as a con, it frequently depends on the level of competition or determination made by the athlete. The truth behind this association is that athletics are a good thing for academics. The stereotype “dumb jock” has an extensive history in the American culture. But only in the 1970 's did the media begin seriously examining whether student-athletes were indeed students. In the past 20 years, the NCAA has established new rules that attempt to mandate that athletes must get a decent education (Funk). There are many reasons why this may be true. One of the biggest reasons is because of the discipline athletes have toward their sports which carries over to their school work and personal life.

Most of us do not know what it’s like to be a Division I athlete, other than the simple observations of insane amounts of athleticism and countless hours of entertainment. Maintaining a certain grade point average (usually honor roll), two-a-days, studying, devoting 40+ hours to the sport, and maintaining a very high level of training, sums up the life of a college athlete. A busy