Student Stereotypes

Black student-athletes are taught to value sports over academics at a young age because it is seen as the “only way out”. Black student-athletes are heralded for their athletic prowess from middle school up, so they begin to focus less on their education and more on their sport. Unfortunately, so do the teachers. Black student-athletes are more often than not just given passes, as schools value what their athletic abilities could do for them over the academic success of the athlete. Even normal black students can be seen the same way just because of the perception that they might be an athlete. The sad truth is that the athletes that don’t make it to the professional level are left without the education needed to be successful.

Some common stereotypes I have heard include women are bad drivers, are not good at math, and love shopping. Of these three stereotypes, I think the first two can do the most harm. After all, if someone is being told they will be a bad driver or that they will not do well in math, I think they are likely to not try as hard or subconsciously worry and not do as well. The third stereotype is mainly harmless, though it is annoying when someone simply assumes it is true. No two people are alike. However, there are those who I relate to easier because of similar hobbies, shared beliefs, and similar life experiences. Whenever I meet or interact with those who are notably different than me I am generally open minded. However, when deciding if I want to become friends with someone I usually take several factors into consideration; some of which

There are these ongoing stereotypes that student athletes are “dumb,” “lazy,” and “privileged.” It’s understandable that people believe these stereotypes, news magazines and reports are always talking about how athletes are “coddled” and “cheat” their way to success. Though it is nowhere near true for the majority of student athletes, a select few situations encourage this negative categorization of us, thus putting student athletes under even more pressure to perform. Student athletes are constantly misjudged and the assumptions are affecting us.

Student athletes have two jobs to do when they are in college, one is to be an overall great student in the classroom, by maintaining a good grade point average, studying hard for any upcoming exams and pay close attention during class. Their other job is being a phenomenal player in the sport that they play. To do this you need to, work hard and attend every practice, study your playbook or any type of strategy, and to compete at the highest level. This is a lot to handle for a college student. There are over 460,000 student athletes in all of the divisions in the NCAA today. With this large number of student athletes it seems

Athletes may receive preferential treatment when being on a sports team can bring them prestige amongst peers, rewards from the school, and recognition from teachers, administrators, and people in the local community. Some athletes may use their status to interact and socialize with others, since they are popular, where some unknown students may have trouble interacting due to their lack of popularity. Some athletes, who feel they are privileged, may take advantage of the system, due to their status. If athletes are treated differently from the rest of the student body, resentment can arise where non-athletes might feel some way towards being mistreated by athletes and consider outcasts where tension can exist between both parties. A feud between athletes and non-athletes can lead to a tragic event like the Columbine shootings in Littleton, Colorado back on April 20, 1999 where 14 students and one teacher were killed. The two shooters who were non-athletes felt resentment towards athletes were shouting rants and had a vendetta to shoot athletes for past mistreatment.

Many high schools and teachers don’t realize the damage they can do to these athletes if they do give them those couple extra points to play. According to a website, “Any student should have good grades to play sports. Even if you are a great athlete, you will probably not get a full-athletic scholarship. Having good grades can lessen your stress about affording college” ( psychologytoday.com ). In this case, what teachers don’t know is not only are they making that athlete happy to play, but at the same time you are hurting that person for future references, when later in their future college sees the kind of grades that athlete is getting he may not be the kind of fit for whichever school that may be. Overall any student that has failed a class and is not able to play that athlete shouldn’t be able to play at all. If an athlete is not able to be responsible to keep his grades up what makes a coach think that he can be

Community College Students Community college students should be better understood for who they are and not by stereotypes and misconceptions. A stereotype is a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. A misconception is a view or a opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking. Not all stereotypes and misconceptions are negative towards groups but are assumptions. People have stereotypes because humans are quick judgers and jump to conclusions based on what society hears on certain types of groups that sometimes are true.

The stereotypes that male athletes face is tough. Dumb jock is an athlete that is really dumb, but everyone knows them because of their athletic ability. Many people around the world mostly classmates and teachers think that all athletes do not take their academics seriously or just do not know how to do the work. It was said that people think teachers just give out good grades to an athlete because they do well in the sport that they play. Fellow students and teachers say athletes cannot hold a conversation about anything else but sport and girls.

These athletes are set at a standard where if they do not meet the grade and, or grade point average than they do not get to play and, or compete. The coaches should be held somewhat responsible for the athlete’s grades. Grades are evenly or if not, more important as games. If these coaches want a paycheck, then they need to stay on top of their student athletes grades. They need to set requirements for their athletes

Student athletes need to focus more on their education than on their sport. Few athletes are asked to join a pro team or even asked to train for the Olympics. According to NCAA “fewer than two percent will go pro”; often times injuries get in the way during college training. If these athletes were not focused in their majors and minors and working on getting a degree, then they could wind up working at fast food restaurants trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Non-athletes who enter college for education end up having a stable job and yearly income. It makes all the difference when students come out of college and can get a job and begin a successful life. The Institute of Education Sciences states that “the percentage of young adults working full time, year round was generally higher for those with higher levels of educational attainment.” (“Income of Young Adults”) Education is the most important necessity for one to have a successful future, but if student athletes are not taking studies seriously, then this could affect their future success in

According to David Horton, Jr., a former student athlete, and now current assistant professor of Counseling and Higher Education, “Faculty to be actively involved in the athletic program and in the lives of the student athletes as tutors, advocates, and faculty representatives to the athletic department.” This basically states how schools encourage their faculty to be involved in the students’ lives and to help them be eligible to play their season. Also, department chairs have offered to change the timing of certain classes just to make sure the students could participate in both school and sport practices or games (Schneider 5). Schools are holding sports higher than they do academics by giving student athletes more of a lenient academic schedule just to help them perform better. They care more about the athletic part of them than the academic. With the school encouraging the faculty member to be involved in their lives, they start to show favoritism towards the student athletes. Stated by Ray G. Schneider, an associate Professor at Bowling Green State University, “Athlete favoritism amongst faculty is a concern that may compromise academic integrity.” They are favored for how much fame they bring to their school. If more people knew their name, they’d know the school.

Throughout the film, many stereotypes were presented and highlighted to make the athletes look like something they were not. The film mentioned that “C’s get degrees,” which degrades those who play college sports by saying that athletes do not try in school are uneducated. However, this

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

An anonymous individual once said, “People don’t play sports because it’s fun. Ask any athlete, most of them hate it, but they couldn’t imagine their life without it. It’s part of them, the love/hate relationship. It’s what they live for.” The quote continues saying, “It’s who they are. It’s who we are. We are athletes.” An athlete is an individual who trains to compete in a sporting event. However, there is a fine line distinguishing an athlete and a student athlete, or at least there should be. A student athlete, where student comes first and shows the balance of a full time student and a full time athlete, is an

Most of the time, the situations that cause this stereotype are related to what their peers see them do within the walls of the classroom. Athletes who do things like skipping class, showing up late, cheating on tests, and sleeping during lectures all contribute to this misconception that because one athlete neglects his school work, the rest of them must do so as well. When non- athletic students see an athlete failing to be successful in simple tasks that take little to no effort, the easiest assumption to make is that they are simply not smart enough to. This is an example of the saying “one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch”. After one athlete is labeled as dumb, the others will soon be guilty by the same association of sports, regardless of their individual school work.