The Differences And Consequences Of Student Athletes

A concussion is defined as “a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces” (McCrory, Johnston, & Meeuwisse, 2005). Based on current research, findings show a relationship between academic performance and student athletes suffering from post concussion symptoms (Baker et al., 2015; Ransom et al., 2015; Swanson et al., 2017; Wasserman, Bazarian, Mapstone, Block, & Wijngaarden, 2016). More specifically, researchers have found that concussed student athletes had difficulty returning back to the classroom. Surprisingly, some reported having problems with vision and the severity of the concussion also effected

High school sports have been like a tradition. Many people enjoy it due to the fact that people with interests in sports have a chance to get their hobby as a career. It also adds some miscellaneous benefits. For instance, the article “What in the Name of High School Football” states that, “For example, a multi-year study conducted in Michigan has shown that children who participate in sports have increased educational aspirations, closer ties to school and increased occupational aspirations in youth.” With all those benefits, high school sports appear with a cost. Expanding just this department ignores the further important academics, the majority of sports players boast a shortage on time, and the injury rate of sports can be extreme.

Dean Clark Carter, I am a junior student here at Charleston Southern University. I write in regards to an issue I have noticed on campus and would like to bring to your attention; should student athletes receive special academic treatment? I believe that CSU should hold a student forum about this issue so that all students gain knowledge about the topic, can share and debate opinions, and create possible solutions.

In America, sports have an immense impact not only on our culture but, also on our education system. As adolescents begin to engage in school sports they are exposed to the multiple privileges that are associated with being a student athlete. Teachers become more lineate by giving them special accommodations, like a deadline extension or an omission from an assignment because they have a big championship or tournament. As a result of the special treatment throughout their educational careers, many student athletes develop the mentality that they do not have to try as hard academically as their peers. They believe that they can depend solely on their athletic talents to get them into college. Fortunately, for student athletes this is true, because,

There are people who believe that sports have no official place in college. Student athletes are compromising academic standards and have an advantage over students who don’t participate in sports. However, a study done by Sport Center’s sports science

This research will help me to evaluate what factors impact academic success in collegiate athletes. Athletes have motivation beyond sports and in turn, perform well in academics. Although eligibility plays a role in success but there are

Beron and Alex R. Piquero (2016), student-athletes with the lowest average grades disclosed they concentrated more on their sport than academics and viewed themselves as athletes more than students. The academic community (i.e. deans and university presidents) and the athletic community (i.e. college coaches and athletic directors) have battled over eligibility requirements, the advising of student athletes, and requirements for athletic scholarships. This incredible fascination with sports has turned it into quasi-religion for many. Those who are entertained and those who profit from sports have internalized this fascination with sports and passed it on to the students of America. The logical sequence of this fixation with sports continues from high schools to colleges, and then to professional sports. The concern then is has athletics become a more compelling force than academics in American high schools and especially universities. Is there an overemphasis placed on athletics in high schools and mainly universities? According to Robert A. McCormick and Amy Christian McCormick (2006), the NCAA has used the term “student-athlete” to characterize athletes that are a part of its member universities. As stated above, student-athletes with the lowest average grades disclosed they concentrated more on their sport than academics and viewed themselves as athletes more than students (Beron & Piquero, 2016). Are they really “student-athletes”? Is there more emphasis placed on being an athlete than being a student? On one hand, it is viewed sports participation has a negative impact on academics because sports participation is over-emphasized and academic performance is under-emphasized. Conversely, a study conducted by Ralph B. McNeal, Jr. (1995), found positive effects between sports and a lower likelihood of dropping out of high school. Another study conducted by Andrew Yiannakis and Merrill J. Melnick (2001), found positive effects of sports

In some instances, however, involvement in athletics can have a positive impact. Whitley (1999) used data from 285,805 students in North Carolina from 1993-1996. Granted, the students in this study were in high school, but the results are still significant for a discussion about the stereotype of the dumb jock. Namely, Whitley (1999) discovered student-athletes had a higher GPA than nonathletes. They also had fewer absences, discipline referrals, dropouts and more dropouts than nonathletes. Therefore, student-athletes may even outperform typical students when it comes to academic success.

Being a student-athlete requires a lot from practicing long hours to maintaining grades to keep scholarships. The hard work, which it takes to be a student- athlete, is second to none.

Student athlete, the ordering of this title is key. The word student comes first, followed by the word athlete. The words are ordered in a way that is supposed to demonstrate the priorities of people who participate in sports. Academics are the first priority and take precedence over athletic commitment. As a child, into early adolescence, the balance between athletics and academics is quite easily achieved. The workload from school is light and practice is usually right after school, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to finish homework assignments. However, as a person ages, and makes the commitment to participate in college athletics, this balance is much harder to achieve. College athletics can be seen as a full time job. Things that are associated with a full time job like demanding hours, an inflexible schedule, bringing work home, and constant fatigue are all aspects not only associated with a full time job, but can also be associated with the life of an athlete. Being a student athlete myself and having a complete understanding of the challenge of maintaining good grades while training up to twenty hours a week, I can personally attest to the pressures placed on student athletes. This understanding sparked my curiosity. I wondered if the pressure on athletics had an effect on the success of student athletes in the classroom.

The collegiate experience of student athletes varies across the sports played, divisions, and grade level. Division one athletes are the most likely to be engaged in the college experience than other athletes (NCAA, 2015). One big predictor in the level that student engage in the college experience is whether they view themselves as an athlete or a student (NCAA, 2015). That decision holds implications from there on. Those who identify more as an athlete and less as a student tend to have lower gpa’s, and devote less time to their academic work than other students. Those that identify as students have an average gpa of 3.2, spend 30 hours on athletics, 40 on academics, and miss an average of 1.3 classes (NCAA, 2015). Those that identify more as athletes have an average gpa of 2.9, spend 35 hours a week on athletics, spend 36 on academics, and miss an average of 1.7 classes (NCAA, 2015). The amount of time spent toward various activities varies across different sports and the level of commitment they require. Despite this student-athletes in all sports generally commit large amounts of time to both athletics and academic endeavors (NCAA, 2015).

The term student athlete brings the image of a football player or a student known to be an arrogant jock, rather than the idea of a successful student on and off the field or court. Taking part in athletics while enrolled in school is a rigorous responsibility, yet despite this many student-athletes accept the challenge and excel academically. As stated from an online source, roughly 6.5% of high school football players will play at the collegiate level and with percentages that low, more effort is needed than being a superior athlete to succeed (“Probability of Competing Beyond High School”). The blood curdling duties of being a student athlete takes being social and maintaining strong leadership, exceptional use of time management, and having

College athletes more times then not, get the short end of the stick. Their referred to as "Student Athletes" ,but often are crippled with the stereotypes of "dumb jocks" or reckless athletes. When in reality they work twice as hard as the avergage student balancing sports, life, and academics. These athletes need to be rewarded and credited for their courage and perseverance. Yet again they get the short end of the stick, they not only don't get paid but they are also living with no money. Because many athletes are living off of no money or and or coming from conditions where they've had to struggle money from boosters and others that are willing to help them seems like the only way. Then the problem becomes athletes are not only getting

During high school, students have the opportunity to play some sort of sport whether it is; soccer, football, basketball, rugby, cheerleading, and so on. These times are crucial for students because not only are they signing up to participate in practices and games, but they are signing up to learn how to balance sports and their academic success. Being involved in a sport allows an individual to be surrounded by leadership skills and discipline traits, which in return can improve academic success. Also, a lot of school policies require a certain GPA (grade point average) or a minimum absence count by the student in order to even play. Therefore, the research question is “does the participation in sports create a positive impact on academic

The purpose of this study is to examine the Comparison between Athletes and Non- athletes on their academic success including their graduation rates and their growth and a person. Also the disadvantages and advantages between being either, or within the college program. The research was conducted at Abilene Christian University, utilizing two groups, Strictly athletes and non-athletes. A qualitative survey questionnaire method was used to have a fair idea about how people feel about the situation.