Transformational Learning Within The Student Athlete

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).

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).

College is a time for young people to develop and grow not only in their education, but social aspects as well. One of the biggest social scenes found around college campuses are athletic events, but where would these college sports be without their dedicated athletes? Student athletes get a lot of praise for their achievements on the field, but tend to disregard the work they accomplish in the classroom. Living in a college environment as a student athlete has a great deal of advantages as well as disadvantages that affect education and anti-intellectualism.

Thesis: College athletes deserve be paid because they invest a lot of time, work and take significant risks but do not receive enough of the money they generate for the NCAA and schools.

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

Athletes have been protesting in ways which are frowned upon by the government. Athletes should use their fame to promote a political agenda because everybody has an opinion.In the article, “The athlete as agent of change,” by Lonnie Bunch and David Skorton, athletes use their fame to promote a political agenda. In this article, Bunch and Skorton list the ways that athletes silently protest in sports. Ways that listed include athletes turning their back on the flag, kneeling during the national anthem, and refusing to salute the flag. These actions show that the athlete may be opposing America and by doing this, their opinion is shown. Athletes’ opinions are very powerful because athletes are often mentors or inspirations to their fans which

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.”

Athletic programs in college have grown tremendously since they first began years ago, and now some believe that collegiate athletics have no place in higher education. Contrary to this, if one takes a closer look they see that college athletics do play a valuable role in higher education and should continue to play a part in the college experience. Students who participate in college athletics help carry out their school’s traditions, and by competing at such a high level they have the chance to put their school on the map. While competing, these people handle the load of a full-time college student and learn to be responsible and reliable. Some see college athletics as just a business, but truly they provide an opportunity for young adults to compete in the sport that they love, while getting an education and learning lessons that will last a lifetime.

Over the years, we have seen colleges and universities benefit extremely from their sports programs. Every year a great team brings tremendous amounts of revenue for their university. However, as these universities increase their finances, their athletes are falling behind financially, academically, socially and personally creating a huge burden upon them. College/university athletes practically work overtime for their academic institutions. While many perceive student athletes as living ‘the life’ because of sports, the reality remains that they suffer from social, personal, academic and psychological stress. They constantly live their lives by strict schedules to avoid falling behind in their multiple responsibilities .Student athletes face various pressures, yet they are not frequently rewarded; therefore their academic institutions should reward them financially, beyond scholarships for their participation in collegiate sports.

College was a dream that was made possible by playing more than one sport. College is an easy transition for these athletes because it’s not that much different from their high school lifestyle. The routine is easier for them, they can manage their time with homework, practices and a social life at a stress free cost because of their time management skills. In the early stages of an athlete’s recruitment, many coaches are drawn to them because of their multi-sport abilities. Making friends comes easy to those athletes and they have the ability to become close to all of your new teammates and with the coaching staff. Athletes can go into this season ready to play, healthy body at hand, and fully confident in their success in this year. This was all possible because they played multiple sports. It laid down the path to their dream. And like everyone else they did everything possible to help them achieve

In the following essay, Neil H. Petrie manages to have concerns on athletes who risk their academic careers at universities. The following essay “Athletes Wise Choices” appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Neil H. Petrie. As Petrie wrote this essay, he is trying to reach out specific audience in order for them to read and understand what’s going on with athletes and their education in college. With the specific audience Petrie is trying to attract, many of them would notice this situation and try to change it. Petrie is trying to address this essay to the advisors, coaches, and deans.

There are several up and downsides of being a student athlete but, the feeling of being apart of a team and doing something you love is the ultimate reward. According to the NCAA, “More than 460,000 NCAA student-athletes – more than ever before – compete in 24 sports every year” (“Student-Athletes”). Being a student athlete you learn how to be a part of a team as well as developing leadership qualities. Throughout your entire high school and or college athletic career, you’re creating everlasting friendships and memories with teammates and coaches. Being a student-athlete, your main priority is school but, with a busy and jammed packed schedule it can get a little overwhelming. With a busy schedule, student athletes have no choice other than to manage their time wisely. Along with learning time efficiency, participating in sport teaches you to be goal oriented. When you’re involved in sports, you push yourself physically and emotionally. You begin to set goals to better not only for yourself, but to better your team as well. Ultimately, there are several benefits of

Athletics has played an instrumental role promoting success in all branches of life impacting my performance in school, work and other life facets. Involvement in athletics taught me the value of commitment allowing me to play in Division 1 Women’s Soccer while attending the University of Washington. As a former student athlete, I have been winning and losing my entire life developing my own resilience and tremendous work ethic to work with others toward a common goal. My drive spills over into my professional interactions and career aspirations allowing me to connect

Furthermore, Neil added that a low number of student athletes graduate due to the pressure, stress, and overload of commitments. In contrast, I find that not to be true because I have seen several of my teammates graduate, along with my sisters and friends on other sports teams. Later Neil said, “I soon discovered that the prevailing stereotypes did not always apply” (pg 32). Neil supports his statement by expanding on the diversity of student athletes in activities of daily living.

The article “The Athlete as Agent of Change” discusses the idea of different athletes using the national anthem to protest about something or to make a problem known. This is a good way to protest about what’s going on or what you believe. The reason for this is that in the first sentence of that article i t says that the athletes who are doing this are just silently protesting in the national anthem. By doing this the athletes don’t only get their dilemmas “voiced” but in doing so they are not physically or verbally hurting anyone because it is al silent, and the people who were not paying attention during the reciting of the national anthem probably didn't notice or simply didn't care. An example of an