Why The Division 1 Intercollegiate Football Athletes

"The student athletes will endure life long effects of playing physically demanding sports. “Injuries can saddle them with years of medical bills.” (Majerol). Athletes are there to make the college sports better, schools see them as only someone to help make them profit by making the sports program better. As soon as they leave the sports program they no longer care about the physical trauma, and mental trauma the athlete has to deal with the rest of their life. “less than 2 percent of college athletes ever compete professionally.” (Zissou). This mean 2 percent of the athletes will proffesional medical care, while the other 98 percent have to pay out of pocket for the rest of their lives on their used up knees and backs relying on medication to help numb some of the pain so they can get by. Football is one of the most taxing on the body, a study released July of 2017 says “A Journal of the American Medical Association report says

A study that many people have given little attention to is called “The Burnout”. This term means that after years of extreme training, competition and scrutiny, an athlete can become “burned out” and lose all desire to continue playing. People either realize

What many people fail to see in an athlete is the amount of talent in them, the commitment they have, the intense training they go through, and the competitive attitude they posses. The physical challenges they face and endure is astonishing. An average person works eight hours a day behind a desk with his computer. Imagine working the same number of hours everyday while training your abilities, maintaining your physical form, and sharpening your skills (Anonymous par. 4). That is what a professional athlete endures. Athletes face short career lengths. They also face a lot of competitiveness; therefore, an athlete is at the top of his game when he is still young. Professional athletes also face the risk of career ending injuries when they are fighting to win a game and be the best they can. Combining all those problems they face, the average career length of an athlete is five years (Keown par. 2). Not only do these athletes need to stay in shape, but they also have to perform well. But all the hard works leads to health issues such as lack of sleep, fatigue, and continuous tension (Wilson par.3). If they are not able to put up to the

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.

Research shows that early specialization in a single sport while eliminating others can have adverse effects. From the intense practices to pressure-filled competitions, young athletes can feel a considerable amount

After graduation, college athletes receive additional benefits, even if they are not part of the admittedly tiny group of athletes with the skills to play professionally (McCormack 21). Status as a former star athlete, or even an ordinary one, can open many doors in the professional world, especially in fields like sales and marketing. People enjoy associating themselves with athletic performers, especially those from their own alma mater. In addition, many colleges have developed special programs to help former athletes return and – if they have not received their degree, as many do not – complete their education ( 22). These programs make it a relatively simple process for a former college athlete to obtain his or her degree. More and more colleges are providing programs to help former athletes in a variety of ways, with the focus on helping them earn a degree ( 25). Some of these programs are still available to

They are many times attending universities because it is a stepping stone en route to a career as a professional athlete, just like an accounting major is studying in order to be recruited by an accounting firm. The lifestyle of a student-athlete is quite different though. A student-athlete must attend practice for 10 to 20 hours per week, travel to games on most weekends during the season, and at the same time, keep up with an academic workload comparable to that of a student without commitment to athletics. But unlike ordinary students without athletics, student-athletes must also many times care for families and spouses. Actually, approximately 24% of student athletes are married, and of that 24%, about 62% have children. Of the students without their own spouses or children, many must care for parents and siblings.

As I began to realistically consider athletic training as an occupation, Pete assisted me in making an educated decision. One drawback to athletic training is that positions in high-paying professional jobs are limited and highly competitive. Professional sports such as football require very long hours, frequent travel, and working seven days a week. These positions are exceedingly political, and it can be difficult to be an advocate for an injured player while satisfying team management. It is also notable that some players are resistant to athletic injury treatment; this slows recovery time,

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.

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.

Vince Lombardi quoted “Football is like life it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.”. Statistically speaking, the average African-American male going to college makes up just 5.5% of the overall college students. However, a young man by the name of Titus McFarland has found a dream of his, latched onto it and found it led him to prosper in college while doing the sport he loves. Finding a balance in the specifics of college, sports, and social life has empowered him to be able to look forward to the future and all the positive fortunes it holds.

Dr. Brené Brown, a writer, researcher, and educator was quoted as saying, “what separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” By focusing in on today’s society, ethics has taken a backseat to making an extra buck. While Division One Universities are making upward from seven to nine figures in revenue each year off of their athletics department, athletes on athletic scholarships are starting to get intolerant to not receiving any incentives for playing the game they love. These athletes are becoming so disheartened by the system that they are now speaking out to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) about how they deserve to receive cash incentives for the performance and time they devote to their athletics for the University. However, why should these athletes be entitled to additional money? They should be grateful for the privileges and opportunities they receive at the University and reap the benefits that are intangible to them. Division One athletes should not be able to receive payment in order to participate in their Universities Athletic programs.

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

For High Performance athletes, there can be a lot riding on their results and performance in competition. If athletes develop an over-reliance on sporting success as a source of self-worth and identity, it can lead to serious emotional issues if things do not go as desired. Athletes often identify their self-worth with their ability to perform, and performance failure has been significantly associated with depression (Taylor, 2015 pg.11; Troijan, 2016, pg. 137) Athletes face many struggles and when something goes wrong it can leave them not knowing where to turn for help. They can be left with they feelings that they are nothing, undeserving, and alone. This may also exacerbate their feelings of seclusion, depression, or grief. Most athletes

The transition out of sport can be problematic for professional, elite, collegiate, and high school athletes. In addition, Warriner and Lavallee (2008) stated that the retirement process is specific to the individual. It is imperative to also evaluate athletes’ transition out of sport on an individual level. Before evaluating the literature, it is important to understand the majority of research that has documented individual perspectives is predominantly qualitative. Most studies utilized small sample sizes with semi-structured interviews. However, some authors utilized various quantitative measures as well, i.e., the Athlete Retirement Questionnaire (AIQ), the Life After Sports Scale (LASS), the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Therefore, validation of the findings will be determined by the level of consistency among the different studies.