Student-athlete issues

Key topic

So far, we have focused on the challenges of preparing for college and provided some tips and advice regarding college preparation. Now, we will turn our attention to the issues pertinent to the life of the student-athlete specifically, as it is undoubtedly different than that of other college students. We will discuss the common challenges student-athletes face, the ethical dilemmas that student-athletes will face, the importance of psychological and physiological well-being and the important decision of choosing an academic major.

Learning objectives

• Understand the challenges you might face in college
• Develop proper habits to take care of your body and mind
• Be prepared to deal with the ethical dilemmas student-athletes face
• Realize that choosing an academic major is an important and multidimensional decision

Walking time bombs: Common challenges of student-athletes

Nothing can really prepare you for the commitment required to be a collegiate student- athlete. Fans and the media, usually refer to college student-athletes as “privileged”. As a former student-athlete said, student-athletes can also be called: “walking time bombs”.

Experience suggests that the risks and temptations surrounding the dual role of a student- athlete are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Whether it be NCAA regulations, academic obligations, social and media obsessiveness, physiological and mental risks, behavioral issues, the list goes on and the risks are ever growing. It’s fairly reasonable actually to wonder if, at the end of the day, it is indeed a fair or reasonable exchange.

Additionally, student-athletes are prone to facing ethical dilemmas associated with participating in fixed-outcome games, they are vulnerable to gambling and to making easy and fast money, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds or with questionable chances to a professional sporting career. Sports teams often have extremely high group identity and cohesion and it’s not uncommon for these people to mimic behaviors or stay silent in what they view as an act of loyalty towards the team. Trust me in saying that it’s not. If anything, sports teach these groups of men and women to respect the rules and play fair.

Let’s not forget the fact that athletes are some of the most popular people on campus. Everyone wants to hang out with them, invite them to parties and so on. In the context of college, it is easy to get carried away and start partying excessively, engage in drinking and substance abuse which can ultimately take a toll on both your academic and athletic performance. It is obviously ok to party every now and then, let some steam off and be a normal college student once in a while; however, be careful because if you lose sight of why you are in college and what it is you are after, you might jeopardize everything you worked for thus far and everything you dreamed for your future.

Choosing a career path, consequently an academic one, at the age of 18 is definitely not favorable to young people. Education should not be viewed as a necessary evil in achieving a professional sporting career; it’s a tool, a useful weapon, hence meeting academic goals should be an equally top priority for student-athletes. Skipping class, violating the school’s honor code, or using sports as the only passport should not be a choice; not even if the school itself is willing to turn the blind eye.

Imagine the stress associated with the combined student and athlete performance demands. On a daily basis, on two totally different stages, you are asked to be at your best. Night in and night out, you should score points and good grades; learn to ignore the opinion of others who have never done something similar.

In doing so, student-athletes themselves should take appropriate measures to counter these effects. They should learn to protect themselves, interact with people of their inner circle only and accept that criticism is a never-ending cycle. They should be brave enough to seek and accept professional psychological support that can actually boost their performance, on top of helping them deal with stressors and disruptions. At the same time, they should not  be afraid to assemble a team of trusted advisors. Family, friends, ex-coaches, community peers can help guide decisions, behaviors, choices and most importantly to prepare them for the transition to the next phase, whatever that may be.

Pause now for a second and think of what I described above; where is the time for a romantic relationship for the student-athlete? The time for a night out with friends? Not to mention vacation, missing out on family holidays, road trips etc. How does the social and media frantic attention alter these experiences? Whatever the case may be, it’s definitely not an excuse for any student-athlete to exhibit behavior that would otherwise not be tolerated on the field of play. Staying away from recreational drugs, alcohol, violent behaviors and outbursts, practicing safe sex, respecting the opposite sex, are all issues that don’t have to be in the team’s playbook in order to be followed.

Do you now truly understand the “walking time bombs” allegory? It’s only intended to warn and warrant a responsible reaction from all of us towards gifted people such as yourself, destined to offer us thrilling and exciting sporting nights. But you are so much more than just that, right? Think about it.

As a student athlete, you’re required to find balance in your life at a much younger age compared to regular college students, and you’re expected to mature and not be overwhelmed by what’s coming your way. This section addresses some of the most prevalent challenges that student-athletes regularly face, and we try to give you some tips on how to ease those challenges and smoothen your otherwise unsteady years of being a collegiate athlete.

1st Challenge: Creating a balance between your athletic and academic responsibilities

Being a student-athlete makes it hard for you to set your priorities; after all, are you a student or are you an athlete? The answer is simple, you’re both and you should never forget that. Keep reminding yourself that you’re not in college just to be an athlete but also to graduate with a diploma and to get an education that is not only valuable in itself but which also provides you with the means to come up with back-up plans. Many student- athletes fall into the trap of forgetting the ‘student’ part and neglect their studying, with the result of performing poorly and not fulfilling the minimum requirements. Of course, it is easier said than done when both your coach and your professors expect the best from you. We acknowledge that it is difficult to please them all!

You can pre-allocate your time between your two priorities and reach an understanding with your academic counsellor and your coach, in that you cannot deviate from your time allocation. Simply put, at the beginning of each week, dedicate at least a certain number of hours towards your classes: enough hours that will help you progress towards obtaining your degree without having to fall back on your training. Talk about your time allocation to      both your coach and your professors and not only they will not object to it, but instead they will try to assist you in making the most accurate allocation possible, based on their expectations from you and their knowledge of you. It might be useful to create a preliminary schedule, test it and then adjust it. Alternatively, you might first want to take a few weeks to experience the situation and then come up with a plan.

2nd Challenge: Striking a balance between social activities and your student-athlete responsibilities

Everybody agrees that our college years are our best years, with a lot of fun activities; your excessive responsibilities from being a student-athlete should not mean that you have to constantly suffer and abandon any form of personal or social life. Of course, you’re expected to make some sacrifices when it comes to social activities, given that performing both as a student and as an athlete are your top priorities. It will also probably be necessary to have a more restricted social life compared to the rest of your peers, but by no means should you abandon your social life as this could have an adverse effect on your emotional stability.

It’s important that you hang out with friends and do normal college stuff occasionally, to prevent yourself from turning into a robot that only performs without receiving any pleasure. Make sure that between studying and practicing, you devote at least a few hours every week to hang out with your friends, go out and have fun or even sit in and enjoy time with the people that you like being around. This will not only keep you emotionally stable, but will also give you energy to perform even better when it comes to your priorities: practicing and studying.

3rd Challenge: Keeping yourself emotionally stable while having to compete both on and off the field

Student-athletes need to understand that it’s fine for them to feel lost and a bit unstable when dealing with multiple fronts: studying, practicing and having a social life. It might well be the case that you have major deadlines coming up, while practices and games do not get any easier. Nevertheless, it’s easy for student-athletes to fall into emotional instability due to stress coming from multiple directions which is what we want to prevent, as it might lead to a spiral of negative effects.

The key to achieving stability is establishing a mentality towards pressure which enables you to process it constructively. Put simply, when feeling the pressure breathing down your neck, you need to realize that it’s that pressure that will make you go the extra mile when it comes to achieving your life goals – after all, no athlete has every progressed from the comfort of their couch; every big athlete has felt the same pressure and has made it, so why not you?

Having outlined the above challenges, it’s important to note that these do not reflect the full spectrum of challenges faced by student-athletes but intend to give a broad understanding of the hardships you will face and some tips that might ease them. Overall, the key to being a successful student-athlete is finding the right balance for everything. ‘Playing’ on multiple fronts is hard, but when you find balance, you can manage anything that comes your way and you learn to distinguish what’s important and what’s not. Finally, no student athlete has ever accomplished anything without setting their priorities and realizing what their position is. As the famous NFL running back Earl Campbell said “I talk to student-athletes. I try to get them to remember that they are not just athletes, but student -athletes. You need to get an education, keep your hands clean and try to represent the college.”

Ethical dilemmas

There have been issues to deal with during your time in high school, but most probably you had and have the support and guidance of an entire system behind you, whether that be parents, teachers, coaches, friends and so on. As you prepare to embark on a new journey, you should understand that being a young adult will require adjustments in the sense that you will be forced to make all the decisions on your own, live outside and away from the comfort of your home and be fully vulnerable to outside influence that you must learn to handle and evaluate; you will be responsible for guiding yourself to the next chapter in your life.

Ethical dilemmas at this point in your life will begin to change. They are becoming more serious and also more dangerous. They require much more attention and a better thinking process that will help you stay away from risks.

Academic misconduct
Your grades need to be up to a certain level for you to maintain your eligibility to compete. This is something that holds true in high school too, with the difference being that colleges invest in athletes; hence they cannot afford to have them sitting out of games. If you happen to come across the opportunity for the easy way out, just say no. If an athletic department is turning the blind eye on athletes being absent from class, or not taking tests, or having outside help which is against the rules, you should step up and just say no. Don’t cheat,  don’t accept illegal help, don’t slack off. It’s an equally big investment for you to graduate college, having earned the knowledge and skills associated with a higher education.

Hazing
Not to be confused with traditions, hazing is a dangerous activity in which, unfortunately, people participate. Hazing can have many negative consequences, such as the potential damage that may be done to another person’s mental and physical health. Safety is vital in class and in sports and hazing promotes dangerous adverse activities. Not to mention that if you are a student-athlete on the receiving end it could affect your performance, your nutrition, your sleeping patterns and of course your self-esteem. Do not participate in hazing, as you will be responsible for all these adverse outcomes in someone else’s life. If you are on the receiving end of hazing, talk to your coaches and let them help you battle it and stand up to it.

Substance abuse – Doping
It could be a recreational drug, which people will offer you at a party or the dorms and will claim that it will help you relax and have fun; it could be a narcotic that is addictive and it’s harmful for your health; it could be a performance – enhancing drug that will be presented to you as the secret to getting stronger or playing better. But you know better. Substance abuse of any kind is a reason to get expelled from school, lose your scholarship, lose your spot on the team or even end up in jail. There should be no real dilemma here. Stay away from any substance abuse of any kind.

Betting and gambling
If you think you would be a fool to say no to easy money, then you probably are a fool to think that in the first place. It’s that simple. Betting on sports is becoming exponentially popular in the USA after being legalized a few years ago. But, it’s not ok for athletes to bet on sports, even worse, bet on games that they have vested interests, or compete in. Don’t allow people to dictate your performance in sports just to make extra money. Don’t allow corruption, if it comes your way, to ruin your reputation, damage your academic prospects and also ban you from playing sports. Gambling is a little different, yet equally unwanted. If you have some spare change, read the financial literacy module on how to put that money to good use, instead of gambling it away on casino tables and the likes.

Sexual misconduct
Being a star athlete, or being popular in school doesn’t differentiate it and it definitely doesn’t give you special privileges. Forcing yourself on the opposite sex is criminal behavior. Practicing unsafe sex is unhealthy and also irresponsible, which could lead to the loss of your college sports career if you are a female that gets pregnant, or the heavy burden of becoming a parent at an age where you should concentrate on sports and academics.

Respect is the key word in your love life and sexual relationships. Learn to practice respect and own the responsibility of staying away from sexual misconduct.

Race-Ethnicity-Religion
Learn to view people for their character, personality and overall self-worth. Understand the importance of treating people equally and with the proper respect. Stay away from things that have divided nations and people, and stay focused on doing your job as a student- athlete. You will soon find out that you might have to play with, eat with, sleep with, practice with, study with, party with people that are very different than you. Respect and honor this diversity and see it as a useful tool for your personal development. Show leadership, just like you do in sports.

Healthy body- Healthy mind

The above sentence comes from an old Greek saying, which meant to illustrate the importance of taking good care of both the mind and body in our daily routines. As you make the transition from high school to college, you will notice the significant change to both body and mind.

College students, athletes or not, tend to seek psychological support for a variety of issues ranging from homesickness and career indecision, to serious psychological disturbances. College students and college athletes are prone to developmental issues, situational and emotional concerns as well as academic skill difficulties. Additionally, they have a problem balancing relationships, they sometimes exhibit stress/anxiety, have to deal with family issues, physical problems, personality disorders and even suicidal thoughts, unable to cope with all the pressure.  In addition to these issues, other health concerns that are commonly experienced by college athletes may include eating disorders, substance abuse, and training under-recovery. The NCAA has recognized the pervasiveness of these problems in student- athletes and has begun to take some action.

Collegiate athletes appear to confront the same developmental tasks and situational stressors encountered by non-athlete students. Therefore, it can be assumed that they are not immune from the psychological risks typical to this phase of life. However, collegiate athletes do carry the added burden of sport participation, and consequently face unique risk factors not shared by their non-athlete peers. Common concerns of collegiate student- athletes included fear of success, identity conflict, social isolation, poor athletic performance, academic problems, and career/vocational concerns. On top of these problems, sport-related injuries, alcohol abuse, and body image issues add to the mix.

According to a study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine and utilized by the Loyola University medical center in 2014, former athletes were found in worse physical function, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbances and pain interference compared to non- athletes. The athletes also reported more limitations in daily activities and more major and chronic injuries. It is evident that nutrition, rehabilitation and rest are vital in avoiding risks associated with injuries, fatigue, overuse, and mental stress.

In order to fight stress, take care of your body, but also combat several of these psychological disturbances that come with the territory, you should consider the following steps:

• Manage your time wisely using a day planner; include key events such as games or exams, when papers are due, meetings, team and class obligations and social   events. Plan things ahead of time and approach your obligations in a spirit of fun and appreciation. Planning is key in everything.
• Get plenty of rest so that you can stay on top of your game, both physically and mentally. It is one of the most restorative things you can do for your body, mind and spirit.
• Maintain a positive attitude and learn to let things go and move on. Also learn to  pick your battles and choose where to concentrate your powers, by not sweating the small stuff.
• Plan recreational activities and give yourself a break whenever possible. The important thing is to know when you need it the most and the ability to do it without feeling guilty.
• Cultivate a support system, similar to what you had during your high school days. Surround yourself with people who care about your success and well-being. Bond as much as you can with teammates and classmates. Get to know people around you and stay connected.
• Speak out. If something doesn’t feel right, or things are not improving with these steps, then you should just let people around you know what you need and find specialists that can support you emotionally.

Student athlete decisions: Choosing your academic major

Selecting the right major is perhaps the most important academic decision a student will make when going to college. Selecting a major that is both relevant and interesting can increase a student’s likelihood of academic success and prepare them for a fulfilling career. Usually, when deciding on their academic major, students are influenced by several factors, some of which are past experiences, social and family influences, passions, interests and career potential.

When it comes to student athletes, there are additional factors to consider when choosing their academic major. First, most student athletes see college as a stepping stone towards a professional career in sports and they tend to overlook the value of the academic aspect of their college experience. This is a cardinal mistake. You should not abandon your dream of becoming a professional athlete, nor should you sideline it, however, probabilities do not care about dreams, unfortunately. Approximately about 2% of student-athletes go on to become professionals. You should strive to adopt a long-term perspective no matter how hard it is and always keep in the back of your mind that failure is a possibility. You should therefore devote attention to your education as well, which can ultimately become your safety cushion and your path to an alternative journey.

Second, you have the burden of balancing two different lives, which are equally demanding; that of the student and that of the athlete. Student athletes may not be able to pursue a given college academic major leading to their career of choice because of the demands of their sport. That might be the case with a degree in Mechanical engineering to give you an example, a degree which even full-time students struggle to attain and a considerable number fail for the simple reason that it is very demanding and requires your full and unequivocal devotion and attention. Now, that by itself should not discourage you if that is where your passions lie, but at the same time, it is something you should definitely consider.

There is always a discussion whether the choice of academic major is driven by long-term career aspirations or by academic compromises. It is normal for student athletes to choose majors that are not demanding in order to accommodate their athletic obligations. Student athletes have a lot of pressure due to their sport anyway and might opt for something “lighter”. Usually, this pressure stems from expectations on behalf of their colleges and their family and it is difficult to direct themselves towards choosing a major that will provide them with top-notch career opportunities outside of sports.

A survey conducted by the athlete development platform Game Plan in 2018, showed that 41.9% of former student athletes reported that they would study a different major if they could go through college again. Athletes should always have in mind that there is a great possibility of not making it to professional sports. Hence, they must choose a major which will also provide them with the basis for pursuing an alternative career if they do not make it in sports.

When it comes to deciding which academic major to choose, it is important for student- athletes to get professional advice. One important way advisors help student-athletes maximize academic success is by guiding them to select a major that’s compatible with their personality and interests. They use personality tests, strength and interest assessments, career tests etc. to identify future career paths and academic majors which align with the student-athletes’ interests.

College is the point of life when students obtain the tools and essential skills that will assist them throughout their professional career; few realize how lucky they are to even be in college while they are there. Whether they make it to professional sports or not, student athletes should choose a major that aligns with their interests and provides them with future opportunities; they should not just choose a major which is convenient and easily accessible.

Action steps – Exercise 1 (10 minutes)

• How  do  you  feel  about  everything  we  discussed  today?  What  caught  your attention the most?
• Are you excited for going to college as a student-athlete (Optional)?

Lesson wrap-up

Today we focused on the specifics of the challenges and realities a student-athlete will face. We began with the common challenges that student athlete will face and some of the ethical dilemmas that they need to be aware of. We then stressed the importance of both emotional and physiological well-being and went over a few things that you should keep in mind to make sure of it. Finally, we discussed the importance of choosing an academic major and not rejecting your academic obligations.

At this point we will wrap up today’s lesson. First, we will go over the learning objectives of this lesson and we want your feedback as to whether they have been achieved and then we will address any questions you may have. Please feel free to ask anything you’d like in relation to today’s lesson and we would love to hear how the concepts we discussed today relate to you and your life!