The issue of academics versus athletics in the Aughts

By Bianca Rugimbana

Stemming from the initial concern over individuals who play a sport and are also full time college students, this concern was drawn from personal understandings and also personal experiences with being a student athlete. Sports are positive for any child and also young adult to partake in, however, with sports also come a commitment and dedication to maintain your performance, fitness and also effective time management. Coming into senior year at Georgetown College, time is demanded of more so in the classroom then in any of the previous years and therefore it can be difficult to ‘juggle’ time accordingly. The pressures of maintaining a sports commitment to a team and also maintaining a high class attendance status, saw disappointment arise from either coaches one week or professors the following week.

However, the pressure mostly stemmed from the sport with the demands of the media and also coaches and the expectations of the student body. By having to conform to a certain structure and also particular rules heightens stress levels and therefore forces more students to play their role as an athlete rather than a student. This was the problem personally faced and forced unappreciation for the sport because of the conformity surrounding it and also the frustration of coaches when the need to “skip practice for class or homework” was addressed. This again defies the purpose of a student athlete. The word student is before the word athlete for a reason and it seems that no one is able to understand this.

The media continues to push the idea of sports and fame, money and talent, with news headlines and websites always mentioning sports scores and no news medium taking the time to mention the importance of attending class and focusing on study and education as it is imperative to your future. According to Nikou and Dinardo through their article relating to Academic Achievement, these scholars stated that, “many college athletes graduate, only to find themselves lacking the skills needed to function in even the most simplistic working environment. The athlete must be recognized as a whole student with academics as the principal focus in his or her school life.” This is something that needs to be addressed and although the concept of sport is pungent within colleges and universities, the question that is raised is, are these schools and universities priding themselves on academia? Or a school priding itself on success and good rapport within the media, from the performance of the college’s sporting teams and talented individuals? It seems that the focus should be on academics in order to secure a solid future, but how will this ever be the case?