College Athletics Affect on an Individuals Performance
Written by Jocelyn Hockaday
College athletics is a huge part of a university, serving it benefits to university and individual finances, individual physical and mental development, academic performance, and so much more. However, the benefits also can have its downsides in these same aspects. Read more on my analyze of the affects college athletics have on ones mental, academic performance, and finances.
The correlation between college athlete-students performance in the classrooms and in their desired sport is negative, creating a negative impact on an individual's mental performance and differiciates plans for their further apart from a student-athletes. However, through analysis and careful research, this thesis can be opposed. Sources such as Florida National University (FNU) demonstrate the positive correlation between college student-athletes performance in the classroom compared to their performance in their practiced sport. The relation between cost and college athletics can also be observed with positive and negative correlations. In this essay, all aspects mentioned above will be analyzed and concluded that college athletics have a negative impact on academic performance in a college athlete’s career, through the possible impacts of psychological effects of a college athlete, their academic performance, health effects of being a college athlete, and the non-academic benefits and negatives of upholding the title of a college athlete.
There have been various debates about whether playing sports in a university can help uphold positive academic results or whether athletics in college result in negative academic performance. Perfectionism is found in both education and athletic performance, however, there are consequences of perfectionism in both. “While perfectionistic concerns imbue a psychological commitment to perfection, they lack personal goal-directed elements and instead encapsulate a sense of overwhelming external pressure and helplessness”, according to Oxford University Press account on Perfectionism and Performance in Sport, Education, and the Workplace. If an athlete is focused on perfecting his or her craft, it is easy to forget about the other tasks at hand such as education. Although it is not possible to do so, as mentioned above, it can create “detrimental indirect influence on performance” (Oxford University Press, 2022). Additionally, according to Florida National University and The Global Post, “although student-athletes’ performance can vary by sport, with the athletes in the most competitive and popular sports tending to exhibit lower academic performance”. Moreover, a college athlete is more likely to identify his or herself as an athlete than a student (The Sports Journal 2018). Additionally, he or she was more likely to be viewed as an athlete rather than a student from other students (The Sports Journal 2018). This can either hurt the athlete's confidence or enhance it depending on the athlete's situation or his or her mental state. His or her mental state could be affected by the pressure of holding their reputation as an athlete. It is also possible that the athlete could develop an identity crisis. Lastly, he or she was less willing to give up any athletic participation for academic participation (The Sports Journal 2018). In other words, often college athletes will prioritize their sport over their academics. All evidence provided concludes through psychological study and research, that balancing an athletic career and educational career while attending college full-time can result in negative consequences in performance of his or her skill, education, or psychological well-being.
In this second section of this essay, I will be discussing the positive and negative financial effects college athletics have on the university's academics. It is no question that universities' athletic programs help fund the school, especially those school’s that are highly competitive such as D1 university, UCLA. Referencing Donna Desrochers from her article Academic Spending Versus Athletic Spending: Who Wins? (2013), “more often than not, the colleges and universities are subsidizing athletics, not the other way around”. Some universities' athletic programs make so much profit that they are able to fund other athletic programs within the university. Secondly, without a doubt, athletic scholarships assist individual students with the cost of their tuition, which is a huge positive of university athletic programs. University tuition rates continue to increase: “Since 1980, college tuition and fees are up 1,200%, while the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all items has risen by only 236% (Bhutada, 2021). As tuition rates increase, so does the demand for college athletic programs. Additionally, with the new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policies, this allows college athletes to profit off of their performance, according to the New York Post (Braziller, 2021). However, the amount of money put into college athletics versus college academics is not corresponding. As Desrochers had explained in her research paper, “ big-time college sports programs often seem to serve as advertising vehicles, boosting exposure and prestige for those universities that are successful. While a winning team may generate some new students and donors, the price of participating in Division I athletics is high”. The unequal distribution of money creates a gap between academics and athletics, when instead they should coexist, financially and socially speaking. Additionally, in Jordan Levy’s article How much does it cost to attend college in Philadelphia? From Penn to Temple, there’s a big range, he mentioned the fact that many universities that are located within city limits, such as Temple University, is written down as a non-profit which makes the university tax-exempt. If in the future there is a policy change, this can increase the cost of tuition. The current issue with this is that the city infrastructure, streets, public schools, public transportation, and other city regulations are funded from property taxes. This can explain why Philadelphia public schools are underfunded and the streets are poor, as the city lacks funding to fix some of these ongoing issues.
As monetary issues and psychological issues remain a consequence of university athletics, health concerns can be added to the list. There are positive health effects from playing sports in general, especially in a university as some studies have found “physical activity and exercise have significant positive effects in preventing or alleviating mental illness, including depressive symptoms and anxiety- or stress-related disease” (Sports Basel, 2019). This is significant to an athlete's performance in the classroom and in their desired sport as having a positive mindset creates a full focus at the task at hand. When there is full focus at the task at hand, then the task will be performance with quality instead of quantity. Also, participating in sports can develop a high increase in self-confidence and positive emotional effects due to its “motivational climate '' caused by the athletic atmosphere (Karis Hicks, Pg. 7). When an athlete has high confidence, it shows in his or her performance in the classroom and especially in their desired sport. Though, due to the traveling for games, irregular sleeping patterns can occur from the “first night effect” (Orenstein, 2016). This effect develops uneasiness, alertness, and increased anxiety that keeps the brain from having a complete deep sleep (Tamaki & Sasaki, 2017). An athlete or student, or whether he or she is both, needs sleep to perform well. As mentioned above the level of alertness is decreased when one's sleng schedule is irregular or disturbed. This is dangerous, especially when performing a high-contact sport, which could lead to increased injury. However, due to the rapid schedule of a college athlete, sometimes sleep isn’t the priority.
In addition to health concerns, it is important to discuss the usage of substance abuse used by college athletes. The pressure of college athletics to perform well can lead to increased stress which is followed by lack of sleep as described above. This can further result in increased usage of drugs and alcohol and other forms of substance abuse. Wayne State University campus health center published important facts regarding how much student-athletes or athlete-student participate in substance abuse or increase drug usage: “Collegiate athletes report consuming 6.52 alcohol drinks per week, which is significantly higher than their male and female schoolmates who do not participate in a sport (Henne et al, 2013).” Furthermore, a “survey of athletes across the United States participating in NCAA sports determined that there is also use of performance enhancement substances, which can include illegal as well as legal organic substances that enhance their athletic abilities (Henne et al, 2013).” It is also reported that 85% of collegiate-level athletes use energy drinks, prescription drugs or dietary supplements to improve their performance (Hoyte et al, 2013). Though prescription drugs and dietary supplements are safe and used by a majority of athletes and other on-athletes, sometimes that is not enough or does not provide the results desired. According to Wayne University Campus Health Center, athlete-students or college-athletes participate in drug usage and alcohol use in efforts to decrease anxiety and stress caused by the pressure of balancing academics and his or her sport. This is not a healthy way to cope with stress and alternative methods should be used. Rutgers University-based Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs study reported of “234 male athletes at one university, found that those who used performance enhancers – ranging from steroids to stimulants to weight-loss supplements – were more likely to admit to heavy drinking and using drugs like marijuana and cocaine” (Rutgers Today, 2009). This is an interesting point as the increased drug usage seems to be consistent, however the stigmatism of marijuana usage has changed. Nevertheless, the increased usage of drugs and alcohol is very apparent in college athletes.
College athletic programs contain advantages and disadvantages in the monetary terms, health, and academic performance. It is important to consider both spectrums and weigh out whether which facts have a greater impact on academic performance, monetary terms, and health. The decision is ultimately up to the reader, however consider this before developing your own thesis: athletic performance and participation can take you far in your career in terms of professionalism, but also knowledge and education. It is very possible to have a healthy balance between both careers, such as Geroge Foreman who everyone famously knows him by his high-selling grill, but he was also a successful professional boxer. The psychological health barriers and monetary inequality that create a gap between academics and athletics. Ultimately it is fair to say that health and psychological benefits should be weighed as a priority when assessing monetary values of an athletic program. To avoid negative consequences of the stress battle to balance student life with athletic life, the answer remains the same as it does for most of this: education and knowledge.
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