Student Athletes: Breaking down the Jock stereotype one A at a time?

    How many times has the classic jock image crossed in front of your eyes on the big screen? A tall dark and handsome varsity player of soccer, football, or baseball with the smart girl falling for him, then having to help him in class as she drools over the opportunity to get so close and make a good impression. Or the classic stereotype of cheerleaders as ditsy? What other athletic personas have always represented the antithesis of geekhood? Too many, and it's time to clear up this stereotype and bring out the real fact that those in athletics, specifically college (in this stage, the athletic process is more selective) have to be smart to succeed. Is there a correllation between athletic success and success in the classroom? How does this correlate between sports? What sports have the highest GPA's across the board? Is there a mentality associated with that sport, or all sports, that leads to academic drive and high academic performance? These questions are all facets to an answer that, hopefully, points to the idea that to truly succeed in athletics one must have the intelligence potential to succeed academically. By looking at the most successful athletes in high school and college sports, which sport they participate in and their academic performance, the refutation of the typical jock stereoptype is what i feel to be inevitable. Hopefully, the importance of athletics will be recognized in fostering a good GPA as well as good social skills, and all those "nerdy" kids locked in a room with books and a calculator will open the door and convert their school success to athletic success. Athletics needs intelligent people to grow in a positive, healthy and efficient direction centering around not just the physical attributes of athletics, but around athletics as a science.

 

Being an athlete requires strenuous practices; usually occurring more than once a day. It requires time-management; there are no days off for an athlete. It requires traveling, missing classes and any chance to relax. Physically and mentally drained, it's no wonder athletes struggle in the classroom.

The high profile sports, such as basketball and football, bring in money and recognition to the school and conference. And students receive nothing but criticism for failing academically to meet certain standards. But, how can an athlete who is admitted to a university based purely on athletic ability, be expected to succeed in an institution that students admitted solely on academic ability struggle with as well?

 

These two posts are from: Daily Campus Article

In the NCAA survey of Division I athletes, more than 70% said they considered themselves more of an athlete than a student. Football players estimated they spent 44.8 hours a week on their sport. That was nearly five hours a week more than any other sport — and 10 hours a week more than a majority of sports in the survey.

 

One player, echoing the words of others, said the workouts in the past two off-seasons at Michigan “affected people’s grades. People were falling asleep in class.”

Post from:  NCAA survey article