“Popular culture focuses on the mistakes made in college athletics and most of the time doesn’t get the behind the scenes story before publishing a story which leads the mass audience to a misconception” (Forsee). In this quote, Forsee discuss the many different assumptions about student athletes from outsiders that have taken place over the years. In high school, when cliques were important and the jocks and athletes were the cool kids in the lunchroom, special treatment of these students was common, and the perception is that this continues in college. While some stereotypes are positive, many end up creating a negative stigma for college athletes. This negative perception furthers the timeless divide between college athletes and non-athletes. 

Many non-athlete students argue that athletes do not deserve the extra privileges they receive during their time at school. For example, they argue that it is not fair for athletes to get more help and special advantages when it comes to academics. Also many students argue that athletic participants have an automatic advantage over regular college students because of their reputation as “an athlete.” Although there are some major differences when it comes to college student athletes vs. college non-student athletes many of which are viewed in a negative way, students holding these judgments should realize that there are many positive aspects when it comes to participating in college athletics. There are many false claims made about student athletes including things like: college athletes blow off school, get away with whatever they want, and they do not have to put in much effort to get what they want. With that said, it is unfair to generalize student athletes as students who get an “easy ride” in college. 

Many students and non-students might assume that being a college athlete is easy. From the team clothes and uniforms they receive to the academic advisers they are placed with, the truth is that these benefits come at a high cost. Student athletes spend hours during the school week training and practicing, not to mention the countless weekend hours spent at travel competitions. There are also a lot of late nights spent studying as the athletes try to keep up with the same academic workload as another student. Athletes are some of the most competitive people on campus, which often puts pressure on them to work both on and off the field.

According to Miller and Kissinger, there are four major topics pertaining to college athletes and some of the struggles athletes face when they are at different points of their college career. These four topics are very important in the life of college students and college student athletes. For example, these topics include how the college athlete enters the college environment and how they adjust to it: “The impact of participating in intercollegiate athletics on the personal lives of student-athletes transcends all aspects of the student’s life” (Kissinger & Miller). In other words, being an athlete tends to surpass being a college student. 

In relation to this quote from Kissinger & Miller, I can say that there is a major difference between being a high school vs. college athlete. The amount of hours that a student-athlete must devote to their sport cuts into both study and sleep time due to extra hours of practice is remarkable. Being a college athlete myself, I know that life is focused solely on sports and athletics, leaving very minimal time to participate in extracurricular activities which are typically part of being a college student. According to Hudd, Pritchar, Wilson and Yamnitz, this can cause a great deal of distress for the freshmen college athlete: “The transition from high school to college can be stressful for any student (Hudd et al., 2000; Pritchard et al., 2004). In addition to this transitional stress, “recent evidence suggests that athletes may experience even greater levels of stress due to the dual demands of athletics and academics placed on them during their freshman year” (Pritchard). This suggests that there is a much greater change from high school to college if you participate in sports during college and the stress level for freshman student athletes is unbelievable. 

Also discussed in this book are the various types of student athletes and their identities. With each sport there are different mentalities with the athletes as well as coaches. With that being said, depending on the coach, the team atmosphere could be more focused on school rather than the practices, or vice versa. One example of a different atmosphere for different teams is my team, the USC Women’s Swimming and Diving Team. Our women’s team last year had the highest GPA in the country for swimming and diving teams, with the average GPA being over a 3.7, with 40 women on our team. Although USC had the highest GPA, that still did not take away from our training. Being a D1 athletic team, there is no slacking; the only thing to do is work extremely hard, both in the classroom as well as in the pool/weight room.  

In their book, Kissinger and Miller discuss the challenges the student-athletes face such as falling behind with academic work. That is surely the one of the biggest things athletes struggle with due to the fact that so much time goes into practices and they also lack sleep due to training schedules and meets. Kissinger and Miller also discuss the institutional dimensions of student athletes such as the expectations their schools have for them: “There has always been and will remain collegiate athletics stakeholder expectations for winning seasons and championships, defeating the rival, honoring and perpetuating traditions, the best facilities for preparation and competition, positive press, and so forth” (Kissinger, Miller). Here the authors discuss how much time and effort the institution puts into college athletics so that they can have the best facilities, which will eventually lead to having the best teams. Most people will invest in something, like an athletic program, for a return that will benefit them in the future. This is very true of a college investing in their sports team. Many people will do anything to be on top and or win. College athlete representatives are perfect examples of this, while maintaining a “winning” reputation constantly puts pressure on the coaches who then transfer that on to the student athletes. 

Some of the major issues that involve students competing at the collegiate level are things that impact their lives, including the intense pressure of competition and schoolwork that come along with being a college athlete. The aftermath of intense pressure has led to athletes who suffer from mental health issues, loss of sleep, abuse of alcohol and drugs and many other problems (Maurer, Joni). Over all, student athletes have been found to have a lower percentage of depression compared to college non-athletes. This seems to be caused by their competitive nature (Maurer, Joni). With myself being an athlete and understanding how stressful it can be at times, because I am so competitive with sports and academics, those two things occupy my mind more than anything and I think that is why athletes have a lower percentage of mental health issues. With that said, this is a great positive for college athletes because of how severe mental health cases are in college these days.

With many different studies currently underway on student-athletes, Moore’s study in particular has been one of the most specific and accurate studies when it comes to college student athletes vs. college non-athletes. This study gives insights that reveal the biggest differences when it comes to things like sexual behavior and alcohol consumption among athletes and non-athletes. Moore found that one of the fastest and most reliable ways to find results from student athletes and non-athletes would be emailing out a link to a survey to have the student athletes’ and regular students answer some important questions, the results being confidential (Moore). With surveys being sent out to the students and answered by the college athletes as well as non-athletes, this survey was able to show some of the major differences in sex behavior and alcohol use because the answers were coming from the college students and college student-athletes directly. It was found that athletes have more of a problem with binge drinking compared to a regular student, but overall, student athletes do not drink as much as a normal college athlete. I think that this is a true statement. Athletes are much better off when it comes to alcohol consumption because we are not allowed to drink nearly as much as non-athlete college students, due to the fact that our sport takes up so much time and alcohol slows athletes down when it comes to competition and practice. 

The next thing that Moore asked about in her survey was sex behavior. It was shown in the study that student athletes participate significantly less in sexual activity compared to a non-athlete in college because of the time factor and religious views. With both of these things being major issues with college aged people, Moore said that religious views played a large part in the student athletes lives, and that is another reason why student athletes participate less in both alcohol consumption and sexual activity, compared to a normal college student. 

It is especially difficult for non-athletes to understand athletes at the collegiate level. This study does a great job of showing some of those differences that non-athletes do not understand about athletes. 

Other researchers including Jones, Neuman, Altmann and Dreschler found during their research that college athletes and non-athletes have other differences as well: 

College athletes were found to have a higher SPI (Sports Performance Inventory) composite than novice athletes; College athletes were found to have a more positive attitude than novice athletes; College athletes were more competitive than novice athletes; Females were more team oriented than males; and Novice males were more competitive than novice females, while college females were more competitive than college males. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed (Jones, et al).  

Many researchers have found that student athletes have many more positive things in their lives than non-athletes. For example, athletes are more team oriented, have a higher sports performance inventory, and are typically more competitive compared to non-student athletes. It is especially important to have these positive traits when it comes to things that you need to be team oriented in, like a job. It is also beneficial when you need to be able to be competitive and have a positive attitude in order to perform in various ways in life such as in work or in relationships. Being positive and competitive/self-motivated are characteristics that most employers look for in potential employees. 

The details of this research are important to understand, both for athletes as well as non-athletes so that we can understand the differences in athletes. Ideas from this study that stuck out to me personally are that athletes have more of a positive attitude in general, they are much more competitive in just about every aspect, and, are usually more team oriented. Positive attitudes, competitiveness, and a teamwork mindset are all things that can benefit someone all throughout life, especially in obtaining employment.  

Student athletes go through a lot both emotionally and physically while being an athlete and a student. That is why it is important for student athletes to have an “outlet”, and for most athletes, that is their sport. In a recent study by Talebiyannia, researched showed that athletes consider their “outlets” to be their practice or competition for their sport.  This goes along with much research that has been done all over world looking at how exercise seems to release endorphins and serotonin in people, which then reduces stress while it increases happiness (Talebiyannia 56). Talebiyannia’s research showed that the entertainment, positive excitement, and optimism of being on a team and doing so much physical activity as an athlete is what makes athletes all together happier than non-athletes (57). Talebiyannia’s article really “hits the nail on the head,” and makes so much sense as to why so much research shows that student athletes are less depressed than non-athletes. Being surrounded by people who share the same passion is a special thing.  It is easier to relate to others when you share that passion as well as make friends, and feel at home while you are away from home. Being happy with what you are doing is so crucial in life, especially during your college years as college is typically the time when many truly find out a lot about who they are. 

In other research done on college athletes by Donohue, Brad, Tracey Covassin, Kevin Lancer, Yani Dickens, Abby Miller, Adria Hash, and Jeff Genet, insights from their work shows that college athletes, whether NCAA or recreational, have “lower levels of global psychopathology in comparison to the normative sample [population]” (Donohue et al 33). The research goes on to show that student athletes are more socially involved with their teammates and even classmates, which means they typically have greater self-esteem due to successful athletics, and increased serotonin levels due to exercise (34). 

There have been many cases where student athletes are treated “better” or given special privileges because they are an athlete, but according to Strauffer, there are also numerous examples of athletes not receiving special treatment. For example, Strauffer discusses a collegiate level sports player who violated the NCAA rules multiple times, who was not punished for it, but he seemed to have been rewarded in several different ways. When the NCAA finally found out about this incident, they were not very happy and finally punished him the way he should have been punished all along. 

In Strauffer’s article, Will Athletes Every Learn?, the author argues that even though many people think that college athletes are never punished or held responsible for their actions, in reality, this is not what is really happening with most NCAA athletes. While many feel that most college athletes fit the stereotype of the “privileged athlete,” Strauffer’s article gives insight to the opposite being true, as this is just not the case in most situations. In other words, yes, there are some athletes that receive special treatment, but across the board, this is not the case with most students athletes. 

In another study of student athletes done on just female athletes, the female student athletes were given a survey which found that 18% of student athletes suffer from an eating disorder compared to a 5% of women who are not athletes (Prevalence of Eating Disorders in Elite Female Athletes). This is certainly something that has been a problem in college athletics for some time, although it is also a problem among many college aged women in general. Still, it seems to be a problem that is more typical in athletes which have led some researchers to determine that student athletes are spending too much time on athletics vs. academics: “According to a recent National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) study, student-athletes spend more time on sports preparation than on academics” (Moltz). With this issues occurring so frequently, it is important that coaches and athletic advisers take a stand to help their athletes find more balance during their time in college. 

Though being a student athlete comes with challenges, most of the recent research shows that the benefits of being a student athlete far outweigh the negatives. While it seems that mostly negative things about college athletes are highlighted in the media (which definitely support the unfair stereotypes out there about college athletes), this is just a small part of the picture when it comes to showing the experience of a college athlete. Being a college athlete has so many benefits that usually outweigh the difficulties that are certainly a part of this responsibility. Being a student athlete brings those together who have the same passions, helps them maintain both healthy physical and emotional well-being, and, helps the college athlete adjust to being away from home. Participating in sports are a gateway for so many athletes, as well as an outlet for them which help them avoid dangerous life choices such as binge drinking or using drugs. The student athlete life is not for everybody, but people need to see that it takes a special person to be a college athlete and it is something that those athletes should also be proud of.  
