The Student/Athlete Experience: Living up to the Hype

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By: Gary Watts III

Published: April 25, 2023

Blythewood, S.C.

In the United States, private schools were the first organizations to offer up athletic engagement opportunities for students. Now, aside from the intercollegiate level, more than 8 million student-athletes participate in athletic programs of schools that are members of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSA).

"Coach training student-athletes."

Youths can begin to participate in organized sports as early as 1st grade as they start to build up their physical capabilities to compete in high-performance sports. Or, like myself, youths can begin to compete a little later down the road, around the middle school, or high school level.

{ Did you know? }

In 1859, the Gunnery School in Washington, Connecticut was the first school to have athletic competition with other participating schools. Prior to this, athletic competitions involved intramural sports that were organized by the school's student body.

For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expressed that “58 percent of youth ages 6 to 17 participated in sports in 2017.” (The National Youth Sports Strategy, 2019). Although that number has declined, I can say that I first started playing organized sports in 6th grade, officially making me a student-athlete.

"Youth athlete playing American football."

As a friendly reminder, at the youth/high school level, many responsibilities (outside of actually competing), are allocated more toward parents and/or guardians of a student-athlete. Among those responsibilities, tasks will include signing forms, dropping off and picking up the athlete as needed, and payments to be made for team uniforms, insurance, athletic camps, team travel, etc.

For example, the DHHS also stated, “Close to 60 percent of parents reported spending between $250 and $2,500 on sports programming each year.” (The National Youth Sports Strategy, 2019). Keep in mind, that student-athletes on the intercollegiate level will also require some form of support system outside of scholarships and financial aid. This is because financial support by the universities may still be limited for student-athletes while participating on the intercollegiate level, unless an athlete is earning income through an NIL (name, image, & likeness) deal.

Regardless of the starting point, a student-athlete must learn to evolve personal attributes that will provide a solid foundation for a sustainable career. Some key attributes athletes should look to focus on are time management, team building & social skills, as well as, leadership and ethics to name a few. Mastery of the attributes listed above will allow a student-athlete to balance the educational and athletic responsibilities that come with the role. With this, athletes will then be able to embrace the unification of these two dimensions (educational and athletic) to create a positive and dynamic experience throughout their journey on and off the field/court.

"Athlete checking the time on a watch."

As stated earlier, a student-athlete can participate in different phases of competition and it is important to understand the structure of these phases. Two main stages in which student-athletes will participate are interscholastic and intercollegiate sports. While both are highly comparable, independent elements of interscholastic and intercollegiate sports should not be casually disregarded.

"INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS"

Interscholastic sports are composed of student-athletes that compete on high school, middle school, and youth sports teams. The range of interscholastic sports can span across the globe and athletic activities that fall under this umbrella can also be organized by local and state governing bodies and non-school agencies such as the YMCA and the International Sports Programming Initiative.

Interscholastic/youth sports are sustained within local communities with policies and procedures being made primarily on the district, school, and youth league levels. Although, the coordination by governing bodies on the national, local, and state levels are in place to manage processes such as athletic eligibility, championship events, and the implementation of specific coaching and administrative certification initiatives. These governing bodies also create and apply rules and guidelines to all member schools that promote athletic programming to ensure a safe and equitable environment for all student-athletes.

"Girls basketball team starting a match."

Throughout history, many professional athletes and business professionals have participated in interscholastic sports. These individuals also attribute career success to their effective engagement in interscholastic athletics as well. To note, not all athletes who participate in sports will make their way onto a professional sports team but use their athletic experience to help further personal attributes that can assist with future career success in the workforce.

Students who participate in interscholastic sports may not always be doing so for the purpose of reaching higher levels of competition. Further research shows, “Participating in youth athletics has many benefits for youth, including promoting weight control, problem-solving skills, self-esteem, social competence, and academic achievement.” (Barr, et al., 2019). From my experience, I can say that my interscholastic sports activities did help to build up my overall social skills, kept me fit and in shape, and more importantly, kept me off the streets of Miami, FL.

Last but not least, I did maintain my academic performance (and attendance) to ensure eligibility requirements were met. It is important to note that academic eligibility does play a major role when athletes look to secure a scholarship to play on the intercollegiate level.

"Track and field starting line."

Overall, interscholastic sports can help build early attributes that can increase future success on AND off the field. For off-field success, career-building is seen as an important benefit of the student-athlete journey. In summary, interscholastic sports are regarded as a solid foundation for youths while they work toward building sustainable careers, athletically and professionally.

"INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS"

Intercollegiate sports take us from youth and high school to a higher realm of competition and education for student-athletes. In terms of the sports industry, intercollegiate athletics is regarded as a major segment. For example, intercollegiate athletics reached an all-time high of over 600,000 student-athletes participating in leagues of several governing bodies between 2015 and 2016.

"Intercollegiate football team taking the field."

Within intercollegiate athletics, athletes have an opportunity to attend and compete at higher learning institutions while also building pathways for future success when setting career goals.

Intercollegiate athletics are managed by several governing bodies. These organizations are the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), and the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association).

The biggest representation of the NCAA was highlighted by coordinating activities for more than 486,000 student-athletes within all its divisional levels (Division I, II, III). Engagement in alternative governing bodies was further highlighted by the NAIA managing 65,000 student-athletes and the NJCAA managing 58,000 student-athletes in the same timeframe.

{ Did you know? }

In December 1905, 13 presidents from college institutions met and looked to reform the sport of football based on the number of injuries and deaths of student-athletes during competition.

After meeting with reps from 62 other colleges, the IAAUS (Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States) was created to formulate rules that were more exciting, and more importantly, safer for student-athletes. Several years later in 1912, this same group adopted the organizational name of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association).

In the intercollegiate environment, athletes will look to become more independent as they leave home, and at times, relocate hundreds of miles away to start their college journey. Although, many athletes also have the option of remaining closer to home and attending in-state institutions as well.

With this, mastering important attributes such as time management, communication, and leadership, will be key in navigating the rigorous schedules and activities that a student-athlete will encounter throughout their collegiate experience.

"Intercollegiate American football player."

Also, important factors to consider on the intercollegiate level is the care that is taken to "ethically" and "legally" guide athletes in a way that follows rules and regulations that are set forth by the respective governing bodies.

This is due in part to the critical reception of intercollegiate athletics that has now divided parents, athletes, sports managers, and organizations as unethical behaviors have made an imprint in college athletics.

Activities such as improper contact or financial exploitation have resulted in the loss of eligibility for athletes and/or penalties for the institutions or other acting parties involved. Critical reception of college athletics included the high cost associated with fielding athletic teams and how this negatively affects internal and external stakeholders. Stakeholders can include athletes, school faculty, parents, coaches, and students who do not engage in athletics as well.

"Intercollegiate American football game."

Furthermore, other issues that are seen are "continual recruiting violations, academic abuses, concern over athlete health and safety, and behavioral issues from athletes and coaches. (Barr et al., 2019).

There have been various incidents over time that have affected the credibility of the organizations and institutions that govern the athletic and academic activities of student-athletes. Issues relating to topics such as staff abuse (Jerry Sandusky and Penn State), financial expenditures (Pay to Play debate/ Revenue and Expense practices), and staff placement (Hiring Practices for Minorities and Women).

With this, parents, student-athletes, and sports managers should be aware of the numerous organizational, managerial, financial, and legal issues occurring within intercollegiate sports. This will assist with making effective decisions that will continue to promote the safe and sustainable evolution of student-athletes across the globe.

"IN SUMMARY"

There is no doubt in my mind that students (and parents/guardians) put forth great effort in navigating the procedures that make up the student-athlete territory. From the interscholastic to intercollegiate level, the experiences that are possible throughout the journey of a student-athlete are no doubt a great reward for the hard work and dedication that is exerted.

"Youth athlete participating in American football."

With this, a few important factors to consider with athletic programming are the financial aspects of supporting a student-athlete, the policies and guidelines put forth by governing bodies, and the health and safety of student-athletes when entrusting them in the care of sports managers and their respective institutions.

Interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics have a rich history that continues to expand across the globe. With this, numerous opportunities and resources are available that can assist parents, student-athletes, and sports managers in mastering the needed skills to be successful within the sports segment while strengthening career goals and achievements.

If you are in need of assistance, ASE Sports will be happy to help!

We offer various services that are valuable to the success of student-athletes, their parents, and sports managers that can help to evolve skills and attributes within the sports segment.

Feel free to reach out to us with any inquiries and we will be in touch!

"REFERENCES"

-Barr, C., Hums, M., Masteralexis, L. (2019). Principles and Practice of Sport Management: Sixth Edition. Burlington, MA. Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC, an Ascend Learning Company.

-The National Youth Sports Strategy. (2019). Retrieved from https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/National_Youth_Sports_Strategy.pdf