Written by Tilasha Williams
There are many differences between student athletes and the full-time student. Some may think that the student athlete is lucky, receiving more advantages over a regular student. This is not the case. A student athlete has more responsibilities than some may realize. That includes two to three workouts a day, team meetings, individual meetings with the coach, mandatory study hall hours and extra required practice sessions.
All of these different things play a role in a student athlete’s daily routine.
A regular student may have free time throughout the day to rest, study for a test or quiz or maybe get some homework done. An average student athlete has about 2 hours a day to get their work done, due to all of their responsibilities. This is what they are here to do; play the sport they were recruited for. Sometimes, coaches are not concerned with the academic part. As long as the student earns a 2.0 GPA, they’re eligible to play.
Coaches are more concerned about the student athlete’s performance in play. At the end of the day, this is a business for them. The team needs to win in order for the coach to successfully keep their job. People may think just because these student athletes receive scholarships that pay for school, they have it easy. It isn’t that simple. Yes, the student athlete does get everything payed for on scholarship. You have to take into consideration that they work very hard for that money. Nothing is given to them. They work hard every day in practice along with all of the extra requirements that come with the sport they play.
When the team travels, the coaches make the games top priority. Classes don’t stop just because of an away game. Assignments are to be turned in on the set due date. Certain instructors do not accept late work. One can be called lucky if a professor will work with the student athlete while they are away. Student athletes may seem to have it easy, but it is way more complicated than that.
