User:MrCampion10/sandbox

Track is one of the most grueling sports here at school.

Background

Track was extremely fun in elementary and high school. Loved it so much.

Currently

Track is becoming ever so draining, not even physically but more so mentally which i never thought would ever be the case.

Topic

Student athlete

Historical Perspective on Student Athletes

Competitive intercollegiate sports were not introduced into post secondary education in the United States until the nineteenth century. The first popular collegiate sport was crew but this was short lived as high media coverage and scholarships made football a lucrative industry in the late 1880s. As interest in football grew so also did its aggressiveness and thus its resulting injuries. The NCAA was born out of President Theodore Roosevelt's demand to reform college football. He wanted this because football was an extremely rough sport which caused many serious injuries.Since the 1930s the relationship between sports and universities have been turbulent.

Since the 1930s the media's coverage of sports has proven to be a big time revenue earner for schools' sports programs.(ref)This coverage of sports draws attention towards the schools and this in turn not only affects the financial capabilities of the institution but also its enrollment. To deal with many of the ills within intercollegiate sports the NCAA has put together a number of pieces of legislation. In the past two decades, the NCAA has implemented several landmark policies to address some of the persistent concerns about the role of intercollegiate athletics in post-secondary education and the conflicting demands faced by student athletes, notably Proposition 48.

Definition

A student athlete is described as a person who is both pursuing an education and a sport simultaneously. This concept is used to describe the direct balance between a full time student and a full time athlete. A student athlete need not get monetary compensation from their academic institution although many of them do. Thus any individual who is enrolled in a full time academic program and competes as a varsity athlete irrespective of monetary assistance from that institution is a student athlete.

Athletic Scholarships

In the United States, athletic scholarships are largely regulated by either the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) or the National Collegiate Athletic Association. These bodies govern the eligibility of student athletes to receive scholarships as well as stipulate scholarship rules once the scholarship has been given. The type and amount of scholarship money received depends on which one of these governing bodies a school is affiliated with.

For athletes, wanting to enter a Division I university, participate in a varsity sport and receive scholarship money, they will have to be cleared by the NCAA clearing house. The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions. It does this by reviewing the student-athlete's academic record, SAT or ACT scores, and amateur status to ensure conformity with NCAA rules. In order to be eligible for an athletic scholarship there are four main requirements by the NCAA. These requirements are: 1)Graduate from high school, 2)Complete the required number of core high school courses i.e. for Division 1 four years of English,three years of math (Algebra I or higher),two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered by your high school),one additional year of English, math, or natural or physical science,two years of social science,four years of extra core courses (from any category listed here, a foreign language, or non-doctrinal religion or philosophy)and Division 2 three years of English,two years of math (Algebra I or higher),two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered by your high school),two additional years of English, math, or natural or physical science,two years of social science,three years of additional core courses from any category listed here, a foreign language, or non-doctrinal religion or philosophy. 3)Earn a minimum GPA on a 4.0 scale in required core academic courses. For Division I, the GPA you must earn depends upon your SAT or ACT score, and is specified in a GPA/test score index published by the NCAA. For Division II, the minimum required GPA is 2.0. 4)Achieve a minimum SAT or ACT score. For the SAT, the NCAA looks at your combined best scores on the SAT critical reading and mathematics sections. For the ACT, it's the sum of your best scores on the English, mathematics, reading, and science sections. For Division I, the score you must meet or exceed depends upon your GPA, and is specified in a GPA/test score index published by the NCAA. For Division II, the minimum SAT score is 820 and the minimum ACT score is 68.

Athletic scholarships help athletes to participate for their institutions athletically and academically without the burden of trying to finance their own education. Without athletic scholarships student athletes would not have this opportunity. Scholarships give many student athletes the opportunity to use their athletic talents and get an education. This may or may not put additional pressures on student athletes to perform because coaches have invested so much money into them. Scholarship athletes do not have the luxury of quitting their sports teams without consequence of losing the money that had been previously given to them and so they may have to carry the burden of pressure for longer than they would want and this can possibly become unbearable. These athletes also have to perform because their scholarship isn’t guaranteed for 4 years. Athletic scholarships must be renewed each year and that's at the coach's discretion. The pressure to maintain athletic scholarships can distract stressed students from what should be their main goal—earning a college degree.

Student Athlete Pressures

Student athletes put a great deal of time into their studies and in their sport. student athletes face high levels of stress related to their performances both in their sport and in the classroom. This stress is heightened by the expectations placed on the student athletes, by their coaches, administration and teammates to perform at a very high level. According to Kissinger, student athletes generally face six distinctive challenges: 1) balancing athletic and academic responsibilities, 2) balancing social activities with athletic responsibilities, 3)balancing athletic success and or failures with emotional stability, 4) balancing physical health and injury with the need to continue competing, 5) balancing the demands of relationships with entities such as coaches, teammates, parents and friends and ; 6) addressing the termination of one's college athletic athletic career.

Pressures such as time constraints, use of drugs and alcohol consumption and student athlete identity among others can affect the ability of student athletes to function within regular society. Student athletes are likely to face great challenges in addressing identity. College athletics may form an ego identity for athletes as parents, peers, and even strangers give praises and accolades to athletes for their performance. This support and encouragement might seem positive—but when recognition comes only for athletic competence, a person’s entire sense of self-worth hinges on making big plays and winning the game. When an athlete is unable to deliver at such a high level he/she may come under tremendous pressure. This pressure can be self inflicted or oftentimes media driven. Student athletes typically experience different levels of stress based on various things that happen during their college lives for example pursuing a degree, time management and fluctuations between new experiences and transitions among others. All the experiences are heightened because everyone expects them to perform well at a high level all the time both inside and outside of the classroom. The consequences of not performing are very intense and can be severe and could even take the form of ridicule or even worse.

This may be viewed as problem because students should be making tangible steps toward a future that focuses on all of their strengths, not just their athleticism but things such as professional contracts entice student athletes to put more effort into their sport. Ego identity can become fragile when society defines a developing personality based upon superficial values. This pressure can become overbearing and students have committed suicide. Sarah Devens, a three sport star and all American went to Dartmouth, an ivy league, high academic institution, committed suicide, taking a .22-caliber rifle and shooting herself in the chest. She had a mental breakdown as the pressure became too much for her to handle. She had always lived up to the expectations of her coaches and peers but she was not completely happy. For coaches the sport comes first but they are very understanding to the academic rigors that especially non scholarship athletes go through. At times coaches will ask athletes to make them aware of pending tests or assignments. Student athletes experience complex developmental issues that should be addressed in the programs and policies created by the institution. There are tremendous amounts of responsibility and high expectations placed on the shoulders of all the young athletes who come to our institutions. If what is expected of them is success in the classroom as well as on the court or field, it is imperative that support be provided at all levels of the institution so that they can be intellectually, emotionally, and physically fit.

Student Athlete Performance

Even with all the pressures that student athletes face throughout each academic year, many seem to still perform at a very high level in both their sports and academics.The student athlete performance rating (SAPR) is combines elements important to a college athlete who wants the best showcase for his/her athletic talent and academic prowess. One way in which student-athletes' academic performance is predicted is by use of the Academic Progress Rate (APR). Academic Progress Rate is an NCAA tool that measures the success of a program moving its athletes toward graduation. It takes into account academic eligibility and retention — whether the athletes stay in school.

Division I sports team calculate their APR each academic year, based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. It also serves as a predictor of graduation success. A prime example of this is that Northwestern led the Big Ten and broke its own school record by earning 75 Academic All-Big Ten honors in six fall sports in 2008. The Wildcats led the league in honors per sport. The Wildcats' 75 total honors in one sport season breaks their previous school mark of 68 set in the fall of 2007. Northwestern's football program bested its previous high of 18 awards in 2007 with a whopping 26 Academic All-Big Ten honorees in 2008. Overall in 2008-09, Northwestern has won 116 Academic All-Big Ten honors through the fall and winter sport seasons, while adding five ESPN The Magazine Academic All District V and three ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America accolades. Student athletes continue to do great things both academically and athletically. Another important measure of student athlete performance is known as the academic success rate (ASR). The ASR uses the number of team wins in the last 5 years,the team’s all-time winning percentage,number of conference championships in the last 5 years,total attendance at recent home games,number of bowl games in the last 5 years, number of national rankings 25th or above in the last 5 years and number of program players currently playing in the National Football League or National Basketball Association.