Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

This is based on interviews with 35 student-athletes, 20 of whom had graduated at the time of the interview, 15 of whom were current student-athletes. It looks at the messages received as well as who sends the messages. Family and significant others emphasized the importance of degree completion, while coaches emphasized either eligibility or excellence in the classroom. However, not all coaches backed this emphasis up with action; those in smaller divisions allowed their athletes to miss practices for academic reasons without penalizing by reducing playing time, while coaches at bigger schools expected perfect attendance at team activities, regardless of reason. This paper also looks at time constraints student-athletes face, pressures they have, and looks at how to help student-athletes improve their academic performance without reducing the rigor of academic standards. Whereas previous research focused on student-athlete struggles in the classroom as a given and as a matter of attitude, this paper looks at how student-athletes define success, the obstacles they face, and suggests academic performance is more a structural issue than a cultural or attitudinal one.