The expectations of colleges for student athletes at top programs make academic pursuits an after thought.
“A new study suggests that the organizational culture of those programs prioritizes athletic success at the expense of academics — and that athletes are unfairly blamed for the academic failures that result from such a system,” according to Inside Higher Ed.
The study has renewed criticism over “student athlete” as a term, along with the expectations and restrictions colleges have for those students.
The study, conducted by University of California at Riverside Professors Uma Jayakumar and Eddie Comeaux, focused on one university. Due to the time required for athletes to practice their sport — 40 hours — student athletes lacked the time to be anything except athletes.
“Findings reveal a cultural-cover up imposed by an idealized image of achieving excellence in academics and athletics, that masks inadequate organizational support toward academic success,” Jayakumar and Comeau wrote.
The NCAA promotes the “value of college sports,” but rarely investigates accusations that top-performing athletic programs overburden their students. Promotional materials that give the appearance of balance and academic rigor suffice to cover the reality. That can harm what student athletes pursue after their college years.
“Underlying messages and structures push college athletes toward a greater focus on athletics at the expense of their academic futures,” Jayakumar and Comeaux noted.
College athletes view themselves differently from what’s expected of them.
“I’ve taught hundreds of Division 1 student athletes at several different schools, and they have been among the hardest working students I’ve encountered. The student athletes I’ve worked with have viewed their sport as a complement to, not a replacement for, their studies,” Daniel Oppenheimer wrote for Time.
For students who saw sports as their path to a college education, the structure of college athletics has undermined their goals and can hold them back.
The New York Times has gone so far as to call the student athlete a “myth” because the two parts of that term have become incompatible. Graduation rates and academic criteria, at least for top-tier football and men’s basketball players, are lower than their non-athlete peers.
The weaker academic results don’t grow from the shortcomings of student athletes, according to Jayakumar and Comeaux. Instead, the blame is on the athletic culture and system that requires students to sacrifice for athletic success above all else.
