Student Athlete - Student Athlete Pressures

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 career. Another challenge student college athlete’s face is pushing their self to be their best every day. Being a collegiate athlete you have a lot of expectations such as coaches wanting athletes perform at your highest level every day, and your professors expect you to complete all your work, study, and doing loads of homework.

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 often 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.