Athletes and Academics
By Sean Patten
The life of a student-athlete includes early practice, sore legs and long trips to games. Academics do not seem like a priority to the naked eye but to athletes like Taylor Herd, a senior guard for Quinnipiac’s women’s basketball team and Jack Zimmerman, a junior guard at Connecticut College, academics are very important.
“We drive up to the arena, get our ankles taped by 9:30 a.m. and are on the court for stretch by 10 a.m. Practice starts at 10:15 a.m. and runs until 12:30 p.m. Herd said. “We lift with our strength and conditioning coach, Coach B, on most Thursdays and then I have 10 minutes of media.”
(Graphic by Sean Patten)
“Wake up at 8 a.m. every day, class till 9:15 p.m., then depending on the day, we either do weight training and conditioning or have a live practice, Zimmerman said. “After practice, I head right back to class for five hours straight, when you are an athlete you learn to eat while you can.”
Every day is different for each athlete. It depends on how their schedule goes, what their major is and the difficulty of the classes they take. Herd, a journalism major, has to work in classes like her capstone class, which requires her to be in class from 2 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. every Thursday. There is little to no free time for athletes. They must take advantage of the time they have off to relax and to be a regular college student.
Zimmerman said that’s easier said than done.
“When I have time to myself I start to panic, worrying that I forgot to do something because I am not used to having so much free time. I guess it helps you be more efficient,” Zimmerman said.
(Picture by www.theday.com)
Right after class, Zimmerman and Herd hit the gym and workout. The defending MAAC champions take no days off. Many students do not understand the pressure athletes are under, having to be at every practice, at every game and still be able to perform in the classroom. For the men’s and women’s teams it depends on the coach. A consistent work ethic and playing a sport takes a toll on one’s body, particularly for Zimmerman.
“Usually when I get home my body is lifeless, but as an athlete one most power through. Getting cramps while studying is normal for me,” Zimmerman said. “Our coach runs us hard but it is to prepare us for the season and the competition we will face.”
(Picture by Sean Patten)
Despite all of the work these athletes put in, they still feel as if they get no respect in the classroom.
“Some professors have this stigma against athletes that we don’t focus as well in the classroom, we want to get out of doing work, or are entitled to good grades,” Herd said. “In reality, we’re trying our best! We have a lot of responsibilities as athletes, on and off the court, and some athletes struggle to balance it all. There’s also the mental challenges that athletes face that carry into the classroom.”
(Picture by https://gobobcats.com/)
But associate professor at Quinnipiac University Molly Yanity disagrees.
“I have had many athletes in classes and, in almost every circumstance, enjoyed them more than non-athlete students,” Yanity said. “Students who play at the Division I level typically have good time management skills and are committed to every aspect of being an athlete, which includes doing well in school. Generally, they come to class more regularly, they get assignments in on time and are more committed.”
Associate professor at Quinnipiac Richard Hanley said he hasn’t heard student-athletes complain in his classes.
“That said, I have had no issues with student-athletes in my classes. I haven’t heard of faculty unfairly singling out student-athletes on academic performance issues,” Hanley said. “I don’t see how any faculty member looks down on any student-athletes or otherwise. As the NCAA faculty representative, I would hear about that and I simply don’t get any complaints.”
According to athletenetwork.com, most college athletes face the same stereotype about getting a helping hand. So, if someone assisted a student-athlete in completing an assignment or if the athlete was caught cheating, there would be academic consequences, potentially a suspension from the team.
(Picture by http://www.davidsonian.com/)
Thomas Colicchio is one of the managers on the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team who travels and spends a lot of time with the team. That said, he knows the squad very well.
“They work hard on and off the court no doubt about it. When they are not on the court traveling or playing in a game, they are either in the library like a normal student or in class trying to better themselves as human beings,” Colicchio said. “Most of them realize that a very small percentage of college athletes go pro, but they all believe they have the skills to go pro in something else.”
Being a student comes before being an athlete for a reason, and athletes realize its significance. According to NCAA.com, less than 2% of college athletes end up going pro in their given sport. It does not matter how much they love the sport because they realize they might not be good enough to play sports for a living.
(Graphic by https://datasocietydecisionmakingsp2018.wordpress.com/)
It seems as if Herd has become accustomed to the life of a student-athlete.
Herd said: “My stress from academics throughout a semester depends on what classes I’m taking and how many. Strategically, I have been taking 12 credits per semester to lighten my load during the season, then I take 3-6 credits in the summer when I’m on campus for workouts.”
Classmates appear to be less forgiving than professors.
“However, this semester, I am in 16 credits and have my senior classes to complete. So completing my capstone project was challenging for me considering it was so work-intensive. It’s all about studying on the bus instead of napping or watching Netflix, getting up an hour early before an 8 a.m. class to finish an assignment. You learn to take advantage of every break you have between classes and practice.”
HQ press surveyed 28 Quinnipiac students asking if they believe that student-athletes are given unfair advantages in the classroom. Almost 80% of the students answered yes. Quinnipiac students indicated that student-athletes are given unfair resources in the classroom.
Zimmerman seemed bothered that students believe athletes are treated better in the classroom and on campus.
“I’m hurt that students believe we are treated better. That’s just the way college athletics goes,” Zimmerman said. “I love playing basketball and do not care what my peers think. I do my own work and have earned not been given anything in college.”
Even with the scrutiny from her fellow classmates, Herd wouldn’t change being a student-athlete.
“I do not regret being a student-athlete,” Herd said, “I love competing, I love being fit, and I love being a part of a team.”
“The places I’ve visited with my team and the things we’ve accomplished as a program are irreplaceable – I’m a part of history,” Herd said. “The lessons basketball has taught me have bettered my life and I see the carry-over into the work field. I’ve mastered time management as a skill, and basketball has made me a confident individual. That confidence carries into my everyday life.”
(Graph by Sean Patten)