“Are you sure you would be able to handle this position, alongside your sport?” is a question I hear all too often, usually followed by an email that says something along the lines of “Ultimately, we chose someone who may not have as much on their plate.” How is it fair that being a Division One athlete actually disqualifies me from certain jobs, internships, and even activities around campus?
The most recent time I experienced this was in an interview where I was passive-aggressively asked something to the sound of how do you think you can even manage this since you are an athlete? I explained that in the past, I have never had issues balancing my work alongside athletics. I stated that I have been able to manage being a finance major, a Division One athlete, and a participant in sorority life, alongside having leadership positions in both my sorority and the athletics community—and had no issues staying on top of all this. I stayed calm during the interview, but right after I left, I called my mom to rant, absolutely livid that even with so much evidence of my capabilities, someone could doubt me and what I can do.
This is just one experience out of many in regard to the stigma surrounding athletes. I recently saw a video on TikTok that perfectly emphasized what appears that most students think of student-athletes. This video was of a now-graduated student describing a male college basketball player who strolled into class in his slides, oversized joggers, and oversized hoodie (with the hood pulled up, of course). The student-athlete was dragging his feet on the way to his 9 am class, and the girl making the video stated that he looked like he just rolled out of bed, going to a class where his grade didn’t matter since he was going to the “league” anyway. Now, I don’t know where this TikToker went to school, nor do I know what the schedule of the basketball team was. But I can say that there have been plenty of times that I have been in this exact position walking to my 9 am class. Oversized clothes, a pair of slides, hair thrown up in a bun, coffee in hand, and sprinting to make it to class on time. Everyone views it as the classic late-to-class athlete who doesn’t care about their grades or if they are late because, well, they are athletes, so it doesn’t matter.
What if I told you that those athletes got up at 5 am to cook breakfast and pack a lunch before heading to practice from 6-8:45 am. That student then threw on whatever clothes were in their locker before sprinting to their 9 am class in which they have a quiz that they were up until 12 am studying for. That is the reality of a morning for an athlete. It is not that they just rolled out of bed and didn’t care if they were late to class. It is that they got less than 5 hours of sleep, went to practice, didn’t have time to shower, and their legs were so tired after running sprints all morning they were practically dragging themselves to class. So, they pulled their hood up and put on whatever clothes they could find to make sure they could make it to class on time. It disappoints me that people may view athletes like this—that they choose to assume who we are rather than dig deeper to get the facts.
Now you may be thinking, if that’s true, how would you have time for a job, internship, etc. I think that this grueling schedule that student-athletes experience prepares them for success. To endure a schedule like this, you must possess several appealing characteristics such as time management, determination, a hard work ethic, etc. These are all skills that are very useful in the world outside of college and cannot be learned anyway other than through experience. So, many times student-athletes are put on a pedestal, and for good reason. After all, they represent their teams and universities at a national and international level. But people do not appreciate all of the sacrifices we must make. Our time at college is incredibly regimented, leaving very little time for typical college fun. The average college student goes out a couple nights a week. The average college student-athlete, however? In season, they would be lucky if they got to go out two nights in, say, a three-month span. While the off-season may be more forgiving, there are no “Thirsty Thursdays” on an athlete’s calendar during the season (and for those truly dedicated, there isn’t any of this in the off season either, maybe once in a blue moon). If an athlete is in attendance, it is likely that they are holding a water bottle rather than any alcohol. Goofing off with friends? Sorry, no time. Joining clubs or other campus activities? No chance. We give up so much to play our sport.
While this may not be true for all athletes, as some may just be getting by or some really may be going to the league and do not care about their grades, it is important to remember that it is true for most of us. Many of us work hard and put our blood, sweat, and tears (quite literally!) to be the best we can be, not only in our sports but in the classroom and everything else we do as well.
For many student-athletes, there is no “league” for us to move up into, and we do not have multi-million dollar contracts awaiting us as soon as we decide to leave school or graduate. In fact, while in school, there is no bidding war over us. The majority of us are not making wheelbarrows full of NIL cash, most of us aren’t even making a penny! Most of us endure all of this FOR THE LOVE OF THE SPORT. Eventually, our lives as athletes will end when we graduate, and we will have to function in the real world just like all other students.
This is a transition that is far from easy, as you are retiring from something you loved that was such a big part of your life for anywhere from 10 to 20 years.
So yes, we may not always look put together, or even fully awake, but that is not a reflection that we don’t care. It is the exact opposite. To accomplish all that we do takes every ounce of energy we can muster. We are capable of achieving so much, and this serves as proof of just how dedicated, determined, and motivated we are to learn AND compete, despite carrying an extra burden few others could truthfully manage successfully. We aren’t special because we play sports, but because we do everything that all the other students do AND have a full-time job called collegiate sports. My hope is someday, we won’t be penalized for it.
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