Student-athletes are students in college who also play
competitive sports for their college or university. A student-athlete’s life is
hectic and full of challenges. These athletes face mental, physical, and
emotional struggles every day. Student-athletes have to not only attend
their practices, games, and film sessions but also all of their classes.
Student-athletes have to carry a specific GPA to be eligible to play, allowed
to only play four years, attend every class, and many teams have study hall on
top of their practice schedule. Student-athletes may have these struggles yet
their passion for their sport is worth the busy schedule.
Student-athletes
face mental challenges on and off the field. A few mental struggles that
student-athletes off the field have is managing their time from rushing to
classes while trying to feed their bodies, time management between games and
traveling, and balancing a social life. Some on the field struggles are mentally
preparing yourself to push your body to limits your never thought you could and
recovering from mistakes that were made on the field or court either by your
own mistakes or a teammates. Many times, athletes struggle mentally both on the field and
off because as athletes you are taught to strive to be perfect in your sport
that often carries off the field, yet perfection just doesn’t exist.
Student-athletes
struggle physically on and off the field. They struggle on the field by pushing
their bodies in games, practices, and in weight trainings. Many even struggle
with supplying their body with enough nutrients needed of all food groups. If
these student-athletes do not do that their performance suffers as well as
their ability to think correctly in the classroom. Many student-athletes battle with
getting enough sleep due to trying to finish their classwork and also maintaining their
social life. Student-athletes struggle emotionally with stress and
anxiety with trying keeping up with school, performing at the highest level in their sport, and their
social life especially if they are in relationships.
All and all
students-athletes are one-of-a-kind people. Student-athletes struggle with all
different kinds of things especially mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Their work and time commitment in both school and in their sport can take a
toll on themselves as a whole. Student-athletes love their sport so much that
it outweighs the struggles.
