Should high school students who participate in sports still be considered student-athletes, or should they really be considered athlete-students?
Student athletes, unlike most students, have two commitments: one to their sport and the other to their education. Student athletes face many hardships, especially trying to balance their academics with their sport. Sometimes student athletes become so focused on their sport that they begin to slack off in their schoolwork. Other times students will focus on their schoolwork first, and then their sport after. Finding the right balance between the two can become really difficult for many student athletes.
Even though student athletes dedicate themselves to both athletics and academics, they still understand that their education is important. While also participating in their sport, they are required to keep up with all their assignments and studying for tests despite weekly games and daily practices. When dedicating time to either sports or academics the balance tends to shift constantly. Many athletes will find themselves extremely invested in their sports over their schoolwork.
Many have gone on to play around with the words “student athlete” on social media making jokes over going and forth from being a athlete students or student athletes. The athlete student idea says being an athlete comes before being a student well the other says being a student comes before being an athlete. However, personally I have felt that at certain points being a part of a sport can easily take over one's person's life over their schoolwork.
Playing soccer for basically my whole life, I definitely find it difficult to find the right balance between both my education and my sports. Over timeI feel like I relate to the student athlete side because in the first place, you have to keep good grades in order to play on a sports team. Also, you don’t necessarily need to play a sport to get into college, so I think schoolwork should come first. However, time management is really important so you can stay committed to your sport while also getting your homework done. You do eventually get used to the balancing act and find ways to make time for both. Even if it means canceling plans or staying up late to finish your work, you have to somehow find a way to get everything done.
Establishing the balance between being an athlete as well as a student you have to use your time wisely. Having a plan to get all your work done around your sports schedule can help a lot. For example, if you are traveling for your sport, you can use the time in the car or on the plane to do your schoolwork. Having your priorities straight is also very important when you get busy trying to balance school and sports; having a to-do list and a schedule of your practices and games can also really help find time to get things done.
Staying committed to both school and sports can become really stressful at times. Sometimes students put their schoolwork before their sport, and sometimes they put their sport before their schoolwork. Either way, student athletes eventually have to learn to manage their time so they can stay dedicated to both their education as well as athletics.