The Negative Side of a Student-Athlete (2024)

FAQs

What are the negative effects of sports on student-athletes? ›

The more an athlete stresses about their sport, the more damaging they do to their mental health. They have a harder time focusing on their academics and worry about keeping their grades up. Stress during exam week also makes athletes more likely to become injured or ill.

Student-athletes have a unique college experience in comparison to the average student because they are faced with nearly no free time, frequently travel for games, and must ensure they maintain their academic standards throughout.

It requires effective time management, fosters physical and mental well-being, and cultivates valuable leadership and teamwork skills. However, it can also impact academic performance and comes with injury risks and emotional stress.

By playing and working alongside teammates and coaches, student-athletes learn and develop essential life skills like leadership, time management, and working with others to achieve a common goal.

Negative psychological effects

The Journal of Athletic Training suggests that intense training can lead to social isolation and that intrinsic characteristics such as perfectionism and unrealistic expectations from parents and coaches (to win all the time, for example) can result in excessive psychological stress.

Sport can also have a negative effect on the psyche. This is often the case in professional sports, where there is high pressure to succeed and lots of ambition. However, too much sport can also trigger stress in amateur athletes if it is practiced too intensively and frequently.

Injuries and setbacks in sports can add to the stress of student-athletes while most non-student athletes are less likely to be injured. This shows that student-athletes face a lot more stress because of the amount of physical stress that can be put on their bodies.

Student-athlete mental health may be affected by the constant stress of maintaining elite athletic performance while balancing class and a healthy social life. Student-athletes may also struggle with body dysmorphia, heckling from spectators, low self-esteem, and sleep deprivation.

While sports offer numerous physical and mental health benefits, they can have disadvantages such as the risk of injuries, pressure on athletes, and potential for burnout. Additionally, intense competition may lead to a focus on winning at the expense of enjoying the activity itself.

While athletic participation can contribute to character development and teach teamwork skills, it does not necessarily translate to improved academic performance. Additionally, collegiate athletic programs have faced issues such as exploitation of student-athletes and unethical practices.

What are the pros and cons of youth sports? ›

Participating in youth sports has many benefits. It helps develop socialization, gross motor skills, strength, endurance and self-esteem. But intense training in just one sport can potentially cause an overuse injury, burnout or both.

Academic and Career Benefits

Participation in team sports results in a higher GPA for both high school boy and girl athletes. Physically active children are 15% more likely to attend college. Former student athletes tend to earn significantly higher incomes than those who did not play sports.

Academic-related worries negatively impact student-athlete mental health more than any other factor. Student-athletes reported that planning for the future, financial worries, playing time and family worries were also key factors negatively impacting their mental health.

Sports help you manage stress. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, the chemicals in your brain that relieve pain and stress. It also reduces the levels of stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. Studies have shown that 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day can make people feel calmer.

Participating in youth sports has many benefits. It helps develop socialization, gross motor skills, strength, endurance and self-esteem. But intense training in just one sport can potentially cause an overuse injury, burnout or both.

Data also confirms that student-athletes are at a greater risk of substance abuse, social anxiety, and eating disorders (i.e., anorexia, bulimia) than other students.

The Cons Of Playing Team Sports

This can create a hostile environment and contribute to feelings inadequacy for individuals. Teams can also create a pack-like-mentality which usually sees an individual emerge as a leader. While having a leader is not something negative within itself, it can have negative consequences.

The evidence indicates that participation in sport (community and elite) is related to better mental health, including improved psychological well-being (for example, higher self-esteem and life satisfaction) and lower psychological ill-being (for example, reduced levels of depression, anxiety, and stress), and ...