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Montana Ott

Professor Ferrara

ENW 100

5 December 2019

The Affect of Athletics on Academics

Being a student-athlete is incredibly rewarding when it comes to championships, but how

else can it help us to succeed? Most people would expect athletes to fall short in academics

because of the demanding schedule that reduces time for schoolwork and adds stress. The

qualities that athletes develop throughout their careers positively impact their academics. On

average, athletes have a stronger mindset than their non-athletic peers that helps them to perform

well under pressure. Athletes develop character that helps them to excel on and off the field.

They are better equipped with the skills to effectively study and learn to the best of their ability

and also to interact socially. Participating in athletics at the college level does not negatively

affect a student’s academic performance and could possibly improve it.

Athletes are asked to put so much time into their sport that it becomes difficult not to

make it their first priority. With this situation, it seems expected that being an athlete would

conflict with being a successful student. It is shown through several studies that being an athlete

is more effective for academics than being a non-athlete because it prevents kids from becoming

involved in harmful activities, such as watching television. Elsevier shows that athletes spend

significantly more time doing homework and less watching television (Pfeifer & Cornelißen,

2010 95). In a study presented by Elsevier, it is clearly shown that frequent smokers, drinkers,

marijuana users, and cocaine users a less likely to graduate from high school (Pfeifer &
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Cornelißen, 2010 95). Participating in sports takes up the time that children could use to get

involved in these unhealthy activities.

Athletes seem to excel in sports as well as academics because of the character that they

develop from a young age. No matter what age participation in sports begins, it affects almost

everyone in the same way. Through any sport, an athlete develops a mindset that can help them

succeed on the field, in the classroom, and in life. Athletes have the drive to work hard on the

field, which allows them to have the motivation to work hard in the classroom (Pfeifer &

Cornelißen, 2010 95). The dynamic of sports shows an athlete the discipline that is required to

finish tasks at hand to the best of their ability (Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010 95). Athletics are very

competitive, especially when playing at a higher level. Every athlete is striving to be the best,

and this surely translates to the classroom (Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010 95). Athletes also have

the tendency to hold themselves to a higher standard, making their competitiveness show

(Hartmann, 2008). Learning how to handle sweet victories and heartbreaking losses that come

with participation in sports teaches athletes how to cope with situations outside of sports. The

aspects of an athlete’s character are developed by their participation in sports from a young age

all the way through the end of their career.

Athletes are often found to have better time-management, organization, and productivity.

As a result of a demanding schedule with practices and travel times, an athlete has less time to

complete their assignments. Rather than compromising their academic performance in order to

keep up with their sport, it is shown that athletes develop better time management (Altobelli,

2019). The motivation for developing this skill could be to remain eligible for their sport, or

simply because of the discipline and virtue that they develop from being involved in athletics

(Hartmann, 2008). Athletes have also been found to be more organized than non-athletes due to
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the designated times for work and play (Hartmann, 2008). Sports require responsibility and the

ability to be accountable for yourself. When these qualities shift into academics, and individual is

forced to examine themselves and push their limits. All of these skills that develop through

sports directly affect the productivity of a student athlete.

GPA of Athletes vs. Non - Athletes

5

4.5

3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
Mean Median SD Min Max

Athletes Non Athlete

(Fleming, 2015)

This chart shows the comparison between the grade point averages of athletes and non-

athletes. As you can see, athletes, which are represented in blue, are shown to have a

significantly higher grade point average that their nonathlete peers, who are represented in

orange. The average GPA of an athlete is 3.28. The average GPA of a non-athlete is 2.99. This

information shows that there is a significant difference between the two categories. This

evidence further supports the claim that athletics are beneficial to academic performance.
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Not only does participation in sports affect an individual’s academic performance, but it

can help them to better understand the social world and work well with others. From the

beginning of an athlete’s career, they are taught to respect their coaches. Although they are in

charge of their own athletic performance through drive and ability, they are taught discipline and

to take orders from their coaches (Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010 95). This element of their athletic

experience can show through in the classroom by treating their teachers and principals with

increased attention and respect (Hartmann, 2008). Athletes develop relationships with a variety

of people throughout their career that could result in lifelong friendships. Socialization is

encouraged in sports in order to create stronger team chemistry. This socialization helps a team

to develop teamwork in order to succeed. This quality translates to the classroom in situations

such as working on group projects. Being the captain of a sports team, or a recreational coach for

children molds an athlete into a role model. Being a role model on the field and in other athletic

activities can help an athlete to take leadership roles in the classroom and other extracurricular

activities. Working well with other is a quality that is helpful on the field and in the classroom,

but also prepares an athlete for the work force and the outside world.

Being involved in athletics has many benefits to improve sports performance, academic

performance, and overall lifestyle. Physical activity is shown to reduce stress and anxiety

(Altobelli, 2019). This makes sports an effective way to release the stress acquired from

schoolwork. Participating in sports has also been found to allow student-athletes to thrive under

pressure (Altobelli, 2019). The pressure of a big game can be related to the pressure of a big

assignment. An athlete is already adapted to handling an important situation on the field and they

have the ability to push themselves in order to handle pressure in the classroom as well. A topic

as important as cognitive function is also affected by participation in sports. Students that are
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involved in athletics were shown to have a higher active brain function than students who do not

participate in sports (Altobelli, 2019). This results in higher concentration as well as better

behavior (Altobelli, 2019). Not only does physical activity help the brain to perform better, but it

improves overall health (Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010 95). Better overall health can increase the

productivity of a student because when a person feels better, they are more willing to complete

assignments in order to succeed. (Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010, 95). Having a healthy mind and

body leads to an overall healthy lifestyle, resulting in longevity and happiness (Hartmann, 2008).

Although participation in sports affects almost everyone in a positive way, it was found

to have more of an influence on women (Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010 95). This is caused by

increase competitiveness, which is used to assert themselves with boys in the academic setting

(Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010 95). Also, playing sports allows women to accept to the difference

in gender within sports that begins at a young age (Pfeifer & Cornelißen, 2010 95). When

women are able to accept this, they choose how they can fight for their gender equality and

attempt to do so on the field and especially in the classroom. Even though women seem to be

more impacted by athletics, it reaches everyone in some positive way.

Individuals are in charge of their own success, but how does this affect the bigger

picture? Studies done by LA84 show that areas with better sports programs also have higher state

test scores than areas with weaker sports programs (Hartmann, 2008). This shows that athletics

affects groups as a whole when it comes to academics. Athletes were also shown to have higher

post-school wages than non-athletes, as well as a higher income (Hartmann, 2008). Of course,

this does not represent all cases, but on average, participation in sports positively affects

individual academic performance as well as within an entire community.

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The role of a student-athlete is surely a challenge, but it benefits individuals in many

ways. Participating in sports is a healthy leisure activity that can help student remain focused on

their studies. Athletics also help to develop the qualities that are needed to become a successful

student. Through motivation, discipline, competitiveness, and virtue gained from sports, athletes

are able to achieve anything they set their mind to. Despite the demanding schedules and added

stress, athletes have the determination to a successful athlete as well as a successful student. The

overachieving quality of most athletes translates to an overachieving attitude in the classroom.

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Works Cited

Altobelli, Laura. “Does Participation in Sports Negatively Affect Academics?” SportsRec, Leaf

Group Media, 15 Oct. 2019, https://www.sportsrec.com/8266790/does-participation-in-

sports-negatively-affect-academics.

Fleming, Kara. “A Comparison of Athletes vs Non-Athletes Grade Point Average.” Nwmissouri,

15 July 2015, https://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/researchpapers/2015/Fleming,

Kara.pdf.

Hartmann, Douglas. “HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS PARTICIPATION AND EDUCATIONAL

ATTAINMENT: RECOGNIZING, ASSESSING, AND UTILIZING THE

RELATIONSHIP.” LA84 Foundation, 2008. Google Scholar, https://la84.org/wp-

content/uploads/2016/09/HighSchoolSportsParticipation.pdf.

Pfeifer, Christian, and Thomas Cornelißen. “The Impact of Participation in Sports on

Educational Attainment—New Evidence from Germany.” Economics of Education

Review, vol. 29, no. 1, 2010, pp. 94–103., doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2009.04.002