Cody Perdue Instructor Agosta English 1102 12 April 2014 How does being a student-athlete affect ones identity?

It is often asked, what exactly is identity? Depending on who you talk to or where you are you are likely to receive several different responses. When considering identity it is important to note that not everyone views it in the same light and not everyone has the same identity. Every person has certain qualities about them that make up who they are and no one person is the same even though they may share similar qualities with another person. To explore the term identity even more I did an inquiry topic project and did extensive research on this particular inquiry topic. The topic that I chose to focus on was about studentathletes and the different qualities that make up who they are. My question was How does being a student-athlete at the college level affect ones identity? One of the main reasons that I chose this topic is because I felt that it would be very interesting to learn about. As a former studentathlete at the high school level I am aware of some of the grit and self-motivation it takes to excel in both academics and athletics. I know that being a student-athlete made up a big part of who I am and a big part of who my teammates were. The sport that I chose to narrow my research down on was football. I did this because football is my favorite sport and I have a personal relationship with multiple players on UNC Charlottes football team.

I gathered a list of ten quality questions that I intended to answer throughout the course of my research. From there I went on to do research on each question that I planned on asking. The questions ranged from academic performance to stereotypes that college student-athletes face on an everyday basis. I used many different websites and conducted some interviews with people directly involved with the UNC Charlotte football team. I had great success using the Atkins library database. This is where I found the majority of my information relating to my topic. One of the questions that I decided to do research on was whether or not that there is a direct relationship between athletic participation and academic performance. One of the things that I discovered was that many people feel that participating in sports hinders a students ability to succeed in the classroom. Others feel that sports actually enable some students to perform better in school. They see sports as a means to self-motivation for certain athletes. Athletes know that if they dont perform well enough in the classroom then they will not be able to participate on the athletic field. A study at Binghamton University revealed that a lot of times athletes are less prepared for college than students who are solely going for school. This is brought to the light by their generally lower high school class ranks and their lower GPAS. The study also showed that academic performance is related to race and sport. Football and basketball players tend to perform worse than most other athletes. I interviewed Nick Halmon who is a freshman football player here at UNC Charlotte. I asked him whether or not he thought that being a student-athlete affected his academic performance. He said that he believes that there is a direct relationship between the two. He stated a lot of times it is hard for me to perform well in an 8:00am class because the majority of the time I am coming from a 6:00am lifting session. He also said that he believes playing

football at UNC Charlotte is a motivation for him to keep doing well in school. I cant afford to let my family and friends back home who count on me down. This really made me wonder about why some athletes struggle in school. A lot of times they have busier schedules and a more demanding workload than that of the general student. This decline in academic performance in some ways can be accredited to the heavier workload in which they face. I asked Greg Cunningham Jr. who is a sophomore football player here at UNC Charlotte for his thoughts on the academic performance topic. He said that as an athlete who commits to play football at a university you know what is going to be asked of you and you know ahead of time that you are going to have a lot on your plate all the time. He said the key is getting a routine and knowing how to manage your time. This really shed some light on the amount of demand that is placed on football players. The next question that I chose to pursue further research on was how do student-athletes manage their time so that they are successful both on and off the playing field. I discovered that many of the athletes have to make sacrifices each day in order to stay afloat. They are forced to arrange their schedules around practice and lifting times. The freshman football players must do at least 12 hours of study hall each week on top of going to class. Thats basically like 2 extra hours of classroom added into their daily schedule. They must also make decisions such as when to pass up on a nap to study or when to pass up eating to get some sleep. I have a hard enough time managing my time without playing any sport. I asked Nick how he manages his time each day. He said that it varies depending on what time his classes are and what times he has workout sessions. Most of the time I am getting less than 5 hours of sleep per night because I am staying up studying or trying to catch up on my school work. According to Nick the biggest skill that I have learned since coming to college is how to manage my time.

Every person no matter what race, religion, beliefs or opinions that they have will always be stereotyped. Some stereotypes are worse than others but we are all subject to certain stereotypes. While conducting my research I was interested to see what stereotypes that college student-athletes face on a day to day basis. One thing that I discovered was that a study at Indiana University was done and revealed that the major label that is placed on a lot of college athletes is that of the dumb jock. The study showed that white male non-athletes believed that college athletes are not as intelligent as the typical college student. Other studies show that college athletes are viewed as more likely to cheat on a test or exam and receive special privileges from academic tutors and other faculty members. Stereotypes no matter who they are coming from or who they are directed at can have a negative impact on a persons mindset. When a college athlete is constantly stereotyped it just creates another obstacle in their math that they must get over. To get some first-hand information on the subject of stereotyping I went back to my interviews. I asked Nick Halmon if he has ever felt a grudge being held against him or felt like he was being stereotyped based on the fact that he is a college athlete. He responded I wouldnt necessarily say that I am stereotyped because I am an athlete. A lot of my non-athlete friends however do feel that as an athlete I get special treatment and dont have to work as hard. Nick also said that he feels this is entirely untrue and inaccurate. I have never received any special treatment from any of my professors. If anything he believes that he has to work harder than students who do not participate in sports because he has less time to get his work done. I also asked him as athletes do you guys ever view the students who are non-athletes in a certain way or stereotype them in anyway. He said personally I do not stereotype them because sometimes I am a little jealous of them. I wish that sometimes I had the free time that they do

to do more stuff and experience campus life a little more. I was really shocked to hear this because usually athletes are said to have the better life than the typical college student. Most people dont realize that often times college athletes do not have time to get involved with campus and experience some of the things that general college student does. This can put athletes at a disadvantage sometimes because they arent directly involved with the schools campus life. I was also interested to see what college athletes were told about the university during the recruiting process. Recruiting can be a difficult time for athletes. It places a high demand on high school athletes during their middle years of high school. It puts pressure on these kids to make major decisions about their life and their future that most kids their age dont normally have to make. A survey was done to see what athletes were told during the recruiting process. A lot of the athletes who took the survey said that the whole school was not showed to them during the process. The majority of the athletes who took the survey say that the school is way different than they imagined it would be. A lot of the recruits and athletes are not exposed to the academic side of campus life. Whether that be because the coaches are hiding it from them or if they just dont see it as important is something that we dont know. Recruiting is a strenuous and expensive process that takes a lot of time and dedication. It can sometimes be unfair to the very athletes who are being recruited. Recruiting plays is closely related to identity because athletes go where they feel most comfortable. When choosing a school you must take into consideration your hobbies and interests as well as location. Athletes typically choose as school that has their desired major and is somewhat close to home. No one wants to go to a school where they do not feel at home. When recruiters are courting their athletes they take these things into consideration as well and

try to use them as an advantage. Where an athlete chooses to attend school and play sports will forever be with them and will always be a part of them. Student-athletes in college tend to become a family since they are all going through the same things and know what it takes to be successful. I asked Greg Cunningham Jr. if he thought being a student-athlete changed his attitude and his outlook on life. He said being a studentathlete has forced me to grow up and realize that there is more to life than just school and athletics. He said he looks at college as a privilege since he has the luxury of going to school while also doing what he loves at the same time. He said that he has learned to be self-motivated and independent. Its a big jump from living at home and always being around momma to having to come out and do stuff on your own. The guys on the team have become my family and we look out for each other like brothers. Identity can have many different groups. The identity group that college student-athletes fall under is the affinity identity group as described by Gee. Since the student-athletes all go through similar daily routines and typically have the same interests they are part of an affinity group. An affinity group is not necessarily made up of people in the same area. It can be dispersed all over the country but as long as the people share the same interests and beliefs then they are part of the same affinity group. There are many different types of affinity groups in the world. Student-athletes are part of just one type of affinity group that exists. They are part of this affinity group because they have all been through the recruiting process, they have all had to rely on their time management skills, and they have all been stereotyped in some way shape or form. For this reason they relate to each other very easily and become part of the same group. I used Gee as an analytic lens as a guide about the different types of identity groups and most notably the affinity group.

Personally I feel that being a student-athlete has a big effect on a persons identity. Being a student-athlete places you in an affinity group as well as makes you subject to stereotypes. Being a student-athlete is a direct correlation between who a person is and what values that person contains. I feel like athletes are sometimes put at more of a disadvantage than the typical college student. They are less likely to be involved in campus life and school functions. They have a lot less time to put into their studies and are being demanded a lot of. Student-athletes are forced to make a lot of sacrifices that most students such as myself are not forced to make. If I wake up one weekend and feel like going home I can easily get in my car and drive home. Student-athletes often times do not have this option. They are either practicing, have study hall, workouts or meetings with their individual coaches. The only times that they get to go home are on breaks. They are required to devote a lot of time to their particular sport and must be mentally strong. I feel that being a student-athlete has a lot of effects on a persons identity. It does not necessarily make up everything about them or define who they are. However it takes up a lot of time and one must love to do it. No matter how much time you spend looking at identity you will never be able to get a clear definition because peoples opinions and interests always vary. I feel that overall being a student-athlete is both a gift and a curse at the same time. You can do what you love while chasing your dreams at the same time. Every student-athlete has their own unique identity but they all have something in common and share some of the same interests therefore they are grouped together. It is easy for a person who has never played a sport at any level to try and discredit athletes and what they stand for. It is so easy to get caught up in believing every stereotype that you hear that often times people dont see the true nature of another person. Until

you have actually played a sport while doing school then you cant really give insight on what its like and therefore you shouldnt judge people based off of what you think.

Source Page Gee, James P. Chapter 3: Identity As an Analytic Lens for Research in education. Review of Research in Education. Review of Research in Education. 25.1 (2000): 99-125. Print.

Harrison, C, Jeff Stone, Jenessa Shapiro, Sharon Yee, Jean Boyd, and Vashti Rullan. "The Role of Gender Identities and Stereotype Salience with the Academic Performance of Male and Female College Athletes." Journal of Sport & Social Issues. 33.1 (2009): 78-96. Print. Robst, John, and Jack Keil. "The Relationship Between Athletic Participation And Academic Performance: Evidence From NCAA Division III." Applied Economics 32.5 (2000): 547-558. Business Source Complete. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Sander, Libby. "For College Athletes, Recruiting Is a Fair (but Flawed) Game." Chronicle of Higher Education. 55.17 (2008). Print.

Interviews: Nick Halmon and Greg Cunningham Jr.