I must first say that this article is because of a request. I hope I do my job in fullfilling the request. The topics of athletics and the baggage they carry is tough task to do. There are many different problems that happen to athletes. First, and most notably, are the effects that athletics have on a persons education. More specifically, their performance in the classroom.
Athletes have been around for thousands of years. Humans invent games so that gifted and physically superior performers can shine. What is in disagreement with this is that an athletes mind tends to suffer the brunt of this exposure. In America, the land of intense competition, Athletes have to choose between education and sports. This is because athletics are played at such a high level, that those who wish to compete at a high level much sacrifice a tremendous amount of time so that they may be able to compete in a half respectable fashion. Of course it sounds simple, but it isn't. People hold the idea that education is the key to everything in life; and that athletics should take a backseat to the enhancement of the mind. However, athletes, find that their dreams are on the court and not in the classroom. Thus, what we have is are two conflicting ideologies where people have to weigh the costs and benefits of both.
There are many reasons why athletes shun the idea that education is not the focal point of ones life. First, some of the best athletes who cut their education short hypocritically tell the people of America that education is the key. Many of these athletes receieve positive exposure. Social and economic sucess is almost certain if you are a professional athlete. Athletes also tend to believe that their dreams of being a professional athlete will come true. America tells people to follow their dreams but also states that education should be the primary focus of ones life. So athletes are put in a bind. They don't know what road to take, so they take the road that is best conforming to their strengths. Who can blame them? They wish to achieve a dream and want to stop at nothing to get to it. If the athlete doesn't achieve the dream people will call him a fool. If he does, he is called a genius. People often criticize professional athletes that come from highschool right into the professional leagues. What people don't understand is that their goal in life isn't to write a book, or win a nobel prize, it is to shine as an athlete. So I say to people, if their are athletes in your school who don't focus as much on studies don't blame them. There are people who will argue with me and try to bring up the fact that there are those in school who are involved in so many things and still maintain superior excellence in the classroom.
First, this argument is usually presented in the form of music students. Music students tend to have higher gradepoints than those of athletes. Yet, music students still expend a vast amount of their personal time into the music proceedure. I believe this is for a variety of reasons. First, almost anyone has the opportunity to participate in band. When was the last time you heard someone sitting on the bench in band? Band waterboys? I think not. Bands are so vast that they encompass a variety of people. Some of who are more inclined in music than others, but they all are able to play nonetheless. In addition, there is no set standard for music to test ones ability to enhance competition. You can't score points in music. Although you can determine who is better, there is no set standard in music. Thus, competition isn't as fierce as sports where everything boils down to scoring and not scoring. Also, music affects the brain in a different way than athletics. Music tends to go hand in hand with thinking and problem solving moreso than sports. Thus, music students will more than likely be better problem solvers. Athletes are better at executing and achieving a standard. Most music students are not. There are differences in athletics and music that people fail to see. In addition to this, music students have less social pressure than athletes. Athletes are always in the limelight, not matter how awful they are. When people go to basketball games they only see competition and try to influence in any way possible. When people go to concerts they don't see competition, they just see a performance. How often I have heard after giving the most rediculous performance, people still say "great job." Athletes, after a rotten performance will hear " toughen up" "your benched if you keep shooting like S***" Its a much tougher, more brazen world in athletics, and as such, athletes probably try to minimize their stresses as much as possible. Although it is possible to find superior athletes and students combined, it is rare, especially in the male field. However, you then get these extreme feminists that say that if women can do both very well, men must be slacking and being lazy in the classroom. I must, once and for all, tell women something very hard for them to hear.
Womens sports just aren't as competitive as mens sports. Men have been playing sports for thousands of years while women have been sitting on the sideline. In todays world where a large percentage of women still don't play sports or do some physical activity, the level of talent in womens sports is a much different story. A woman who has a good deal of talent in sports can go right into sports and be more successful than a man. This is because there aren't that many women who hone their talents to the level of men. Until you want men to think of women as athletically equal in the effort given out, I suggest women should try harder and increase the competition even more. Almost any kind of sport one can see that men sacrifice much more than women to achieve a certain standard. Men barf to loose weigh in wrestling, men are in the weightroom at all hours of the day. Women don't do those activities nearly to the extent of men, and thus have less pressure. There is also less individuality in womens sports. There are hardly any women who continue to raise the bar for excellence. Not nearly as much as men. So I say that right now, it is very possible for a woman to be both superior in the classroom and on the court. But in the future, as women will get more exposure, then the disparity will change.
So. what should an athlete do? Should an athlete take charge in the classroom or on the court. I say that unless you are the top 1/2 of 1% of people in your field of athletics ( best person out of 200 ), then focus more on school, this will be a more realistice apporach so that you may change your dreams to fit your abilities.
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