Benefits of Being an Athlete

Parent Cafe
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<p>I found this article in today’s paper very interesting. There have been many discussions about athletes on cc.</p>

<p><a href=“http://bostonworks.boston.com/news/articles/2006/07/09/athletes_know_how_game_is_played/?p1=MEWell_Pos3[/url]”>http://bostonworks.boston.com/news/articles/2006/07/09/athletes_know_how_game_is_played/?p1=MEWell_Pos3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>"Stop obsessing about how smart you are. Instead, get some exercise and you’ll perform better at work – athletes do better in the workplace than non-athletes. "</p>

<p>"Non-athletes should stop complaining about the unfair advantage, and instead, take steps to confer some of the advantages of being an athlete on themselves. "</p>

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<p>Personally, athletics is importnat, but tthis article seems to show that athletes somehow are superior to the “smart” people autmoatically. He also seems to disregard other forms of extracurricular activities that require “smarts”. I support athletics (play soccer personally) but I’ll be realistic. </p>

<p>"Stop obsessing about how smart you are. Instead, get some exercise and you’ll perform better at work – athletes do better in the workplace than non-athletes. "
I can also say that musicians who compete actively are VERY in-tune with their minds. Ever been in a concerto competition with people staring at you from the audience in NYC, while you realize that if you even forget one measure, you’ll be ruined for the next 10 or so? Falling out of sync with the orchestra can completely ruin things as well. These people need to have an immensely well-prepared mindset and self-confidence - definately a great asset to work.</p>

<p>What about students that actively, and passionatley, pursue volunteer service? The b-school students that began their own businesses as entrepreneurs as adolescence? All these people prepare themselves well too.</p>

<p>This guy also seems to only expose the +'s of team sports, as if other forms of sports are not worht mentioning. Sports includes tennis, swimming, bowling, wrestling, etc., that are not exactly considered a “team” sport. Sure, you are in a team, but there are other situations in life where you can be involved with other people. I think this guy is trying to defend himself, who was most likely not a very “smart” person but played alot of sports. He was most likely abused by others as an idiot in high school. His article only assails the typical bookworms that don’t do anything outside of school than study. There are more ways to experience teamwork than athletics.</p>

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<p>chickenlord,</p>

<p>There is a rather extensive literature supporting the advantages of team sports over individual sports, with regard to social factors, no surprise.</p>

<p>I think it fair to say that aerobic sports (too bad, baseball and golf) have physiological benefits from their cardio effects that show up in improved mental capabilities (but subtle) and team sports have social benefits. So it seems to me the best is an aerobic team sport, like soccer or b-ball. The worst would be an individual non aerobic sport. Thank goodness I can’t think of any right now. (bowling?)</p>

<p>This is not to denigrate the benefits of other activities, BTW. Debate, music and so forth all have their plusses, of course.</p>

<p>BTW, exercise IS important. Just remember mens sana in corpore sano.</p>

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<p>Agree with NewMassDad. </p>

<p>I heard somewhere that athletes get better grades in-season than out of season. It helps focus and discipline. I don’t think it’s any surprise that the high school varsity track team had an A- average. There was also a year when two of the senior captains were ranked #1 and #2 in the class. </p>

<p>IMO, math team is no replacement for athletics. I think you do need both the physical and mental challenges. Even with track, as far as a “non-team” sport goes, I think it’s a bunch of hooey. If you work as a team, you are a team. You pace each other. You know that if you mess up, your team might lose because you didn’t do your job. Sure, you don’t kick a ball to each other, but you do pass a baton. ;)</p>

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<p>You have to distinguish between “athletes” and kids who play on sports teams…the debates here on CC are the ideas that varisty athletes somehow are “better” then other students, or something in that vein</p>

<p>My D does dance and horsback riding outside of school…she walks ALOT, up and down our city hills, and I consider her an athlete, jsut not on an organized team</p>

<p>So much emphasis is put on sports TEAMS by colleges etc, that it often belittles the other physical things people do…i have to tell you, digging trenches to lay irragation at the local zoo is very physical work, picking up trash on the beach for hours gives yo a decent workout, sorting fruit at the local food bank works the arms…as does carrying those boxes of oranges, or walking dogs for the local animal rescue place</p>

<p>To me the “unfair advantage” comes from only recognizing those students who do varisty sports as the ones who have learned about discipline, teamwork etc.</p>

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<p>CGM: To be, dancing and horseback riding are just as much a sport as wrestling. I could be wrong, but I don’t think that ballet is recognised as a sport in many senses because schools would then have to pay for it. Long before Title IX, they didn’t have to have gender parity in funding, so why fund ballet? Typically, women’s sports (volleyball, dancing, horseback riding, field hockey) are not considered to be “sports” by the powers-to-be, but are still, to me, sports. I just wish schools would, to the extent practicable, offer them more.</p>

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<p>Me too. My D got thrown yesterday…scary stuff, but she got back on…</p>

<p>What I see is that not every kid can make a team sport, no matter how hard they try, the older they get, the tougher the tryouts are, and no matter how fit, good, or determined a kid is, if they aren’t a match for that team, they can’t join the school team, and colleges don’t seem to get that some very determined and great kids aren’t going to make the limited sports teams available at some schools.</p>

<p>Very often its the same girls on the Vball team and the BBall team…the baseball team is filled with football players…and if you don’t make the cut as a Freshman, when you may be smaller, etc., it is almost impossible to make the cut in later years- coaches have “their team” and pracitces start very earlier, and any new girl or boy trying out isn’t given the same chance to join in just do to the nature of tryouts</p>

<p>So, say, if as a Freshman, a girl, like my D, who played a sport forever, and tries a new one as well as the old one, gets cut, getting in the next year is virtually impossible</p>

<p>So, we do the outside of school sports, but they don’t have that coveted “varisty” label…she loves what she is doing, but its too bad its not given the respect it deserves</p>

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<p>Benefits of being a NCAA athlete…following a practice, work out and game schedule that basically leaves you time to do little else but attend class and maybe get your homework done. Obligations that keep you from doing internships, study abroad, etc. Graduation rates that are an embarassment (especially in major sports such as football, baseball and basketball). Benefits of being an athlete???</p>

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<p>Many NCAA athletes (Not all) do benefit from scholarships! That means that they may graduate debt free, unlike many non-athletes, or non-scholarship athletes. That is a HUGE benefit at some schools. ($160,000-$180,000)</p>

<p>The article was talking more about post college. Those who were athletes may be better prepared in the “real” world because of the sacrifices they made during college.</p>

<p>From article: “Another reason athletes make more money is that they fit in better in today’s workplace, which values emotional intelligence over academic intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ``soft skills” that enable smooth running interpersonal relationships at work – such as the ability to read peoples’ nonverbal cues and the ability to manage oneself within a team."</p>

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<p>Well, to be fair, it also could be that the biases and prejudices that give athletes favorable treatment in college persist in the workplace and other areas of society.</p>

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<p>Bullwinkle, specific to college, at least at the D-1 level, material benefits include, but are not limited to, first pick of classes, academic advisors, a new wardrobe every year which includes everything from the lastest Nike sunglass contact lenses, footwear, sweats, shorts, t-shirts, jackets; a great team of doctors, a massage service, free laundry service, free tech support, travel to numerous cities, per diem cash, media coverage, an athlete’s ring instead of a class ring at the end of four years, and so on. Oh, and also at the end of four years the athlete is usually in excellent physical condition. And all this before even counting scholarship dollars. </p>

<p>As to the non-material benefits, where to even start? The opportunity to form a cohesive team with participants from different cultures from around the world, the psychological benefits of handling losing - and winning - with grace, the lessons in leadership, etc. </p>

<p>You’re right about one thing - it does make study abroad impossible - but, those countries will always be there, and, one only gets four years of NCAA eligibility, at a precise time in life, and then it’s gone.</p>

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<p>CGM, if your D is interested and if she has time, you might suggest she try out for some other, new sport at school - perhaps something she has never before considered. </p>

<p>Mine was in one sport through 8th grade, but did not make the team in high school. She worked very, very hard in preparation for the tryouts but simply was not good enough. So she tried a new sport freshman year - track - it was one of those situations where there weren’t really any tryouts, basically they just let anyone on. She somehow excelled, and lettered four years, winning several events at the state level. </p>

<p>But her collegiate sport is a third sport that she picked up and fell in love with sophomore year of high school. She did both sports through high school but it was the new, third sport that got colleges so interested in her. </p>

<p>My point is she never, ever planned for the second and then the third sport. They just sort of happened, and she had no idea she would fall in love with both of them - until she tried them. Perhaps your D might try one of two of the sports she never really considered before - it might be really fun, there’s probably a team or even two or three that would be delighted to have her, and she might be surprised at how much she excels, especially since she’s probably already in excellent condition from horsebackriding and dancing.</p>

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<p>A friend of mine who is a coach at Tufts told me that he gets many calls from human resource departments at major corporations looking for new hires. He feels that executives looking for new hires are looking for college grads who know about team work, organization, balancing work/life skills etc and that they feel good about hiring kids who have done well in school and played a sport because the usually have these qualities.</p>

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<p>Latetoschool- I think you are looking at the athletic experience from the “rosiest” scenario possible. first of all at the d-3 level you get no money and the d-2 level is not much better. At the d-1 level the “full ride” is an exception and the amount of money most athletes see can be mininimal.</p>

<p>Using D-1 baseball for an example, there are 11.7 scholarships per team spread over 30 or more players. Most are lucky to get a “books and fees” tuitiion package.</p>

<p>As far as first pick of classes, possibly, but you can only pick classes that typically meet from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 only. Before 8 and after 1 you are committed to practice, meetings and games.</p>

<p>Academic advisors and certain other perks should be available to any student at any decent school and at d-3 and d-2 they must be available as athletes are not allowed any preferential treatment.</p>

<p>Travel to other cities??? You leave the night before the game. Are holed up in the hotel, play the game and leave. You are not on vacation.
as to the few trinkets you may get, that is at D-1 only and typically in the major sports only and hardly a quid pro quo for the time and effort the “student-athlete” puts in.</p>

<p>As far as the proverbial “life lessons” those can be learned in any group dynamic of value. Typically in athletics you have the pressure to win, the pressure of the coach caring about keeping his/her job, etc. the pressure of competing for playing time, etc. </p>

<p>I attended approximately 40 college baseball games last year, nearly a dozen football games and numerous other events. I played sports and have 2 kids that have. The picture you paint is not one I have ever seen expect on TV. The number of kids that quit, never see playing time, never graduate, never go to class etc. etc. is a significant factor and presence, as much if not more so than the idyllic “losing with grace”.Also, these wonderful groups aspiring to learn cultural differnences and other matters of a “higher plane” are typically, instead, insulated and insular groups of self importance functioning under the most rudimentary “lord of the flies” mentalities operating in their own little sphere and to the exclusion of the rest of their campus communities.</p>

<p>Employers like athletes because their preception is that athletes are familiar with being commanded and directed, that they are “automotons” who will not think independently, will do what they are told and toe the company line. In a different generation it is why employers liked those that had served in the military. Employers, especially men, are impressed with athletes, just because they are impressed with athletes. I’ve sat on such employment committees, it is a joke. Oh this kid went to Harvard, but wow, this guy was second string tight end at State U.</p>

<p>As to your final point, at the end of 4 years, many don’t get their degrees, their “scholie” has not covered much and many have injuries that will last a lifetime and to that end, college training staffs are geared to getting you “healthy” to play, not to get you “healthy”. One of my kids was sent back into a game with his knee literally torn open. “Suck it up Tiger, we need you in there”. that’s what you get from team doctors, along with constant pressure to get bigger and stronger (steroid and other abuse). You are a piece of meat to be replaced by the next incoming class in far too many situations.</p>

<p>In my view college athletics is no bargain and the “athlete-student” pays the price.</p>

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<p>You couldn’t be more wrong bullwinkle.</p>

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<p>BULL - wells said ^^ and very true in many respects - from experience here as well… D3 athlete who participated in his sport - which he loved - got very ill and due to a very unrealistic/push come to shove coach - the athlete left the sport - his own terms because the coach just had NO clue… but when one door closes - another opens - and success was in the cards.</p>

<p>Being the ‘athlete-student’ certainly can be a no bargain situation - there is always some price that is paid.</p>

<p>And for those high school athletes who do not ‘make the cut’ for college varsity teams - there are usually some fairly good and competitive club sport teams that can also satisfy that ‘athlete’ need - or even consider a new sport - many schools who have crew teams do take walk-on’s - who have never participated - and do pretty well.</p>

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<p>Bull, my daughter is college athlete and she is going to study abroad fall semester. Her team competes in spring semester and she purposely opted to not be away then because of her team. The fall semester has daily team training but no competitions. She’ll have to train on her own while away but many on the team go abroad in the fall. No problem.</p>

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<p>KRAMER - pretty blanket statement there - care to elaborate your own opinion/experience??</p>

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<p>SOOZIE there are some teams/programs where study abroad is very difficult to to - it depends on the season/sport for some - not all. </p>

<p>Our gals compete in a sport/season that has several limitations - time/season limited - and I agree - fall would be their best option for a study abroad experience in their sports. But if you are a swimmer LOL - which has one of the longest seasons - that would not work so well - unless it was a summer program abroad.</p>

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<p>Bull, I would then guess that this is an experience that varies - perhaps greatly - by school, and certainly by division, maybe even by sport. </p>

<p>My D’s experience has been nothing like your post. Her travel has always been three - four days, in very nice hotels, and twice even on a chartered plane, ordered by the president of the university. As to graduate rates, we haven’t seen anything like that - in fact, the entire roster graduated in four years the last three, and, D will be a fifth year senior, but that’s on account of completely two entirely separate degrees and four minors simultaneously, > 3.0 (anyone who falls below 3.0, regardless of reason, the head coach sends them to mandatory study hall).</p>

<p>JeepMom, if there’s a bill coming due, D hasn’t seen it yet - but I am sorry to read that you have someone who encountered an unrealistic coach.</p>