Should Athletes be Treated Differently?

 Should athletes be treated differently by teachers? If you were to ask a group of high school athletes this question, most could assume they’d all say yes. However, if you were to ask the same question to a group of nonathletes, we could assume they’d be against it. Why? Well, some may say that athletes already are treated differently, but is that in a positive or negative way? And are they treated differently because they are just more well known or because they participate in more activities? 

“According to a West Milford athlete, ‘coaches expect too much of players in terms of ability. They’re also not always accommodating that players have lives outside of their sport.’” (https://thehighlandecho.com/2018/11/high-school-athletes-overworked/) If a coach expects too much, should a teacher expect less, to ‘balance it out’? This athlete, as well as many other athletes, claim to be overworked. Most athletes leave their house in the morning before school and don't return until sometime in the late evening. Some go to school and then a 2 hour practice, sometimes another 2 hour practice if they play multiple sports, and if that athlete has a job, there is no free time or time to study/ do schoolwork. So say that a student who has 4 hours of sports practices and a job or other responsibilities, etc. only has to do half of the math problems as the average student. But another athlete, on the same team, plays just one sport. That athlete goes to school and then practice and is home by 6:00. What is to differentiate the average student from an average athlete from an overworked student athlete? 

Wait, but aren’t sports optional? Yes, they are. So is there any exception or room for excuses if the student took on this much voluntarily? If a student athlete is drowning in schoolwork and their grades are starting to drop, are their athletics to blame? Do sports have a direct impact on the individual’s academic performance? A study at the University of Rochester shows that “exercise increases blood flow to the brain and helps the body build more connections between nerves, leading to increased concentration, enhanced memory, stimulated creativity, and better-developed problem solving skills. In short, playing sports helps your brain grow and makes it work better.” (https://www.rochester.edu/team/benefits-of-sports-to-students/) So, should students get blamed for spending too much time focused on sports when it seems that they may actually be improving their educational functioning? 

What are your thoughts on how student athletes vs. non-athletic students are treated in the classroom? We’d love to hear your opinion!