Do student-athletes receive the support they need to balance sports and academics? While sports build discipline and time management, strict academic policies and inconsistent teacher flexibility create challenges.

While student-athletes are perceived as having academic privileges, their reality is far from this. They need to balance their training schedules, competitions, and academic responsibilities, which present challenges. Many student-athletes develop strong time management skills and resilience, often achieving high grades. However, they also face pressures, including the stress of maintaining grades for sports participation, school policies, and the expectations of coaches and teachers.

Coaches play a significant role in shaping athletic skills and influencing personal growth. The impact of a coach extends beyond the fields, shaping aspects of academic and emotional development. The lessons they learn about teamwork and perseverance translate into success in their classes and their everyday life.

“I think our coach is very important in our academic and personal life, because he always cheers us on and tries to, like, motivate us to be the best version of ourselves in the team and also outside of the team,” Isabel Mejia, Women’s Soccer team captain, said.

Sports can cultivate essential skills such as leadership and teamwork. Working with a team under pressure, giving feedback, and motivating team members are lessons learned through sports that work to help athletes in their daily lives.

“I think being part of a soccer team has influenced my leadership and teamwork a lot, because during games, you need to know like, how to talk to your teammates even if they are doing something wrong. Give them advice in a way that helps the team,” Mejia said.

Even though there is a misunderstanding that sports negatively affects academics, people or teachers ignore the fact that there can be a positive connection between these two things. The structure and discipline required to participate in sports can serve as a motivator for students to maintain high academic grades and foster a mindset where one supports the other.

“I think there is a misconception that sports make students’ grades go down. But I think it’s the opposite because for students to be able to participate in tournaments, they need to have high grades. If you are doing badly in a class, they don’t let you play, or things like that. So I think being in sports is actually like a motivation to do better at school,” Mejia said.

The pressures of balancing sports and academics show the importance of time management and self-care for athletes. In the middle of a busy schedule, taking moments to relax and reset is essential for maintaining focus and productivity so they can meet their academic goals while staying physically and mentally healthy.

“I have experienced challenges because I have to do many things, and I feel overwhelmed. I handle it by making time for me to relax more. Sometimes, even if I have to sleep less, I take a moment of my day between coming home from sports to doing my homework. I take a second to calm down, breathe, or whatever, so I have time to focus on my homework, so I can finish everything I have to do,” Maia Gallon, Women’s Basketball Captain, said.

There are many challenges in balancing athletics with academic responsibilities, as time spent playing in tournaments often means missing out on important lessons and explanations in class.

“It’s kind of hard sometimes to catch up with the class if you’re out there playing because the class keeps going and people keep learning, and sometimes things can only be learned in the classroom.” Gallon said.

Student-athletes highlight there is a supportive environment provided by the school for them. The flexibility of TCS for students to miss school for games and have reasonable academic requirements shows a school that values athletic and academic achievements.

“I would say the school does support student-athletes a lot. They let us miss a lot of school. Of course, if we have a valid excuse, but like, they let us miss school. And the requirements to be able to go to games aren’t that harsh. They’re very understandable, in my opinion,” Gallon said.

For teachers, teamwork is an essential part of personal and team achievements. They emphasize the importance of collective effort over individual achievement; by creating activities that prioritize the team, students learn valuable lessons in loyalty, cooperation, and shared goals.

“Teamwork means doing a lot of activities so that they learn to be loyal to their teammates and to the goals they set. So they have some activities where they individually don’t stand out, but rather the team stands out. This is because the ‘we’ is more important than the ‘I, ’” Urbano Mesa, Men’s Soccer Coach, said.

The exhaustion from long days of games, like in the Binational Games, as they play all day long, often affects their ability to rest and perform adequately, both in sports and school.

“Many times, in the competitions, for example, in the Binational Games they are playing all day and they arrive very tired at night. This leads to difficulties, especially sleeping well, and they need rest for the athletic part, and they have to spend that time studying. So, the performance is not the same on both the academic and athletic parts,” Urbano said.

While some students view school policies on tournament participation as fair, some teachers argue that these rules may restrict students’ opportunities to represent the school in important competitions.

“I am going to give a suggestion that may be applied one day, and it is that it is the parents who decide if their child should compete. If the child fails three or four subjects, the parents are the ones who decide whether the child should go to a tournament or not. And it’s not us who are trying to take away the opportunity for the child to go to an important tournament to represent the school,” Urbano said.

Both students and teachers recognize the benefits and challenges of balancing sports and academics. While students gain discipline and motivation, they also face academic pressures. Teachers appreciate their dedication but debate whether school policies fairly balance academics and athletics.

News articles, like Marygrove College Athletics, state that “the pressures and expectations on student-athletes are multifaceted. They are expected to maintain a high level of academic performance. And, they must dedicate significant time and energy to their athletic lives. Balancing both areas of their lives can lead to significant stress.”

Although some believe student-athletes neglect academics, studies show they often excel, developing discipline, time management, and strong academic performance.

Swoon Learning highlights that while student-athletes often develop strong time management, leadership, and teamwork, these are necessary skills that improve academic performance, responsibility, and physical and mental health.

Balancing academics and athletics is a challenge for both students and teachers, who play a key role in determining the academic flexibility for assignments. While some believe sports interfere with academics, research, and interviews contradict this, as they emphasize it can drive academic success. Student-athletes develop discipline, time management, and leadership skills, but, they also face the pressure of maintaining grades while meeting athletic demands. Given these challenges, what additional resources or support systems could schools implement to help student-athletes better manage stress and academic expectations?