I took five classes this past semester, my first semester in college at the University of Miami. Each class was different, but one that stood out to me was KIN 201, Intro to Sports Admin. This was a class required for my minor and very different than my classes in the School of Communication. One thing that made this class fun and exciting was that roughly half of my classmates were athletes, including several football players. It gave me time to think about some things.
1. These are very important people.
Even the professor would say it when attention in class turned to cell phones and Snapchat during the lecture, "Celebrities, I get you have people to talk to, but wait until after class." Thousands of people watch the Canes in South Florida and around the country (even world) and the players are the ones most directly affecting the outcome of each game. It leads to some "hero moments" for many of them.
2. While these are important people, the key word is "people."
They are just like us all. They eat, sleep, relax and enjoy their time just like you or I would. I see fans in message boards all the time saying, "dude get him outta the game, he can't cover anyone!" I bet he wouldn't say that if he had actually met the player he was ranting about before. They play hard to make their friends and family proud, and there should be no negativity toward that at all.
3. They have a different sense of humor, but they can be very funny. They also do have opinions.
The media today is very judgmental of the things that high-profile people say publicly, so their time amongst themselves in class is often a way for them to just be themselves. They joke, laugh and entertain very humorously, even if I don't understand what they mean much of the time. In addition, many controversial topics come up in our Sport Admin class that they cannot take a public stand on.
However, the sanctity of the classroom allows them to share their opinions without scrutiny, both positive or negative. I think they enjoy this because it allows them to clear their mind of things to say without the media's ear nearby. I enjoy this because I like to know how they see sports and the outside world beyond football.
4. They work their tails off so criticism is really not necessary.
They have conditioning, practice, filmdom meetings, class, a tutor directed study hall, and must do all of the above on their own time too. Often times, in the dark classroom we occupied late in the afternoon, the players, who have very early mornings, get restless and tired. It is very understandable. They work extremely hard to balance both parts of being a student-athlete, while trying to do most things that any of us would do, so recognize the hard work they put in for the institution and tell them a simple "good luck" before the game. They would love it!
