To preface this article I would like to say that this is not intended to be a complaint or asking for pity. I am writing this article because I would like to highlight some of the challenges of being a collegiate student-athlete in order for others to understand and appreciate the struggles we face. I feel blessed to have the opportunities that I have and to play the sport and do not want to appear ungrateful about that.

I am sure that by now many of you have probably seen the video of Richard Sherman’s answer to a reporter’s question about whether or not he thought that student-athletes are given the time needed to take advantage of their “free” education.

If you are unfamiliar with Richard Sherman, he is a professional football player who plays for the Seattle Seahawks and played college football at Stanford. As a student-athlete myself, I could relate to a lot of the points that he raised, and I want to discuss some of the challenges and misconceptions about student-athletes.

First, I would like to address the fact that for many student-athletes across the nation, the college education they are receiving is not “free.” For example, Division 3 and Ivy League schools in the NCAA are not able to give any athletic scholarships. Another example is walk-on athletes. So, be careful not to assume that someone is receiving a fully paid-for education just because they are playing a sport in college. With this in mind we can move on to what it is like balancing academics and athletics in college.

A typical day for a student-athlete consists of morning lift, classes, and then practice. This can change depending on whether or not they are in season and if it is an “off” day or not. Lifts are usually early in the morning so that they do not conflict with class schedule and, as Sherman pointed out in his interview, many student-athletes have to take classes in the morning because afternoon classes conflict with their practice schedules. So, whether or not you’re a morning person, student athletes have to figure out a way to have enough energy in the morning to get in a productive workout and be focused in the classroom. My schedule has been different in my two semesters of college thus far, but for both I have to go to my classes three days a week in my lift clothes. I’m pretty sure that my classmates in my Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes have never seen me in anything besides my very attractive (and very sweaty) gray shirt and black shorts. It can be difficult to focus and stay awake in class when you’ve had an early morning and already gotten in a hard workout before most of your classmates have even thought about getting out of bed, but it is just part of everyday life. Also on the same topic as lift, having classes on any floor higher than the first floor requires taking the elevator. I made the rookie mistake in my fall semester of trying to climb three flights of stairs after heavy squat days to get to class, but have learned for this semester.

For a student-athlete, free time is basically non-existent. What little free time we do have in a given day is spent eating, napping (if we are lucky), and doing work. I also have a lot of teammates who have jobs on top of their schoolwork and athletics. When a student-athlete has that many commitments it becomes hard for them to prioritize. You can’t fall behind in any area of your life, so you have to sacrifice any social time you might have and your sleep. There have been many nights in my first year that I have done work until after three in the morning and have had to be awake by six-thirty for lift. It can be especially difficult if you are living with a non-athlete because their sleep schedule is very different from yours. I have found that it is especially difficult during our season because we play games on Saturday and Sunday, but other students go out Friday and Saturday nights, so the dorms are very loud when I am trying to sleep the night before a game. The time commitment for a student-athlete is more than it appears to be on paper. Athletes are expected to be at practice early and many of us have to see an athletic trainer before and after practice to address injuries. So, what is normally a two or three hour practice is stretched into at least a four-hour chunk of time. The NCAA requires that in-season Division 1 schools have to have one day free of mandatory practices, but often student-athletes will still do workouts or work on their skills on these days.

There have been many times in school when I have wanted to really put a lot of time and effort into a topic I’m interested in, but just haven’t been able to. Even if I do have the time to work on a project, I may be so exhausted from practice and lift that I don’t have my full mental capacity. For example, this semester we had a conditioning practice on a Sunday where we ran suicides for two hours and I then had to go to the library to write a 10-page paper. When I do the required readings for class I can’t always remember what I’ve read because I try to do the readings early in case I have a game or late practice the day before class. Something that personally differed from the points that Sherman made is the fact that after I graduate I will no longer play this sport. The majority of college athletes do not go on to play a sport professionally, so they must have a good performance in the classroom so that they are able to get a job.

So, the next time you hear a student-athlete make a comment about how tired or sore they are, realize that they aren’t complaining. We have all made very specific choices that helped us reach the collegiate level in athletics and we understand that, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always easy. We are doing our best to take full advantage of the opportunities that we've been given.