History tells us that the common stereotype towards student-athletes is that they are all “dumb jocks.” No matter how hard that stereotype has tried to be cracked, history seems to overrule any attempt and leaves athletes generalized with this ugly term. When in fact, not only are universities cracking down on academic standards for athletes, the NCAA has made it a mission to up graduation rates, increase GPA requirements, and lay down the law on athletes who are academically ineligible.
With the need for further education in today’s workforce more and more student-athletes are understanding the importance of finishing their degrees, and doing well in their classes to better their futures. But still, the outside world is hesitant to get rid of the “dumb jock” persona.
From research by Gary A. Sailes from Indiana University points out, this stereotype can be traced all the way back to 500 B.C., when Greek athletes used their time to focus on preparation for their competition, as opposed to intellectual development. In today’s world, this can ring true in many student-athlete situations, but not for lack of trying and hard work. How have athletes gone so long being seen as “ignorant citizens?”
With more and more media coverage of student-athletes and the lives that they live, it cannot be ignored that education has gained prominence in the eyes of athletic departments. Can we blame how athletes are portrayed in movies and television? Think about movies like Revenge of the Nerds, or TV shows like Blue Mountain State. If the outside world never sees positive portrayals of athletes in anything other than the blue-moon situations showed on ESPN, no stereotypes will be dismantled anytime soon.
The sad truth is, not everyone puts in the hard work day-in and day-out in the classroom, but even if the athletes do it is so rarely shown to the outside world that it is almost hard to picture in popular culture. Dordt College students Andrew Cameron and Jason Miller decided that it was time that a day in the life of a student-athlete needed to be shown. This class project turned into a meaningful and hard-hitting piece that allows outsiders to see just how hard athletes work to be on a level playing field with regular students in a college setting. This short film includes portions with Richard Sherman from the Seahawks giving a testimony before the Super Bowl, as well as perspective from Dordt College’s head football coach Joel Penner. The balancing act that consists of academics and athletics is not for the faint of heart, and definitely not the ill-willed.
“I don’t think college athletes are really given enough time to really take advantage of the free education that they’re given” - Richard Sherman
The NCAA is working hard on putting the importance back into the classroom. Although revenue-earning sports such as football and basketball have a vast amount of coverage for athletic success stories, importance of focusing in the classroom and not on image is at an all-time high. When visiting the NCAA website anyone can go look and see what the requirements for playing college athletics are, as well as what is needed for staying eligible throughout a career.
Not only are individual requirements for athletes enforced, but team eligibility is just as important. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a yearly report card for Division I teams, if more than half of the athletes aren’t on track to graduate then that team is punished by not being eligible to play in postseason competition. But sadly, the outside public never recognizes the existence of requirements such as this.
"It’s our commitment – and our responsibility – to give young people opportunities to learn, play and succeed". - NCAA.org
If we want to rid the popular culture of judging student-athletes in this ugly, stereotypical way we need to continue to push the importance of academics. The work that the NCAA has done and universities as well, in upping the ante for education requirements is exactly what needs to happen; but the understanding of commitments is just as important. Athletics is a full-time job for students, it is not something that can be put off, procrastinated, or half-assed.
The time requirements and effort that must be put forth on a daily basis is more than most people can do for a week, let alone for four or five years. Not only are student-athletes representing themselves, they are representing their school and community. This pressure to not only perform on the field of play, but also in every single aspect of life in order to uphold the respect of peers and the public is a lot to ask of kids that are in their twenties. Referring to an athlete as a “dumb jock” only because someone decided to pursue their passion after high school graduation, is an ignorant stereotype that needs to be stopped.
As coach Jimmy Johnson once said, “Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat him as what he could be, and he will become what he should be.” If the term “dumb jock” can be replaced by a positive generalization for athletes, I believe that the world will see a shift in how the majority of athletes act and respond to adversity. If someone is told they are something over and over again, they are going to be likely to sink to that level. As I wrote in my How To ‘Keep Your Bucket Full’ article, there are so many instances in life when your bucket (self-esteem) gets poured out by the world, so let us, as the popular culture, do away with this negative stereotypes and applaud young student-athletes on their achievements in the classroom, as well as on the field.
