Let me start off by saying that I have an enormous amount of respect for college athletes. During the season, you work your hardest in order to perform to the best of your ability when it comes time to play or compete. You train for hours on end and still manage to get up the next morning when all of your muscles are screaming and refusing to work.
During the off-season, you wake up at four in the morning to train and condition outside, even if there is snow on the ground. Then, you go to your classes, only to go back to practice once class is over. And on top of pushing your body to the edge, you somehow have to make time for homework, exams, work, and a healthy social life. I'm not sure I'd be strong enough to do this, and to all of the athletes who do this every single day, I salute you.
Like I said, I have a large amount of respect for you. But there's one thing that often begins to decrease that level of respect... and that is when you act superior to us non-athletes.
Sure, some of us college students played sports in high school and loved our sports too, but maybe we weren't good enough to make it to the collegiate level or we simply didn't care to. And there's nothing wrong with that. So when you begin to believe that you are better than everyone else just because you play a college sport, it's disrespectful. Yes, you are very hard working and that is something to observe and respect, but when you puff out your chest and walk down the hallway like you're Hercules, belittling anyone else who doesn't share your athletic ability, you look worse than we do. We already know that you're a college athlete, and you don't need to shove that in our faces.
There is a time to be proud of yourself, of course! But when you make other people feel like they are less important because they don't play a collegiate sport, it only degrades your character. Not ours.
Who you are off of the field, off the court, off the mat... is just as important as who you are on the field and so on. It says a lot about who you are as a person. If you purposefully don't socialize with someone only because they aren't in a sport, what does that really say about you?
Too many times I have been introduced to a college athlete and their first question for me without fail is, "Do you play any sports here?"
The reaction I get after giving my answer is usually anything but friendly. I've actually had a college athlete walk away from me after I told them that I don't play sports. He has never spoken to me since then, and he often avoids coming into any contact with me, even if we simply pass each other in the hallway.
I am in no way shaming college athletes for their talent, dedication, and hard work. I am simply trying to point out that we all have special talents or interests, so there's no point in making one talent or interest more important than the rest. When we can learn to accept one another for what sets us apart, our overall college experience will become a lot better.
So, to the college athletes out there who sometimes consider themselves superior to the rest of us just for being an athlete, I ask you to take a look at yourself. Are you being the best role model you can be for the insane amount of kids that look up to you? Are you setting the right example for recruits or for other athletes around the country? Have you ever made someone feel bad for not being a college athlete?
Your talents, your efforts... they do not go unnoticed. But what sticks out the most, what we non-college athletes will remember more than any scores or statistics, is your character. Don't let something such as your pride or "image" ruin the amazing person you are or have the potential to be.
