Why Do Student-Athletes Hide Their Identity On-Campus?
“I know professors and other students in my classes think I don’t belong here - that I couldn’t have gotten in without wrestling.”
- DIII Wrestler
Intro
One of the things I found most surprising from the insights that went into last week’s post (“Joy: What Keeps Student-Athletes Playing,”) was the impact that the campus community at large has on a student-athlete’s experience. While researching the factors that bring joy to the student-athlete experience, I stumbled upon the “stigma” that some student-athletes feel is associated with - a negative perception from professors and non-athlete students. I think it’s important that I share some of that additional data with you. Warning: some of it may be tough to swallow. I hope you will consume the insights in the manner in which I always intend: to help Coaches and Administrators better relate to the experience of student-athletes.
Perception by Professors
31% of student-athletes believe that they are perceived negatively by professors.
Just over half of student-athletes say they have heard a professor make a derogatory comment about student-athletes in class. Most commonly, comments are about what the professor believes is special treatment for student-athletes generally. 54% of student-athletes say a professor has “given them a hard time” when they’ve asked for a sport-related accommodation, such as missing class due to a game or travel.
Perception by Fellow Students
Only 18% of student-athletes say that non-athlete students have a positive perception of them.
54% of student-athletes believe that they are perceived negatively by the non-athlete students on their campus. About half say they that their non-athlete peers don’t think they are as smart and don’t deserve to be at the institution based solely on their academic qualifications.
The Response of Student-Athletes
47% of student-athletes hide their identity as student-athletes on-campus or in class.
Hiding their identity as a student-athlete is their most common response to what they perceive as a negative perception - specifically, not wearing team clothing or sitting with teammates in class. Less than 10% of student-athletes said they had confronted a professor, student, or sought outside support to deal with what they considered unfair bias.
In Closing
As I said in last week’s post, campus-wide support (defined as “understanding my schedule and athletic commitments”) is what leads to student-athletes’ joy. Campus-wide includes not only Coaches, the Athletic Department, and support staff, but also professors and non-athlete students. I hope these insights will spark ideas for Coaches and Administrators about how to improve the perceptions between student-athletes, non-athletes, and professors.