They walk down McKinley Avenue sporting bright red jackets. There may be an ice pack wrapped around a leg or an extra pair of running shoes thrown over a shoulder. Like other Ball State students, they take classes, some have jobs, and many are involved with extracurricular clubs and community service. But, the difference is that these students also spend more than two hours each day perfecting their athletic skills, travel around the country on weekends, and are scrutinized by the watchful eyes of the media and their. Coping with the stress of competition, learning how to manage study time between practice and traveling, crafting communication skills between coaches and teammates, and knowing how to speak with the media are not on any syllabus student-athletes pick up on their first day of class.
College classrooms teach students how to succeed in the professional world.
Learning how to succeed as an athlete, both on and off the playing field, has been less of an academic goal for universities. The NCAA provides participating schools with instructional and supplemental resources that support these five areas, but each school is on its own to develop a program that suits the specific needs of its student-athletes. Participating schools must also use their own resources, faculty, and money to implement their programs. Ball State teaches much of the life skills curriculum through an academic class in the School of Physical Education. In order to cover more topics essential to student-athletes, it now lasts 16 weeks and is worth two credit hours.