Do athletes do better in school during their seasons?
By Morgan DiVittorio and Matthew Barbato
Chicago Tribune
(TNS)
It’s an urban legend that athletes have better grades when
Part of the reasoning behind the higher grade trends could
they’re in the season of their sport (or sports). But is that really
be eligibility rules. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA)
true?
has a set of academic standards that athletes must meet
Evanston Township varsity baseball coach Ross Freeland
weekly in order to participate in their sport.
said he has noticed a pattern amongst some student-athletes.
To put in simpler terms: Students must be passing at least
“I definitely have athletes who, when they’re in season,
five classes to remain eligible for their sports. Schools don’t
seem to be a little bit more organized, more focused and
take this rule lightly. Riverside Brookfield assistant principal
maybe a little bit more motivated,” Freeland said.
John Treiber makes sure athletes reach these qualifications
In season, athletes have less free time on their hands. With
weekly so teams can play at full strength.
practices and games after school, most athletes don’t have time
“The IHSA (eligibility) rule is definitely very important to
to go home and sit on their phones or watch TV. Consequently,
(Riverside Brookfield),” Treiber said. “Our secretary checks for
they must learn to use their time wisely. With practices twice
eligibility at the start of each week so we can determine who
per day, Riverside Brookfield water polo player and swimmer
can and cannot play.”
Hannah Flynn said she knows how precious time is.
This eligibility rule can take players out of practices and
“During the season I have to manage my time,” Flynn said.
games, which is detrimental for an athlete. This rule boosts
“Since I have practice before and after school, I have to focus
motivation to work harder in classes not only to stay on top of
whenever I have time on my hands.”
grades, but to be able to continue doing what athletes love:
Athletes can also be more efficient in season – a time
competing.
crunch encourages organization and there’s not much down
So what are schools doing to help their athletes not only
time to relax. For most athletes, focusing in class is imperative
be competitive in their sport, but also in the classroom? Some
because there’s no time to relearn the material outside of class.
teams at Riverside Brookfield are adapting a “study table”
“When you are out of season, you are more likely to sleep
method. A study table uses extra time before practice to get
through morning support and push things off because you feel
athletes who are struggling academically to work on homework
like you have a lot of ‘extra time,’ and you just can’t afford to
so they don’t have schoolwork on their minds while competing.
do that during the season,” Freeland said. “So I see athletes all
“A study table is another name for an athletic study hall,”
the time seeking out every possible opportunity to be efficient
Treiber said. “Our wrestling team uses an athletic study table
and get things done during the season.”
two to three times a week for athletes that need to get their
It’s not just students and coaches who see a difference.
Many studies have shown that student-athletes’ grades are
higher than those of non student-athletes.
The University of Kansas did an observational analysis of
student-athlete grade trends versus nonathletes. They found in
grades up. They will usually hold a study table after school on
days (a team) has a later practice.”
Some schools, like Evanston Township, have morning
support programs before school because that’s often the only
time that athletes have to go to their teachers for extra help.
general “there were significant differences among the athlete
While all of this may be true, the other side of the coin
and nonathlete populations” and “in each measure, athletes
still exists. Going all out on the field and in the classroom can
had higher academic performance than non athletes.”
really wear on an athlete over the course of a season. Evanston
Do athletes do better in school during their seasons?
By Morgan DiVittorio and Matthew Barbato
(continued)
Township sophomore Jay Moore is a multi-sport athlete and
said he thinks that the effect on grades really depends on what
sport it is.
“During cross country my grades were good, but during
swimming season … I definitely noticed my grades drop off,”
Moore said. “Personally, I think that was because of the
rigorous swimming schedule, and being constantly sleepdeprived and tired.”
Unsurprisingly, it all depends on the student-athlete. Time
management, organization and eligibility can all play a role in
higher (or lower) grades.
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ABOUT THE WRITERS:
Morgan DiVittorio, Riverside Brookfield High and Matthew
Barbato, Evanston Township are correspondents for The Mash.
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The Mash is the Chicago Tribune’s newspaper and website
written for teens, by teens. The paper is distributed for free
each Thursday at Chicago-area high schools and is written
largely by high school students.
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©2016 Chicago Tribune. 3-17-16.
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