A pair of sports-disparaging college professors from Indiana State University were shocked when they saw the results of their four-year, 250,000-student study.
The study, which aimed to learn more about different types of college students, opened the minds of the skeptical researchers to the academic and real-life benefits of athletics. Turns out, it was the student athletes — not the general student population — that scored highest in all seven intangible academic areas the professors determined contribute most to future success: critical thinking, self-awareness, communication, diversity, citizenship, relationships and leadership. All seven!
“I’m the faculty member who used to say athletics is a waste of time, and it’s stupid,” Dr. Will Barratt told ESPN. “Once I looked at this data, I realized I was wrong. I still don’t go to games, but I do understand the educational value behind athletics.”
Suddenly, Barratt viewed “jocks” in a new light. “While student athletes enter college at a lower academic level than non-athletes, they progress at almost double the speed and contribute more in those intangible areas,” he told ESPN. One possible reason student-athletes received such high marks is the structured schedule they are required to keep. Non-athlete students head off to college and enjoy their first taste of live-it-up, Mom’s-not-here freedom, but athletes’ lives remain heavily structured and monitored.
To read ESPN’s funny and thought-provoking story about the Indiana State University study, click here.