Racial Composition as an Obstacle in Academic Success Among Athletes

The low academic rates among athletes, especially in basketball or football, are seen due to racial differences rather than academical, so athletics itself does not negatively influence academic success. It was reported that African-American athletic students are observed to have lower academic success than other athletes (Matheson, 2007). According to the NCAA report (2022), student-athletes have graduated at record rates. In addition, 35% of African-American students were enrolled in college compared to 60% of white students due to racial differences. The NCAA report shows the academic success of athlete students. The research proves that African-American athletes’ low graduation rates are connected to racial composition. Athletes may be unwilling to study and have adverse academic outcomes. However, the research did not find supportive claims for it.

Opposing Viewpoints

The first opposing viewpoint is that athletic success may increase pressure on student-athletes and create an unhealthy competitive environment. Athletes can indeed get injuries and face pressure. In addition, prejudices, such as racial discrimination, lead to an unhealthy environment (Matheson, 2007). However, the general benefits of sports, such as discipline, time management, and other essential skills, outweigh this drawback. The second opposing viewpoint says that athletics may receive too much emphasis and resources at the expense of other important school programs. Still, the research has illustrated that athletics programs can promote academic success and encourage students to study hard to achieve great results (Bowen & Greene, n. d).

Conclusion

To sum up, provided reports and research shows that athletics benefits students. Sports provide students with many valuable skills and encourage them to study. In addition, the differences in academic success between athletes and non-athletes are tiny and mainly based on racial composition. Lastly, the provided reports showed that athletes-students graduate with excellent academic results.