Student Athletes’ Thoughts on Athletic Administration

Macy Sinner

While being a student athlete has its glory, it is not without its difficulties. Student-athletes face the same obstacles that non-athletes do, as well as their own within their respective athletic departments. Some examples of these obstacles and difficulties are how much time is spent per week for practices, games, traveling, getting treatment/rehabilitation for injuries, etc. These factors are in addition to their educational requirements such as class, homework, and studying. Some student athletes also have a part-time job to help them pay for their daily expenses. This can cause burnout to occur. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. This paper researches the athletic administration from the perspective of the student athlete. Two specific Division II athletic programs will be evaluated in comparison to one another. This was done to determine similarities and differences among collegiate athletes' thoughts about their respective athletic departments. The research findings point to variations in the quality of coaching staff, access/desire for a mental health therapist, and the knowledge of athletic trainers as having a determinative effect on the student athlete experience during their college years. 

• Macy Sinner is a senior at Lander University double majoring in criminology and sociology with a minor in homeland security. She plays for the Lander Women’s Soccer Team and plans to attend Lander in the fall of 2021 for graduate school in emergency management.