Dalton Myers | Student athletes, go forth and make a difference

Graduation season for many student athletes at the tertiary level is upon us. Several of our student athletes have successfully completed their programmes, whether diplomas; bachelor’s, diploma or master’s degrees; or, in some cases, PhDs. Some of these are sport-related degrees, while in other cases, they are not directly related to sport but form part of other related industries.

In the United States, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has reported increased numbers of student athletes graduating this year – a record 89 per cent. Its NCCA research report gave the following graduation success rate for D1 schools: men’s basketball, 83 per cent; football, 82 per cent, women’s basketball 91 per cent. For the 2016-19 cohorts’, graduation success rate, track and field male numbers stood at 82 per cent, while the women were at 91 per cent. While more analysis is needed, in general, the report gives us something to look at. Locally, we do not have any such complied data, and even if an attempt were made to track those rates, there may be some challenges owing to issues with our collegiate sports database.

I hope that very soon we will be able to track graduation and attrition rates for student athletes across our local tertiary institutions. It would be great to also make comparisons with the regular student body. I know that when I was at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, we attempted to track the rates for those on scholarship with some success. Initially, the figures were low, but they started to gradually improve. However, that wasn’t a full representation of the student athletes as those on scholarships accounted for probably 20 per cent of the entire student athlete population.

TRACKING GRADUATES

I hope that at some point, tertiary institutions will collaborate on a report that tracks their graduates to see where they are now placed and to the extent to which they have continued in areas of the sporting industry. That data can then be used to establish best practices, as well as guiding new recruits. Several recruits enrol in programmes that are really not in line with either their competencies or educational background, and sometimes this causes issues with meeting the required academic stipulations.

The 2019 graduating class has met all the requirements, and we should offer congratulations as being a student athlete is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and commitment. Some of those who graduate will still need guidance and advice as not all will be transitioning into the professional world. Some will still struggle to get employment for various reasons. I want to reiterate that while I think sports management and other sport-related degrees are worth it in our Caribbean space, I do not believe that all student athletes must be enrolled in sport courses. Student athletes must be given great advice to matriculate and choose programmes that match their career ambitions.

I want to encourage the 2019 graduating class to see sport as a business but, importantly, to use the skills developed as student athletes to help build the country. There are several attributes that any graduating student athlete would have acquired. These include, but are not limited to, leadership, perseverance, teamwork, hard work, and working under pressure. Those are vital skills for today’s workplace.

UNPREPARED

I am a little worried, though, that generally, our graduates seem not as prepared as we would hope for the working world. Even in the classroom, professors are already hopping mad about the unwillingness of many students to merely put in the work or understand the basic concepts of their academic courses. My hope is that student athletes who are now making the transition to the working world will bring with them that additional learning experience.

For those who will return or have returned to do postgraduate work, I have a bias towards sports, so hopefully, your research work can focus on improving our sporting industry. I also hope that you will identify areas that need attention and do more research there, publish more, and help to make recommendations to plug identified gaps. I am also hopeful that out of this cohort we will find more, leaders who are willing to help our national associations. There are opportunities to volunteer, do internships, or seek permanent employment to assist these associations. Whatever their desired paths, I hope the student athletes graduating this year will be the difference.

Dalton Myers is a sports consultant and host of ‘The Drive Phase’ Podcast. Email feedback to daltonsmyers@gmail.com or tweet @daltonsmyers.