by Alejandro Aaron, Student Reporter
Time is the number one factor in the life of a student athlete.
The amount of time left over for student athletes after doing all that is required of them is very limited and is hard to get a job with such low availability.
Student-Athletes have to not only maintain a high enough grade point average but have to show up to mandatory study hall hours. We are pushed to the limits academically, emotionally, and physically. We set aside personal wants for the team’s needs.
From early morning workouts in the offseason to a highly competitive in-season.
We push to be mentally locked in while in class after being physically drained. We signed up to be in this position as it is a lot of young kids dreams to be student athletes.
Most student athletes have been living the same life their whole life as the push to balance school, life, and sports to the best of their ability. As you get older the school work increases along with the intense workouts and a financial struggle for most.
Jobs are hard to balance with school, sports and life. The hours we have not doing school or sports we could work but most jobs want consistency and better availability hours.
Without a job finding a constant source of income is a struggle.
Income is a necessity. Most are able to get money from their parents from time to time, but for those who cannot have a hard time getting food, hygiene needs, and clothes.
The NCAA passed a rule that goes into effect in January 2021 that allows players to get paid for the likeliness, image and name.
Although we are grateful for this major step there are still schools that do not get as much exposure and have no way to get paid off of their name, likeliness, and image.
That rule was mainly for the bigger Division 1 schools whose sports are on national display for the world to see.
With little time outside sports and school student athletes not only need it but I believe they deserve to get paid.
We aren’t only pushing this to happen for us but also for those student athletes in the future.
We try to help the future out so they don’t have to go through the same struggles we did in this current day in time.