Everybody has seen or heard about a collegiate athlete getting in trouble for stealing, cheating, or even taking something from alumni. There is much controversy these days about how athletes should be disciplined for doing these things. Some people think they should be treated as if they were a normal college student, while others think they should be more lenient towards the student athlete. Although these things are wrong and very inappropriate for a student to do, one should consider some of the reasons why these athletes are forced into these actions. An athlete must deal with many extra pressures while in school. Individuals should not be so quick to judge or harsh with punishment that they hand out. One must remember, student athletes have many more rules and regulations to abide by than the normal college student. The National Collegiate Athletic Association formulates these rules to try and help the student athlete, but the rules often end up hurting the student athlete more then they do helping them. The amount of time athletes can practice and work during a week are both regulated by the NCAA. (NCAA) Added to these regulations is the time that the athlete has to spend in study hall. On top of all these issues is the enormous amount of pressure put on athletes to perform in their sport. Overall, a collegiate athlete has many more different pressures and requirements than the normal college student. Because of this, the university should provide more help and be more lenient towards student athletes.
Athletes often struggle with their financial situation because of some of the limitations that they face. Many college athletes come from middle to lower income families, which cannot always afford to send them money. An athlete is limited to a certain amount of money they can make during a year. They are also limited in the number of hours they can work at an outside job during a week.
