http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaaf/writer/d...ffectively

Quote:A sampling of 409 conference athletes found that while they are "generally satisfied", they are "stressed" and time demands from their sports create "anxiety and a loss of sleep that hinders academic and athletic performance." The study also concluded that physical exhaustion is a "major issue."

Quote:NCAA rules restrict athletes' time spent on their particular sport to 20 hours per week. The study showed that limit is being violated in the Pac-12 but only slightly (average of 21 hours). The other 29 hours accounting for the 50 include voluntary practices, medical treatment and traveling activities that don't count toward the current limit.

Survey respondents were generally split evenly between genders and spread across several sports. The conference's survey was discussed in-depth at a Pac-12 symposium Friday that was not open to the media or public.

"Essentially we want to make sure we have the appropriate balance between academic and athletics," Scott said. "Some things ... in certain areas may be out of whack."

The survey also concluded that travel for competitions is "extremely stressful" on athletes. Because of travel, athletes say they have fallen behind in homework, studying and sleeping.

Quote:One unique note from the survey: Athletes want established what would essentially an eight-hour window where no practices could be held -- from 10 p.m.-6 a.m.

Other conclusions:

• Eighty percent of Pac-12 athletes say they missed a class for a game in 2014-15.

• More than half (54 percent) say they don't have enough time to study for tests.

• Almost three-quarters (73 percent) said they felt a voluntary activity was considered mandatory. Some reported coaches threatening to "kick athletes off the team for missing voluntary activities."

• Two-thirds say sports demands impacted their social lives. "Pac-12 athletes express a desire to make new friends outside of their sports teams."

The overwhelming majority of those surveyed were very or somewhat satisfied with their athletic, academic and general college experience.

"In fact," the study said, "athletics are the one area they do not want to sacrifice their time."

Interesting. It seems the PAC may be more than just interested in limiting hours devoted to sports.

The part about "voluntary" activities resonated with me. As a former college athlete, I can attest to the truth that there is no such thing as a "voluntary" activity. The coaches get around the restrictions by making them "team run".

(04-21-2015 10:31 AM)Jimmy Wrote:  The part about "voluntary" activities resonated with me. As a former college athlete, I can attest to the truth that there is no such thing as a "voluntary" activity. The coaches get around the restrictions by making them "team run".

Or posting a sign "aimed" at "NFL Scouts" declaring those missing the voluntary stuff don't have the character to play in the bigs?
http://deadspin.com/5971949/heres-the-bi...is-players

What is it with the younger generation? What a bunch of wussies. For over a 100 years college athletes have studied and participated in their sport. Now we have a problem? Maybe it's a time management issue. Less time on Twitter, less time on Instagram, less time on Facebook means more time to study. Any excuse to keep from working hard.

The pussification of our great Nation continues....
CJ

(04-21-2015 11:01 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  What is it with the younger generation? What a bunch of wussies. For over a 100 years college athletes have studied and participated in their sport. Now we have a problem? Maybe it's a time management issue. Less time on Twitter, less time on Instagram, less time on Facebook means more time to study. Any excuse to keep from working hard.

The pussification of our great Nation continues....
CJ

Back when real men played football the regular season was two games shorter. Players did not stay on campus all summer to do voluntary workouts. They were not even allowed to play as freshman.

They lived through hell.

These kids go to school for free and have everything given to them, I don't want to hear how they're "stressed" and "too exhausted".

I'm like many other "regular" people and had to work my way through college. I had to be at work at 6am, worked most of the day, was in class the rest of the day, had night class, then was expected to start studying at 10pm. Had to pay for tuition, books, apartment, bills, transportation, food, clothes.... everything, by myself.

They get all of this for free, not to mention, free tutors and private areas to study, all while playing a sport that they love!

I guess we should feel sorry for how rough they have it.....

(04-21-2015 11:07 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-21-2015 11:01 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  What is it with the younger generation? What a bunch of wussies. For over a 100 years college athletes have studied and participated in their sport. Now we have a problem? Maybe it's a time management issue. Less time on Twitter, less time on Instagram, less time on Facebook means more time to study. Any excuse to keep from working hard.

The pussification of our great Nation continues....
CJ

Back when real men played football the regular season was two games shorter. Players did not stay on campus all summer to do voluntary workouts. They were not even allowed to play as freshman.

They lived through hell.

Back in the older days, the conferences are usually more geographic friendly than it is today. The old conference before the PAC 12 was formed had 8 of the PAC 12 schools of Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, California, Stanford, USC and UCLa plus Montana and Idaho.
SWC were more geography friendly. MVC that played football in the old days had Grinnell, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri, Missouri State and Nebraska.
Now, you see conferences stretch from coast to coast these days. The travel do kick in for the lack of sleep as well.

Let 'em try the regimen that med students have to navigate to get their license to practice medicine. Athletes have a calk walk by comparison.

I'm not a big fan of thinking "what I had to go through sucked, so these kids should stop complaining".

The whole situation the way you [Topper] describe it sucks for many or most regular students, impossibly difficult situations with jobs, books, rent, ridiculous hours, and eventually an avalanche of student loan debt... but these athletes have legitimate gripes too (see the John Oliver video).

Maybe this can lead to changes across the board, like a "Student Bill of Rights". I'd rather approach it that way, rather than blow these athletes off and keep it crappy for everyone.

Being a scholarship athlete is a 50-hour-a-week job, and the only compensation is tuition and room/board. And, it's much more physically demanding than the jobs I had when I was in college or the jobs held by almost any non-athlete student.

So, yes, Larry, "Some things ... in certain areas may be out of whack." At least, they're out of whack if anyone actually cares about whether the athletes succeed as students.

Would expanding to add more schools in the footprint can ease the time of travel and all that? I could see PAC 12 ditch the Tex-homa group for schools like Boise State, Eastern Washington, Fresno State, San Diego State, UNR, UNLV, Utah State, Colorado State, Montana, Hawaii and New Mexico. Maybe a UTEP and UTSA as will to 24?

Northwest:
Washington
Washington State
Oregon
Oregon State
Boise State
Eastern Washington

Southwest:
California
Stanford
USC
UCLA
San Diego State
Hawaii

Desert
Arizona
Arizona State
Fresno State
UNR
UNLV
Utah

East:
Colorado
Colorado State
New Mexico
UTEP
UTSA
Montana

I put Montana in there because they used to be a member of the same conference with 8 of the original PAC 12 members, and some from former Big Sky who wound up in the MWC.

This would be 4 pods of 6, and it extends the PAC 12 into CST.

They could play 14 games. 12 regular season games, and a semi and a championship conference games. the Northwest bracket would be top heavy with powerful teams of Washington, Oregon, Boise State and Eastern Washington. The NW schools of Washington and Oregon teams can still play California and Arizona schools every year they like. This could cut cost down in travel, and could add more into FCoA. TV markets stretch all the way into Texas, cut the time of travel to give the athletes more time to study and all that. Would be easy on the travel for the fans to go on short trips to fill the stadiums and so forth. All the schools are aiming to be a top research schools and all that. As it is, the size of the western states deserves more teams in the haves than have nots.

Cut back to ten regular season games, like in the Sixties. Problem solved.

For the well being and good of the "student-athlete", ya know?

Quote:Because of travel, athletes say they have fallen behind in homework, studying and sleeping.

Let me re-write this a bit: Because of college, students say they have fallen behind in homework, studying and sleeping.

(04-21-2015 10:31 AM)Jimmy Wrote:  The part about "voluntary" activities resonated with me. As a former college athlete, I can attest to the truth that there is no such thing as a "voluntary" activity. The coaches get around the restrictions by making them "team run".

At NIU this was not a voluntary practice, is was a "You've been volun-told to be at this practice."

And this is funny because outside of the MAC and Big West, travel seems to be as easy for the PAC as any other conference due to the conference pairings.

(04-21-2015 11:19 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Let 'em try the regimen that med students have to navigate to get their license to practice medicine. Athletes have a calk walk by comparison.

I'm not sure I'd call trying to balance this basically year round with an academic load as a cake walk. Summer practices are absolutely brutal physically.

(04-21-2015 11:07 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-21-2015 11:01 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  What is it with the younger generation? What a bunch of wussies. For over a 100 years college athletes have studied and participated in their sport. Now we have a problem? Maybe it's a time management issue. Less time on Twitter, less time on Instagram, less time on Facebook means more time to study. Any excuse to keep from working hard.

The pussification of our great Nation continues....
CJ

Back when real men played football the regular season was two games shorter. Players did not stay on campus all summer to do voluntary workouts. They were not even allowed to play as freshman.

They lived through hell.

They also, with very rare exception, didn't regularly have to cross the continent for games.

And as has been mentioned, the quality of student-athlete was better, it was actually seen as cool to get an education and there wasn't an incentive to merely use institutions of higher learning as a spring board for a huge payday in pro sports, which existed as early as the 1920's (the NFL) but wasn't the financial boon it's seen as now. College sports were huge then, the University of Chicago's stadium was 50,000 or so in 1939 but it still wasn't outrageous like it is now. The only thing they had to worry about was point shaving occasionally.

(04-21-2015 11:10 AM)TopperCard Wrote:  These kids go to school for free and have everything given to them, I don't want to hear how they're "stressed" and "too exhausted".

I'm like many other "regular" people and had to work my way through college. I had to be at work at 6am, worked most of the day, was in class the rest of the day, had night class, then was expected to start studying at 10pm. Had to pay for tuition, books, apartment, bills, transportation, food, clothes.... everything, by myself.

They get all of this for free, not to mention, free tutors and private areas to study, all while playing a sport that they love!

I guess we should feel sorry for how rough they have it.....

Understandable and not to make excuses for them but they may be physically exhausted or injured (especially concussed) from their competition and have to both focus on their extracurricular activity and school. They also may play multiple sports, playing year round with more than one sport.

Whose fault is that? Their's but it's just something to think about.

(04-21-2015 11:19 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Let 'em try the regimen that med students have to navigate to get their license to practice medicine. Athletes have a calk walk by comparison.

And what they do is insane. Its a form of hazing. Its not good medicine.

They play too many games...

(04-21-2015 10:16 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaaf/writer/d...ffectively

Quote:A sampling of 409 conference athletes found that while they are "generally satisfied", they are "stressed" and time demands from their sports create "anxiety and a loss of sleep that hinders academic and athletic performance." The study also concluded that physical exhaustion is a "major issue."

That's called life. Change "sports" to "work" or "kids" and that's everyone on the planet. Suck it up buttercup.