Athletics or Academics? An Analysis of Student-Athlete Collegiate Priorities

Abstract

This thesis examines the academic and athletic priorities of collegiate student-athletes, using Duke University as a case study. Analyses of information collected through online surveys (N= 151) and in-person interviews (N=8) suggest that both non-revenue athletes and revenue athletes value their academics more than athletics. However, comparisons of the two groups indicate that non-revenue athletes value their academics slightly more than do revenue athletes. Revenue athletes struggle with short-term academic goals, such as studying outside of class and turning academic coursework in before the deadline. These findings suggest the need for more effective support policies to help revenue athletes devote more time to their academic courses.