5 Benefits of Playing College Sports

Step into the shoes of a college athlete and you'll see it's no walk in the park. You spend hours practicing, analysing videos, conditioning, spending your weekends traveling for competition and on top of that you still have to go to school and turn in assignments on time. However, as trying as it may be, there's without a doubt some life-long benefits associated with being a college athlete. We've picked a handful of the ones that will truly make you go further in life after college. 

 Education

Best of both worlds 

Being a student-athlete means that you don't have to choose between your sport and getting an education. Instead, you get to flawlessly combine the two, so you won't have to make the tough decision. Your teachers are aware you have to train all year round and you'll get excused when you travel for competition. While you still have to stay on track in your classes, there's definitely a mutual understanding between the teachers and the school, that allows for the student-athletes to compete in their sport. 

Instant community and friendship

It can be daunting to start college, especially if you're moving state or even across the pond to do so. But being a part of a sports team certainly makes it a lot easier to meet new people and feel like you've already made some friends. Without having to try, you are instantly a part of a community built around the same interest which will result in immediate friendships. You spend countless hours training and traveling together, which will without a doubt create a special bond. You won't be friends with every teammate, but you will be teammates forever. 

Life lessons learned

There are many life lessons and useful skills to learn from a life as a student-athlete. Balancing your sport with school is not easy, but requires you to quickly learn how to plan and manage your time efficiently. Sports and academics are directly tied, as you are also expected to put in the hard work and perform on and off the field in order to hit certain targets and keep your scholarship. The principles and values you learn through your sport, specifically the discipline it takes to do both, is something you take on with you in whatever you choose to do in life.

Get a Job

The determination, competitive mindset and leadership skills required to be a successful student-athlete is no joke. Potential employers know that. They understand that the skill set and mentality learned through years of being a student athlete translates to an outstanding employee. This makes former student athletes very sought-after in the workforce. It might be hard to argue that there is a direct correlation between success as a student athlete and success as an employee. Nevertheless, there's no arguing that the aptitudes you obtain is something that surely prepares anyone for life after school.