Identifying Factors That Contribute to Stress Among College Athletes
Date of Award
Fall 10-13-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Coaching and Athletic Administration
Department
Kinesiology
First Advisor
Linh Castro
Abstract
This paper will cover serious topics that relate to college students but also specifically college athletes and what they deal with as student athletes at universities. Being a former collegiate athlete and now a current college coach it is easy to understand the struggles that college athletes go through that may not be well known to the public eye. The main problem to address in this paper is identifying the factors that contribute to stress for college athletes. Losing and winning games are factors that can affect a team as a whole but as an individual identifying what causes stress for players is hard to pinpoint and narrow down to one specific factor. The reason this topic is important and needs to be talked about more is because many young adults deal with stress at a high rate, not just athletes but younger adults in general around the college age, which is why Universities are required to have specific programs and guidelines in place to address those issues. Athletes see these issues from a slightly different lens, especially when you factor in money and NIL money which has been in the forefront of college sports for the past couple of years. Adding in a new element such as the NIL which deals with big companies and endorsements, the financial hold that this new world has started to take in college sports brings a different level of pressure to college athletes. This study will survey students and ask them specific questions pertaining to the stress they are experiencing not just on the court but in the classroom as well.