Millions of students each year participate in a school sport. This commitment can take up free time causing students to not have time for schoolwork or other things they need to get done.

Many student athletes have different opinions on this problem throughout their years of high school and college.

According to the article How sports help kids with their academics, students can benefit from participating in sports and oftentimes students who participate in sports have a higher grade point average than students who don’t. The article says that sports can teach students how to manage their time and the importance of character. This means that having something to do after school can actually help students stay motivated and get work done.

Sophomore baseball and basketball player Jason Rocco thinks that balancing school with his sport can be difficult at times but is worth it in the end.

¨Sometimes it’s hard to get all of my homework done when I have an away game or practice after school, but it also helps me stay motivated to get my work done,¨ said Rocco.

Loy Norrix student athletes also have resources like the Academic Achievement Center (AAC) which offers help in different subjects. They can go to AAC after school if they need extra help or time on work. The AAC has different teachers in every subject, so if a student needs help with math they can go see a math teacher who can help tutor them.

¨Sometimes people will stay after school and miss some practice to get work done if they need to,¨ said Rocco.

Loy Norrix sophomore tennis and basketball player Edwin Ciokajlo also thinks that sports can help motivate you to get work done.

¨Sometimes when I get a lot of homework, it’s just nice to be able to go do something I enjoy like basketball,¨ said Ciokajlo.

This can be true for many people, oftentimes it helps to go exercise or do something you enjoy before doing lots of homework or writing an essay. However, at times it can be difficult to balance schoolwork with a sport.

According to a study done at Brigham Young University, academics can cause stress in an athlete’s life, especially when they have a big load of homework or schoolwork as well as practice or a game after school. 

Lots of student athletes have trouble finding free time to relax when they have homework and practice after school.

Sophomore soccer and basketball player Luke Fried agrees that finding free time can be hard during the week.

¨I usually don’t have much time to do what I want after practice and homework,¨ said Fried.

This limits the free time that student athletes have at home to rest or spend time with their families.

¨It would be nice to have a little more free time, but I also like going to practice,¨ said Fried.

Oftentimes, student athletes try to balance homework with sports and with free time.

Sophomore basketball and soccer player Brody Adalbert is one of the many student athletes who use this strategy.

¨I usually try to leave enough time after practice and homework to hang out with my family or friends,¨ said Adalbert.

This can also take the stress off students and allow them to do the things they enjoy.

¨It’s nice to be able to play video games or just relax. Sometimes I’ll leave some homework for the next day and finish it then if I need to,¨ said Adalbert.

Overall, it can be stressful to balance schoolwork with a sport, but most student athletes think it’s worth it to put in a little extra time and effort to play the sport they enjoy.