What Are the Duties of a Student Athlete?

Student athletes have a great deal of responsibilities to meet.the athlete series image by csaba fikker from Fotolia.com

Student athletes have a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. Between excelling in their sport of choice and performing in the classroom (not to mention being part of a team and trying to play by all the rules), there's a lot expected of them as far as completion of their necessary duties.

Academics

The first major duty of a student athlete is to be a good student. In both high school and college, athletes whose participation in sports negatively affects their grade-point average (GPA) are usually not allowed to stay on the team for long. If they are allowed to continue playing, it's usually under probation while the athlete tries to bring up his grades. Being an athlete is a privilege, not a right, and a student's primary focus should be on education before winning the next big game or perfecting a hook shot before a weekend tournament.

Student athletes are expected to display good moral behavior and to act as ambassadors for their team and their school. If a student athlete is seen cheating (whether it's in a game or in the classroom), that perception then paints the rest of that athlete's team with the same brush. While it's expected that student athletes will go out and have fun, it's also expected that they will hold themselves to a higher standard of behavior than others. Student athletes who are of age may drink, but they shouldn't drink until they are fully and undeniably drunk, for instance.

Athletes are expected to give 100 percent effort. For instance, if an athlete is practicing at half speed, then it's likely she will also play at half speed because that's what she has trained her body to do. As such, athletes are expected to go all out when they play in their chosen sport. This type of effort is likewise expected of the athlete in other areas of her duties. Athletes are expected to put full effort into their academics, their citizenship and their interactions with other students.