Taking off the mask: seeing the person behind the student-athlete

This thesis offers an inside look at college athletics and dissects what it truly means to understand what it takes to compete as a student-athlete at a high level. It also makes suggestions on what athletics departments can do to better aid student-athletes and produce the all-around person/citizen in life. Collegiate athletics are more than the competition on the field, court, track, or pool. Collegiate athletics encompass the chance to give people an opportunity to excel in life. Looking deeply into the whole realm of athletics comes the chance to create a family atmosphere where a student-athlete can grow and develop. Using the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign division of intercollegiate athletics department as the foci of study, the thesis aims to look at college athletics through the eyes of the student-athlete. This thesis relies on the use of surveys to illustrate the overall experiences of student-athletes at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Student-athletes from eight of the nineteen team sports were surveyed. Hopefully, this thesis will demonstrate that the personal relationships athletics departments develop with student-athletes have a vital impact on the future success of the students themselves and the athletics program-at-large.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2012

Author dc:creator

• Marizu, Cecilia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Span, Christopher M.

• Student-athletes
• mask
• personal relationships
• success
• academics
• athletics

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2012 Cecilia Marizu

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/34304

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/34304