BRAD AS I WANNA BE: Athletes Winners Off Field As Well

Harvard, as a school better known for academics than athletics, was doubtless expected to fare quite well in the first compilation of a new measure called the “Academic Progress Rate” (APR), released last week by the NCAA.

This measure is intended to make sure that athletes at our nation’s institutions are performing at an acceptable level in the classroom, and are remaining on track to graduate. It should be no surprise, then, that 18 of Harvard’s teams were recognized by the NCAA for having APR scores in the top ten percent of their respective sports, with ten teams receiving perfect scores.

Lost in all these expectations of success is the reality of the effort that goes into them.

It is no doubt fair for observers to expect that Harvard’s student-athletes would do exceedingly well in any measure of academic excellence; the Ivy League’s strict recruiting requirements help see to that.

But while most Division I institutions have large and expensive tutoring services for their student athletes, allowing them to miss class extensively, Harvard’s athletes are expected to maintain the delicate balance of academics and athletics without such assistance.

As a result, the time-consuming stress of academics that all students feel is dramatically increased by the time demands that sports require.

Take, for example, football. Even in the offseason, football players at Harvard spend huge portions of their day dedicated to football.

For these players, a sample day might begin at 6:30. That gives them enough time to dress and get to the Gordon Center by 6:50 for running groups. Running starts at 7:00, followed by weightlifting until 8:30. A quick shower and walk back across the river gives them just enough time for breakfast before class from 10:00 to 1:00, followed by section from 3:00-4:00. The rest of the day will be consumed by schoolwork, before an early bedtime to be up by 5:30 the next morning.

This, bear in mind, is an offseason schedule. For a player in a sport that is in-season, the schedule is certainly no less difficult.

The average women’s basketball player, for example, might have a day like this: class from 10:00-1:00, practice from 2:30-5:00, weightlifting from 5:00-6:00, with the rest of the night occupied by homework. On travel weekends, the team might leave as early as noon on Thursday, meaning players miss essentially two days of class.

Obviously all this constitutes a significant burden, which players are expected to shoulder themselves, unlike at other colleges.

The academic difficulties our athletes face are compounded by other issues as well. Many athletes turned down scholarships, often full rides, to attend Harvard. This, when coupled with the fact that many athletes do not have time to work due to the demands of school and their team, is a pretty significant (and expensive) choice.

Further, a commitment to sports often means a reduction of other opportunities for these students; the time demands of sports and homework cut into time available for the extra-curriculars other students participate in.

All this is not to say that athletes have a terrible life here at Harvard. On the contrary, most of the athletes I know seem to enjoy their experience here as much or more than the rest of us. But we should recognize that the demands we place on our athletes, in expecting them to perform in the classroom and on the field, are no small demands.

High performance on the APR should be welcomed, and will likely never be an issue for Harvard’s athletics. But we should not take for granted the work that goes into the product we see on the basketball court, football field, or any other athletic arena.

—Staff writer Brad Hinshelwood can be reached at bhinshel@fas.harvard.edu. His column appears every third Tuesday.