Do I have enough time? Will I pass? Is it good enough? These questions often plague the minds of student athletes who are stressed by the workload of school. The general consensus of the public is that student athletes have more problems in the classroom than their peers, but do sports actually impact students academics?

On the contrary, research at Florida National University found that the physical activity of sports enhances the brain which results in better study habits. The study states that both men and women succeed in their academics if they exercise. The data suggests that those who exercised excelled on their exams and received a better score compared to those who didn’t play sports.

Others share this perspective. “It didn’t really affect my grades too much,” said Lindsay Moody, an athlete at Vista del Lago High School who has been accepted into multiple schools based on her skill.

Not all people agree with Lindsay perspective. A study done by Canford School found that if student athletes fall behind, they will not attempt to rebound. The stress put on by the pressure of having to compete in sports and study for school can result in eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. If the pressure is too high for the student athletes to handle, it could lead to an unhealthy lifestyle, and in worst cases, possibly self-harm. Students feel like they don’t have enough time to study; therefore, they cannot perform well in their academics.

Sports can consume a large amount of time.“Sixteen hours [of practice], and it definitely affected my academic junior year. An example could be math… as I achieved Cs both terms,” said Ezekiel Cruz, a Vista del Lago varsity baseball player.

According to a study done by South Dakota State University, researchers found that 49 percent of student athletes strongly disagreed that playing sports created stronger study habits while 37 percent  felt they spent 20 percent or more of their time on school work.

Participating in both school and sports is incredibly difficult for students. The time commitment for sports forces students to  work with little to no time which results in poor work and grades.This doesn’t always affect every student, which can be seen with Moody, but it does affect many other student athletes.