Senior Capstone ℅ 2018

5-24-2018

Do Sports Make Better Students In the Classroom?: An Autoethnography 

Alan Munguia

Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, amunguia2018@laleadership.org

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Senior Capstone ℅ 2018

Do Sports Make Better Students In the Classroom?: An Autoethnography

Abstract

In the form of an autoethnography, the writer analyzes on a high school experience where he

played high school football and became a starting player for his excellent academic skills. The

Author explains why the high school experience is relatable to other student-athletes in other

schools. In some studies, it does show student-athletes academically improve much better than

the non-athlete students. Student-athletes have shown more significant improvements in grades

and their grade point average over their high school years. The answer if sports make students

better in the classroom will be answered.

Keywords

Autoethnography, High School, Student Athletes, and Non-Athlete

Acknowledgments

The writer would like to acknowledge Mr. Demers and Ms. Estrada for their advice on this topics

and their encouragements.

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Do Sports Make Better Students in the Classroom:

An Autoethnography

Alan Munguia

Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, Los Angeles, California, USA

In the form of an autoethnography, the writer analyzes on a high school experience where he

played high school football and became a starting player for his excellent academic skills. The

Author explains why the high school experience is relatable to other student-athletes in other

schools. In some studies, it does show student-athletes academically improve much better than

the non-athlete students. Student-athletes have shown more significant improvements in grades

and their grade point average over their high school years. The answer if sports make students

better in the classroom will be answered. Keywords Autoethnography, High School, Student

Athletes, and Non-Athlete.

The Incident

At the beginning of August 2014, it was my freshman year of high school. I was a

curious young kid just starting high school who wanted to try something new. I wanted to try a

sport but not just any sport but the best, life-changing sport in every high school sport

experience, which is football. Football is the sport that many want to join for popularity,

scholarships, and to gain strength and size. This was my plan, so I decided to go to summer
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tryouts to show my skills and make the team for my freshman year. When I made the football

team I was very delighted. I wasn’t sure because I had no experience. I remember calling my

older sister with an excited voice telling her I made the team and thanking her for pushing me to

try new activities. Then I put my game face towards education to keep my grades up and play my

heart out on the football field.

It was my first game, my first experience on Friday Night Lights, I was nervous and

excited to play. The coach pulled me over to the side and told me “Son, I’m sorry to tell you, but

you are not gonna start this game.” I was shocked and angry but I had to respect his decision.

During the entire game I was mad: my mood changed from excited to angry in seconds, my fists

were clenched, and my eyebrows were at an angle. When the game ended, we won the game

24-6. I was still bummed that I didn’t get any playing time, but I still had my big grin to show

my teammates I’m glad we won the game. The whole bus ride home we were chanting from the

top of our lungs, “WHO ARE WE!!! WILSON!!!!” The coach was so excited about our first

game he took the whole team to a burger joint down the hill from Wilson called Troy's Burgers.

After the first game, I began to show my improvement on and off the field, but especially on the

field.

This is when my academic journey began; I moved from the back to the front to hear the

teachers better; the teachers reaction was shocked, Their facial expressions said: “What is he

doing? Does he want to learn?” From this time on my grades went from D’s and C’s to A’s and

B’s in the third week of school. I would go to the school library and work on my homework,

although when the loudest people in school were there I would go to a classroom and do my

work there. Since I would finish all my classwork and homework, all I had to worry about was
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football practice and home. When the five-week progress report cards where published, I was

able to maintain a 3.5 GPA, I was so relieved. The five-week report card is when the football

coach looks at grades and cuts players from the team. One day, on the loudspeaker I heard “Alan

Munguia please report to Coach Martinez’s office, Alan Munguia please report to Coach

Martinez’s office.” My heart dropped from my chest to my toes, but in my head, I was thinking:

“I have a 3.5 GPA what could go wrong.” When I got there my heart was beating faster and

faster, I opened his door, inside to my left was a box full of my old teammate's helmets and

shoulder pads, to my right was Coach Martinez, Coach Derek, and Coach Willie. I sat in front of

them, sweat dripping down my face and a weird feeling in my stomach. They tell me great news

“Son we see your improvement in your academic skills and want to give you the great news that

you are officially starting for the football team.” When I heard those special words I was filled

with excitement and glory, I was starting as a middle linebacker for our next game vs. the

Lincoln Tigers; I was mentally and physically prepared. It was my big day, another Friday Night

Lights, I was pumped for this game not just because Lincoln High School was our rivals but

because I got to start. Once I made my way to the football field I was waiting for the kick off, its

Lincoln's ball, were on defense it was my time to shine. On the first play, I tackled a player and

forced him to fumble the ball again, again, and again. It was a close game, but unfortunately, we

lost 24-28, but that didn’t change my mind. From that day on I started every single game and my

grades stayed the same until an incident but that's another story.

Analysis

Introduction
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When sports make better students in the classroom they would look like Tampa Bay

Buccaneers Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Ryan is ranked number 1 as the smartest player in the

NFL, his academic Skills were off the charts at Harvard University, his SAT score were 1580

and he also earned 48 outta 50 questions right on the Wonderlic test (Johnson, 2011). Ryan

Fitzpatrick shows an example of being better in the classroom because of sports. When I replay

that memory in my head all I remember is the coach calling my name over the loudspeaker I still

think up to this day if I’m in trouble, am I out of the team a lot of illusions went through my

head. From that time I experienced my high school sport it made me think if other students in

other schools around the world were also academically skilled because of sports.

Study of Focus

This research paper’s focus is to find out if high school students-athletes tend to be

academically active in the classroom. The effects observed in this study show that some student

athletes are more active on the field than in the classroom. The researcher was able to figure out

that student athletes are also active in the classroom and earning high GPAs. From examining

student-athletes’ having slightly lower grades, average GPAs, and disciplinary referrals, it is

clear that high school athletes are more academically active in class and have slightly lower

grades than the non-athletic students.

Claim #1: Lower grades from high school athletes

​In the article titled, “An Examination of the Role That Intercollegiate Athletic

Participation Plays in Academic Achievement: Athletes' Feats in the Classroom” Michael T.

Maloney and Robert E. McCormick (1993) discuss how athletes in high school do better in the

classroom but have lower grades. Even though the athletes’ grades are lower than the overall
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student body’s grades, they still manage to maintain good grades to play. Additionally, the article

states “For instance, athletes may major in harder or easier curricular than the average student”

(Maloney & McCormick, 1993, p. 558). This quote states that athletes major in more challenging

classes than the average student which shows that athletes demonstrate more bravery in rigorous

classes.

In the same article “An Examination of the Role That Intercollegiate Athletic

Participation Plays in Academic Achievement: Athletes' Feats in the Classroom” there is more

evidence that student athletes have slightly lower grades. The authors continues “Here we see

that athletes, as a class, do not grade as well as the overall student body” (Maloney &

McCormick, 1993, p. 557). Student athletes are having slightly lower grades but there academic

behavior in the classroom is excellent.

Also in the “An Examination of the Role That Intercollegiate Athletic Participation Plays

in Academic Achievement: Athletes' Feats in the

Classroom” it discusses the grades the student

athletes are earning. This quote from the journal,

“The average grade for athletes is 2.379 which is

lower by a statistically significant margin than the

average grade for the overall student body, 2.681”

(Maloney & McCormick, 1993, p. 557) the graph to

the right shows the the overall student body has

higher grades which are 2.681 while the student

athletes are 2.379. In this case student athletes are

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having trouble getting close to the same percent as the overall student body. Student athletes tend

to only have the correct GPA to play but they don’t have a lot of academic skills in the

classroom.

From further examining, “An Examination of the Role That Intercollegiate Athletic

Participation Plays in Academic Achievement: Athletes' Feats in the Classroom” high school

athletes need to have better grades to be show how good they are in the classroom and to be

eligible to play. In this quote, “When a student does poorly in one class during a term, there is

the chance that grades in other classes are affected” (Maloney & McCormick, 1993, p. 562). It

talks about how if a student athlete does poorly or fails on class he/she will have a chance in

doing poorly or fail in the rest of their classes. High school athletes can’t be failing any class

because the result will lead to being kicked of the team or not be eligible to play until they pick

up their grades. This shows how high school athletes can not be able to have really high grades

but have basic grades just to be eligible to play.

Claim#2: ​Average GPAs

In the journal by S. Alan Silliker and Jeffrey T. Quirk discuss how males and females

have a better GPA during their sport season than while they are not in the sport season​. ​In the

journal “​The Effect of Extracurricular Activity Participation on the Academic Performance of

Male and Female High School Students” by S. Alan Silliker and Jeffrey T. Quirk (1997). From

the journal “GPAs were better during the wrestling season than when these athletes were not

participating in the sport” (Silliker & Quirk, 1997, pg. 289). This quote states student athletes

GPAs only participate during the season, not when the season ended their GPAs where not that
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good. This means student athletes have a goal to complete. This goal is to have a great GPA

during the season so they can play.

In ​“​The Effect of Extracurricular Activity Participation on the Academic Performance of

Male and Female High School Students” more evidence of student athletes having good

academics. A quote from the journal “GPAs were recorded as numerical values 9100-point scale)

with high scores indicating academic excellence” (Silliker & Quirk, 1997, pg. 290). This quote

states that student athletes gain higher scores to show their academic excellence.. Student

athletes need to have good GPAs and academic excellence to show people they could multitask.

Student athletes also need academic excellence for school so they could keep their GPA high to

be able to play in the team.

In the journal ​“​The Effect of Extracurricular Activity Participation on the Academic

Performance of Male and Female High School Students” shows a graph of how the numbers of

GPAs are on the season than off the season. A quote from the article, “The data in table 1 show

that participants had significantly higher GPAs in-season than out-of-season” (Silliker & Quirk,

1997, pg. 290). This quote states that athletes in season in total had a 86.3 GPA and when they

were out of season they had a GPA of 85.7. This means that student athletes do a lot better in

school during the season of the sport is on but do bad when the season of the sport is off. Student

athletes need to know is their GPAs are important to colleges, if student athletes lower their

grades colleges might not want to sign the player because of the grades.

In the journal ​“​The Effect of Extracurricular Activity Participation on the Academic

Performance of Male and Female High School Students” shows how female athletes are higher

achievers than the male athletes. Here's a quote from the journal “The girls earned higher GPAs
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and attendance figures than did the boys, but the boys had a significant difference for GPA

in-season versus out-of-season.” (Silliker & Quirk, 1997, pg. 290). This quote states that girls

have higher GPAs than boys which means that girls have more focus in class than the boys do.

Every student athlete need to focus in class, class is what helps you learn and teaches you about

new materials you didn’t know. Even if the girls are smarter than the boys, the boys still have the

talent for the sport like the girls do but everything they do comes from the classroom.

Claim #3: ​Disciplinary Referrals

In this article by Roger L. Whitley he discusses how athletes were able to have less

disciplinary referrals than students that weren’t in a sport. In the journal ​“ Those ‘Dumb Jocks”

Are at It Again: A Comparison of the Educational Performances Of athletes and Nonathletes in

North Carolina High Schools From 1993 through 1996” by Roger L. Whitleythere. Here is

another quote from the journal ​“The analyses of the data showed that the athletes had a higher

mean grade point average (GPA), a much better mean attendance rate, a lower discipline referral

percentage, a lower drop out rate, and a higher graduation rate than the nonathletes” (Whitley,

199, pg. 223). This quote states that the student athletes are having less disciplinary results than

the non-athletes because of sports. Sports make the student athletes stay out of trouble because

they are mostly at practice or getting there work done.

In the same article ​“Those ‘Dumb Jocks’ Are at It Again: A Comparison of the

Educational Performances Of athletes and Nonathletes in North Carolina High Schools From

1993 through 1996” there is more evidence that student athletes have less disciplinary referrals.

Here is another quote from the article ​“For the schools who recorded their discipline referrals on

SIMS in this study, a significantly smaller percentage of athletes got in trouble than the
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nonathletes” (Whitley, 199, pg. 226). This quote states high schools records prove that high

school athletes stay out of trouble than the non-athletes. Student athletes don’t get in trouble

because they know the rules of the school and of the sport, they know if they get in really bad

trouble they will have to face the consequences. In this case student athletes are more focused in

school and in the sport to get in trouble and loose everything they worked hard for.

Also in the journal ​“Those ‘Dumb Jocks’ Are at It Again: A Comparison of the

Educational Performances Of athletes and Nonathletes in North Carolina High Schools From

1993 through 1996” student athletes referral rate is lower than the non-athletes. A quote from the

journal ​“The mean average referral rate for the athlete group was 30.51% as compared to the

mean average referral rate of 40.29% for the nonathlete group” (Whitley, 1999, pg. 226). This

quote states that the referral rate for athletes is 30.51% while for the non-athletes it is higher as

40.29% which means that students athletes referral rate is 10% lower than the non-athletes.

Student athletes have no use because sports teach players discipline and how to be leaders to the

younger classmen. That’s what sports do they show the students how to be mature and show

them how to work as a team and not enemies.

In the journal ​“Those ‘Dumb Jocks’ Are at It Again: A Comparison of the Educational

Performances Of athletes and Nonathletes in North Carolina High Schools From 1993 through

1996” has more evidence of athletes staying out of trouble. Here is a quote from the journal

“However, the increase in the mean percentage for the athletes was only 2.85% where the

increase in the mean percentage for the non-athletes was 4.94%” (Whitley, 199, pg. 226). This

quote states even though some of the athletes do get disciplinary referrals but it isn’t as bad as

the non-athletes. The non-athletes get more disciplinary referrals because they haven’t been
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shown discipline so they get in trouble for fun but on the other hand the athletes do have

something to do and play the game to release anytype of anger they have. Student athletes learn

how to be good influencers for the new student athletes that come on to join the team. So they

don’t get a lot of referrals because they have no use for it.

Opinion:

It is clear hat high school athletes are more academically active in class and have slightly lower

grades than the non-athletic students.. In his opinion student athletes are more capable of doing

better in the classroom because sports keep them focused. Sports keep them focused because

high school sports are made to make student athletes more academically useful in the classroom.

When a student athlete plays a sport they are commiting to have a good GPA to be eligible to

play which is a 2.0. The coaches make them sign a contract stating the they need to have a 2.0

GPA or higher to be on the team and if the students don’t the student athletes get kicked off the

team.

Even though student athletes are gaining lower grades than the overall student body the

athletes are still showing academic success in the classroom. Becoming a student athlete if they

can keep their grades up to play for the team it comes with a great reward. If student athletes

have good grades and good GPAs not only will they play on the team they will also get a reward

perhaps of having more playing time or even becoming a starter. The schools will also gain a lot

of attention from those students athletes because of their excellence in the classroom and of their

grades. Playing in a high school sports gives them a chance to go to college with a scholarship

and they show them how to respect one another and teaches them discipline.
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When student athletes take a part in the sport the coach shows them how to follow rules

and if they a break a rule the coach gives them a lot of conditioning. When that happens coaches

are setting up an example, that if they break rules or just don’t show the commitment they are

trying to make the students more mature and respectful to everything. Student athletes also show

a example to to the younger students on how to be academically active and how to stay out of

trouble. Also student athletes are taught how to stay out of trouble because they are in a

organization which they don’t want to lose from the consequences of getting in trouble. When

athletes join a sport they don’t know what goes on until the head coach gives them that long

speech of what they are getting themselves into and what being a part of a team is like.

That comes to his opinion that student athletes are better in the classroom if they join a

sport. Sports in high school controls the mind in every teenagers life because they want to try

new activities and sports is off the action they try but they need to show how capable they are in

the classroom. Student athletes are capable of doing better in a classroom because they gain high

GPAs, good reputation and they also earn the knowledge of how to be a good student and not get

in trouble.

Conclusion

Throughout the research the writer come across a lot of information but it finally comes

to end, from having read a certain amount of journals the writer was able to confirm that student

athletes are capable to do better in the classroom. People think that sports make athletes not

academically perfect and it's a waste of time. After asking his question he was able to know if

student athletes are better because from experience in his football days he never knew other

studies would say that student athletes are more academically involved in the classroom. He
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always thought that some students athletes in sports are capable to have good GPAs, good

grades, and less disciplinary referrals but mostly all student athletes all over the world are

capable to. Student athletes have shown to be academically active in the classroom.

When he played football his sister always told him that if he want to be in the team and

play he has to have good grades if not it won’t work out. That’s exactly what he did, the writer

was able to show the coaches that he had really good academic skills. In other schools high

school athletes can show that sports make them academically active because every grade counts

if they want to play. In many high schools they have a sport that a student wants to join in but

they have to show the coaches that they are responsible and can maintain a high GPA and have

respect and not get in trouble. Student athletes are known for their excellence in academics and

have good talent on and off the field.

In high school, student athletes have great talent on the field and that's great to use on the

field but if the students don’t have good academic skills then they will let the whole team down

by losing all that good talent. That’s why students with good talent are always the ones with the

high academic skills because they don’t want to be let go from the team. If the student has good

grades then he’ll set an example to the other teammates that they should also have good grades

so they could have more playing time. Sports is also creates a family because once someone

joins a teams it makes a big bond and creates a family so if one player has success then the others

will have success too. Sports have a tendency to make students better not for themselves but for

others.

Student athletes are better in a classroom because sports really change them, they show

them how to be a good sport. Sports have been a big impact in high school students lives they
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give them a good experience how to be a good sport with other people. Athletes can have good

grades and a good GPA and it will have colleges interested, they will give them scholarships to

go to their college. Student athletes have also have a good reputation with the teachers on how

good they are in academics. High School student athletes are really good in the classroom,

students prove that they are not good in the classroom but they prove that they can get really

good academics in the classroom.

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References

Maloney, M. T., & ​McCormick, E. R.​(1993, July 01). “An Examination of the Role That

Intercollegiate Athletic Participation Plays in Academic Achievement: Athletes' Feats in

the Classroom”. ​JSTOR. ​Vol. 28, 3, http://www.jstor.org/stable/146160

Whitley, R. L. (1999, April 01). Those 'Dumb Jocks' Are at It Again: A Comparison of the

Educational Performances of Athletes and Nonathletes in North Carolina High Schools

from 1993 through 1996. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40364479

Silliker, S., & Quirk, J. (1997). “The Effect of Extracurricular Activity Participation on the

Academic Performance of Male and Female High School Students”. ​The School

Counselor,​ ​44​(4), 288-293. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23897929

Johnson, C. (2017, April 12). The NFL's 10 Smartest Players. Retrieved from

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/949563-the-nfls-10-smartest-players#slide10