To play or not to play: A study of athletic participation and its effect on academic performance

The purpose of this study was to examine whether intercollegiate athletic participation has an effect on the academic performance of small-college varsity student-athletes. This quantitative study replicated an earlier study by Sitkowski (2008) The effects of participation in athletics on academic performance among high school sophomores and juniors who examined the effects of participation in athletics and academic performance of high school students. While Sitkowski's study focused on high school sophomores and juniors, this study examined small-college student-athletes, who completed 2 years of academic course work and participated in varsity intercollegiate athletics. The literature investigating this topic is limited, and this study adds depth to the current texts in a significant manner. By examining three research questions, it was determined that athletic participation does impact student-athletes' grade point averages (GPAs) particularly during the competitive varsity season. There was a significant difference in GPA of students participating in varsity athletics during their competitive season compared to their off-season. Students had higher GPAs during their off-season. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in cumulative GPA by gender. Female students had higher cumulative GPAs than their male counterparts. Finally, there were significant differences in GPA by sport. This study contributes to the body of literature concerning student-athletes and their academic performance and provides recommendations to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and higher education institutions on how to enhance student-athletes' academic performance. Since this research was conducted at one small college, it should be replicated at other NAIA as well as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions to broaden the potential inferences for student-athletes.