That’s all it takes to derail a promising future in academics and athletics.
A little slow to turn in a homework assignment because of procrastination. A little late to practice because of a night of partying.
Before you know it, student-athletes, you’re ruled ineligible to play because of a failing grade, or you’re kicked off the team because of alcohol abuse.
There will be a lot of fun had in this column, a lot of opinions, and, I’m sure, a lot of disagreements with my view on the local sports scene.
But, before we get into all that, I want to take a moment to remind student-athletes of what’s most important. I was a teenager not too long ago, and I remember the pressures to party and the general disdain for schoolwork.
I also was an athlete, and I remember the three-a-day practices, the sweat-soaked jerseys, and the hectic schedules. Though I myself was not a scholarship-worthy athlete, plenty of my peers were.
Some of them had their college educations paid for through academic and athletic scholarships. Some of them are doing very well.
However, some of them were a little slow and a little late, and the consequences varied from dead-end jobs to broken dreams to even prison cells.
Think I’m making this up? Let me tell you a story I’ve told to student-athletes before, because it’s that important.
I knew a guy once. For anonymity’s sake, let’s call him “Brian.” Brian was a star basketball player in high school. He was part of an anti-violence initiative. He was a good kid.
When Brian went to college, I saw him start to slip. He fell in with the wrong crowd. He showed up late to classes. I tried to talk to him about it, but he didn’t listen.
Because Brian didn’t take care of the little things, school and basketball didn’t work out for him. That wrong crowd had a terrible effect on him.
One blurry, horrific night, common sense gave way to bullets.
Want to know where Brian is now? He’s serving a sentence in prison for third-degree murder and aggravated assault.
Brian wasn’t going to go to the NBA. He was a Division II basketball player. I know a lot of student-athletes have professional dreams, and that’s awesome. I’m all for encouraging dreams.
Yet, even if you can’t go pro, having your college paid for while you play the game you love at a high level is a pretty sweet deal.
Brian had that. But he was a little slow, a little late, and he spiraled.
I know Brian is an extreme example, but I’ve known and have written about plenty of athletes who blew their shot at college sports because they had failing grades or got into trouble.
You’re probably thinking, ‘How am I going to never be slow? Never be late?’ The answer is that you can’t. No one is perfect. Mistakes happen.
However, when you make a mistake, be sure to evaluate why it happened so you can avoid making it happen again.
You may not realize it now, but you have it made playing high school athletics. Keep your grades up, because those are your meal ticket. Don’t drink or use drugs. This isn’t an after-school special, but trust me: alcohol and drug use leads to nowhere good.
As an athlete, make sure you show up on time to practice, listen to your coaches, and put the extra work in. That way, you’ll have a better shot at playing your sport of choice on a collegiate field, rather than in a prison yard.
Just don’t be slow or late too many times. I promise you, one way or another, it will pay off.
