There is stigma that surrounds student athletes on college campuses, even here at Marshall. People assume that athletes are conceded, privileged, unintelligent, and players. This assumption is not true for majority of athletes at Marshall. I used to think the same way as majority of non-athletic students until I started to work at the Buck Harless Student-Athlete Program as an athletic tutor.

I began working at the Buck Harless, commonly known as the Buck, in August 2017. I immediately felt a friendship and connection with the athletes that I was tutoring at the time. I quickly realized that student-athletes are the same as any other student on college campuses. They like to joke, have a good time, work hard for grades, and stress out too; but they more on their plate to be stressed about. They must practice many hours, they travel constantly, and they are held to a higher standard.

The athletes are not conceded and even if they were, they have a right to be. They are playing sports for a D1 college. Majority of athletes were selected by recruiters specifically to help Marshall athletics and the ones who were not showed how talented they are and why they deserved a position on teams. Also, majority of athletes are so talented at the sports they play that they receive scholarships to attend school at Marshall and play sports. Marshall athletes are some of the nicest, funniest, and down to Earth people that I have ever met.

People think that Marshall athletes are privileged because they get scholarships for school due to sports. Student-athletes are not privileged. They work harder than most students on this campus because they are balancing practices, sport schedules, and school work. Also, you do not know the backgrounds that these athletes have and if you did you would not say that they are privileged in any form. A lot of these athletes are trying to make it out of bad areas and bad situations.

Also, the athletes are intelligent. They spend a lot of time in the Buck studying and attending tutoring sessions. Their advisors spend a lot of time making sure that they remember that they are in fact student- athletes. Also, overall grade point average for Marshall’s student-athletes is rising.

People label athletes as players, meaning that they talk to many people at once. Although it may be true for some athletes, it is not true for every athlete at Marshall. A lot of the athletes actually date other athletes or have partners at home where they are from.

Before you assume about the student-athletes get to know them, they are some of the best people that I have met while at Marshall. I am so glad that I decided to get a job at the Buck because now I know that the stigma is just a stigma and that it is not true. I wish that everyone knew the truth about athletes because they really are great people and even better friends.