NCAA Student-Athlete Career Perceptions and Involvement

Serving student-athletes at the collegiate level comes with unique challenges as students balance academic and sport commitments. When compared with their non-athletic peers, research shows that collegiate athletes demonstrate a reduced career preparedness, which can be attributed to busy and over-structured schedules, along with a lack of career maturity and independence. Statistics from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) indicate that professional sport opportunities for collegiate athletes are grim, with less than 2% of NCAA male athletes heading into professional football and basketball, and less than 1% of NCAA female athletes playing professional basketball. However, the proportion of students that believe they will pursue a career in professional sports far outnumbers this, creating dissonance in post-graduation career planning. This quantitative study investigated the career aspirations and involvement of student-athletes at a medium-sized, private, NCAA Division 1 institution in the southeastern United States. The data were analyzed by gender, academic standing, race, and the number of years as an NCAA athlete. The results of this study can be used to understand how universities can better prepare their athletes for employment after leaving the university by addressing athlete career preparation through engagement in university career resources and career field experiences