COLLEGE SPORTS NEWS FLASH: 3 MISLEADING STATS FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

As a former professional athlete, I know full well that stats can tell many truths, but they can also be misleading and manipulated. Just listen in to any GOAT debate about MJ or Lebron! You can cherry-pick statistics that may not give a full picture of what has transpired or that may not make comparisons, well, comparable. ?As a researcher and 17+ year sports executive, I also know that this fact holds true on and off the court or field. Numbers can lie! Well, I guess I should say, numbers may tell a half-truth.

There are three “stats” that I want to bring attention to as we all explore ways to enhance the transition outcomes of some of my favorite folks in the world – athletes.

·?????? GPA

·?????? GRADUATION RATES

·?????? # of JOB PLACEMENTS

Before I dissect the point of this article, allow me to establish a working definition of “lie.” Now, Webster defines a lie as “an intentionally false statement,” “to present a false impression,” or “to deceive.” LET ME BE CLEAR! I do not believe that collegiate athletics leaders intentionally look to deceive anyone about the success of their student-athletes. However, these three stats do not tell the entire story of the transition experiences of many of our student-athletes once they leave college. Let me make my position clear:

HIGH GPA RATES, ACADEMIC PROGRESS/GRADUATION RATES, AND JOB PLACEMENTS ARE GREAT…THEY ARE IMPORTANT….THEY INDICATE GOOD WORK BEING DONE. BUT, THEY DO NOT TELL THE ENTIRE STORY!

See, I have become more of a “readiness” person. When I think of the crippling mental illness battles being fought by our graduating student-athletes who are not prepared to tackle life after sports, I am reminded of the importance of our student-athletes feeling “ready.” Sometimes, we (as, in professionals) get caught up in what we are doing more than we focus on quality outcomes. When I hear student-athletes openly share their frustrations about having to major in fields that they do not want to work in, I cannot act like this isn’t prevalent across the field. When I hear former student-athletes share amazing, actionable advice for current programs, I get excited about the solution-oriented brainstorming. Can we do more to facilitate the transfer of that academic knowledge into skills and confidence? I hope you shouted, YES!

When I performed my doctoral research on the way we evaluate student-athlete development, I learned that this field has yet to identify what a student-athlete “ready to transition” looks like. I learned that many institutions have one-man student-athlete development teams for hundreds of student-athletes. I learned that there is no one accepted way to assess life skills programming outcomes. I learned that academic success does not always dictate post-sport career readiness. I learned that APR rates are flawed and allow wealthier schools to have the opportunity to manipulate this statistic (Gurney et al., 2015). I learned that the NCAA’s adjustment of the GSR rates can inflate these statistics by omitting certain student-athletes (Gurney et al., 2015). Most importantly, I learned that we have work to do to keep improving.

I MUST ASK YOU THIS: DOES ACADEMIC SUCCESS EQUAL LIFE SKILLS AND CAREER READINESS? The false security of these statistics comes at a cost. When these young adults are long gone from collegiate sports, they will feel gaps in their overall development that could not be accurately gauged statistically while they were active players. But, isn't it our responsibility to help them prepare for lifelong success?

Before any of my fellow athlete development professionals rebut my position with the amazing things being done at your institution and through your organization, I want to offer two things. First, thank you! I am an ally and friend. Thank you for contributing to the success of those student-athletes in your care. We need you! This sentiment is meant to address the field as a whole. Second, I ask you to think of ANY gaps that exist in your ability to serve EVERY SINGLE STUDENT-ATHLETE UNDER YOUR CARE. The ones hard to reach. The ones from difficult backgrounds. The ones who REALLY need a certain type of life and career development in order to save their lives. The ones depending on sports to save them. If any thoughts come to mind, then you understand how GPAs, APRs, GSRs, and job placements can be misleading. Although I recognize how overwhelming your position can be.

Now, ask any player who has struggled to transition out of sports what could have been done to help them better prepare. I am positive they would have some insight for programs across the country to meet the needs of a large collective of our student-athlete population. I know, because I have had conversations with hundreds of them who represent programs at all levels of collegiate sports. There is ALWAYS room for improvement.

As an executive and educator, I understand the importance of metrics and evaluation. How do you measure programming effectiveness without easily quantifiable statistics? There are also qualitative measures – like survey instruments, skill demonstrations, internships, and other tools – that can help student-athletes translate the academic knowledge they have garnered into life and professional skills. THIS preparation is what feeds their confidence, not just knowing. While it is not expected that EVERY student-athlete should be an expert when they leave college sports, they should feel ready to tackle the next learning experience that lies ahead of them. I do not know everything, but I know that many of our athletics administrators – who I recognize have a multitude of responsibilities – are in positions to be creative in the way they evaluate programming decisions and outcomes. I am excited about what is to come.

So, numbers can mislead while they are telling important truths. They just may not tell us exactly where to make adjustments to get better. And, we can ALL get better, innovate, and grow in some way. Our athletes – who also have a responsibility to utilize the resources that we provide to them – need us to tell that hard truth about our innovation power and growth needs to take further steps toward facilitating their readiness. Let's GROW!

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Dr. Tywanna Smith is President of The Athlete’s Nexus – a sports marketing and business management firm for professional athletes. In addition to sports management services, Dr. Smith offers NIL education and support for collegiate student-athletes, business advisory/consultation services for entrepreneurs, financial literacy programming, and professional development training for all. Dr. Smith is currently an adjunct professor at The University of Memphis. Learn more about Dr. Smith at www.tywannasmith.com. Book her to lead an experience with your organization by emailing [email protected].