Dear College Athlete, Don't Complain

How easy it can sometimes be. In a world that is never satisfied, us college athletes are often left feeling bad for ourselves. From the outside looking in, we have it all - or so they think. From full-scholarships and free textbooks to unlimited meal swipes and nice sweatshirts. Although the themes and stereotypes are present about college student-athletes, they are often fabricated. 

And even though we do not have all that we wish we did, I am here to put an end to the complaining in college athletics.

It was my junior season as a varsity baseball player at Iona College. I was on a coach bus with 40 guys at about 3:00am, four hours into our roughly 12 hour bus trip to East Tennessee State University in which we departed from New Rochelle, New York at midnight. Many that are distant from college athletics, especially the low division 1 level, often referred to as “mid-major,” don’t even consider the travel involved with our competition. It is easy to see scores on Twitter or Instagram posts about top performers and not really think about how we got from New York to Tennessee or South Carolina. For many of us schools on lower end of budgets, we buddy up on bus trips and make good friends with our headphones and Netflix accounts. Was a 12 hour bus trip through the night always ideal? Absolutely not. There were plenty of road trips that I found myself struggling with an injury or lack of sleep. It was one day that it all hit me, however, I wouldn’t trade those trips for the world. We have seen it all together. My teammates and I get to spend nearly every second of the week together and some of my best memories were formed on those bus trips. From bus drivers becoming #1 fans to players performing skits impersonating coaches, the bus is what turns a team into a family. 

Take pride in the people you are able to meet. Through the years of being an athlete, I have come in contact with some of the most genuine, caring and hard-working people. Without athletics, I would not have been able to build the relationships that I have today. Early in my freshman year, my roommates mom would come to campus almost every week to take some of us out to dinner. Was she busy? I’m sure. However, she enjoyed that and we did even more. There may not be a single thing that means more to a college athlete than a nice, hearty meal. I will miss the quaint and subtle kindness that was constantly displayed. It is obvious that family and friends of teammates are always willing to help. Often times they are there for us and truly mean it.

Spend less time complaining and more time networking! College athletes are respected. It is no secret that playing a sport in college is not easy to do. Juggling a full school workload with the many hours of practice, lifting, conditioning, treatment and even community service is a full-time commitment in and of itself. Although we certainly have a lot on our plate, those in the workforce often acknowledge that and commend us for it. Use your platform as an athlete to your advantage. Talk to those you typically wouldn’t. At a school basketball game and run into a conversation with someone? Keep the conversation going. What is there to lose? Those who chase the goal will not be denied. Spend less time worrying about the struggles of an athlete and more time using those struggles to sculpt your future. 

One commonality throughout college sports is that our breaks, whether it be summer, winter, or spring, are often cut short because we have to be back on campus to get a head start on practice. However, this period of time while on campus before everyone else is one of the most special. It is during this time that you can focus on one thing and one thing only, your craft. A day full of your sport without the worry of anything else. During this stretch, you are surrounded by all of the people that you care about, all of which have one common goal in mind, a conference championship. The grind is really shown in these weeks, when you and your teammates can’t get enough of the training facilities.

Many seniors, like myself, had the curtain abruptly closed on their final year. Some will take their final year of eligibility, some will play professionally and others will enter the work force. This time has been tougher than ever. On Thursday, March 12th, we were scheduled to leave at 12:00pm for a road trip to VCU, which would kick of an 11-day Spring Break with eight games. What a trip we had in store. It was baseball that was going to be our only focus, playing some high level teams such as UConn and University of Illinois. That day also turned out to signify the end. Instead of our noon departure, we found ourselves saying goodbye to one another at 2:00pm. The MAAC, along with the NCAA, had made the decision to cancel the remainder of the spring season due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The tears were flowing. However, was there anyone to blame? Absolutely not. What terrible luck. In the final season of our careers, we joined thousands of seniors throughout the country that had their last hoorah cancelled. The world is at risk and many are losing their jobs throughout this difficult time, so there is just nothing that can be done. 

Lastly, I will miss that huddle after each and every time the team is together. There is no thing in sports, and maybe even life, that can bring the power that breaking it down together can. That “1..2..3..family” is something that really tied things together for me. Regardless of how good or bad things were going that day, the huddle at the end of practice served as a reminder that I am with 35 brothers. They will have my back, both figuratively and literally, in any practice, lift, conditioning, quiz, test and quite frankly, in any obstacle for the rest of my life. It was in a workout in October of my senior year that it really hit me. Already in the midst of a rough week, I was in over my head with tasks on my plate, when we brought it together at the end of the lift. We had just given all that we had in the hopes of getting bigger, faster and stronger for the season. Man, I was spent and drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was in that moment that I put things into perspective. I knew then and there that I could get through all things with my family behind me. Each and every team event, we were sure to remind each other of that. 

Coming from a baseball family, I have basically been playing since I even thought about taking my first few steps. As I entered the final season of my career this spring, I went in with a positive outlook and a gracious mindset. I am thankful for all that the game has given me and I regret the time that I wasted complaining about things that could be better, rather than being appreciative for all that we already had. My one wish is that the future generation of student-athletes do not fall into the complaining trap that is often present. 

College athletics are not all glitz and glamour, much like it seems on TV. Many of us, if not all of us, however, have been shaped into the young men and women that we are today because of our respective sports. It is through athletics that a talented, driven individual has been groomed to conquer whichever task is put in front of us next. 

Don’t complain. Enjoy every second of your career, regardless of the circumstances.