Abstract

The continued focus on the collegiate careers of student athletes continues its presence within the community of higher education As this focus has been historically centered on academic performance we are beginning to see a growing concern for the overall experience obtained in a higher education setting especially concerning athletes participating in the sport of football Research in student athlete experiences has demonstrated that participation in athletics enhances learning character development leadership skills social self-esteem and motivation Astin 1993 Childs 1987 Hirko 2009 Miracle Rees 1994 Pascarella Smart 1991 Shulman and Bowen 2002 While this experience has traditionally been examined through a comparative lens between traditional non-athlete students and the student athlete population the athlete experience needs to be further investigated through a qualitative lens to assess the true phenomenological environment