An Exploration of the Impact of COVID-19 on Collegiate Student Athletes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had an unexplainably immense impact on the entire world when it began in March of 2020 including the cancellations or postponements of sports worldwide. The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) conducted a study shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak began exploring the impact that the pandemic had on the wellbeing of student-athletes. Their study explored areas such as barriers to training, academic experiences, sport/championship cancelations, desired resources, and mental health concerns. The results of the NCAA study found a significant increase in student-athlete academic, athletic- and mental health-related concerns, with students expressing a large list of desired resources for support. The purpose of this study was to reflect on the findings of the NCAA study, while examining the mental health repercussions of the pandemic, particularly for college student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and how this affected their athletic and academic performance, resilience, well-being, and coping strategies. We concluded the survey with a question asking student-athletes to reflect on what they have learned about themselves and their coping strategies due to COVID-19 to highlight any potential themed of growth and resilience.