Notre Dame athletes work hard, earn few benefits they receive
Karen Swanson
sophomore
Monday night I received a phone call from Maribel Morey requesting an interview for an article on services provided to Notre Dame athletes. Thinking that the article would be a realistic representation of how and why it is different to be a varsity athlete at Notre Dame, I happily obliged. I was appalled by Maribel's article when it ran in the yesterday's edition of The Observer because it so negatively portrayed varsity athletes, my team and me.
Maribel should have communicated her desire to write an article that would do a disservice to this campus, reinforcing the grossly inaccurate attitude on campus that varsity athletes have it easy and receive special treatment. And she should have told me the context in which my quotes would be used.
Maribel says that we are afforded certain perks "just by virtue of being a varsity athlete." Well what exactly is the "virtue of being a varsity athlete?" It is pouring every last bit of physical and emotional energy into your daily workouts, practices and games. It is getting up at 5:30 in the morning to run sprints, lift weights or practice. It is practicing through dinner just so your team will have an edge on the next competitor. It is missing almost three straight weeks of class, but then being expected to perform as well or better than your peers. It is not going out on Friday night because you have a competition the next day. It means not napping every afternoon, not getting to eat popcorn and watch movies at night. It means giving up holidays and summer vacations with your family.
So by "virtue of being a varsity athlete" certain privileges are not only afforded to us, they are necessary.
I was quoted as having said, "In a classroom, the teachers say it's okay to give that person an extension because she's an athlete." Wrong. It's okay to give that person an extension because her extenuating circumstances make it inhumanly possible for her to complete her work according to the original deadline. I would like to personally apologize to my professors for being quoted as having said this.
I don't for a second think that I can "get away" with things because I'm an athlete. I expect my professors to hold me to the same standards as any student, and thinking I can slip by is an insult to the hard work athletes put in trying to live up to the high standards Notre Dame sets in every category.
I was quoted as having said, "The main difference is that people look at you in a more favorable light." This is grossly out of context as well. The main differences are the overwhelming demands placed on varsity athletes. Trying to juggle academic standards of one of the nation's best schools, keeping your team atop the latest polls and maintaining a normal level of social interaction is no easy task.
As far as getting on campus goes, I don't get any "waves." In fact, most of the security guards don't even recognize me as an athlete. They see me as your typical Notre Dame student — and that's what most of us want. We want to fit into the Notre Dame community like everyone else. We want the student body to respect us for our daily hard work — not to shun us for receiving "special privileges." And it doesn't help when people reinforce an attitude toward us that is not only hurtful, but disrespectful too.
Karen Swanson
sophomore
Breen Phillips Hall
May 1, 2001
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, May 18, 2001
