How NCAA Division I Athletes Balance Academics and Sports Motivation According to New Research

Collegiate athletes live in a world where academic performance and athletic excellence are equally non-negotiable. To stay eligible, they must maintain a minimum GPA while also committing countless hours to training, practice, travel, and competition. This constant balancing act raises an important question: what actually motivates student-athletes to succeed in both roles at the same time?

A recent research study conducted by Allison Smith and Jeongwon Choi set out to explore this exact issue. Their work focuses on understanding how NCAA Division I athletes think about, prioritize, and stay motivated in their academic and athletic identities, especially when those identities seem to pull them in different directions.

Understanding the Purpose of the Study

The study was designed to examine collegiate athletes’ motivational perspectives and to identify patterns that help them manage the competing demands of sports and academics. Allison Smith, an assistant professor of sport administration and a former collegiate athlete herself, collaborated with Jeongwon Choi, an assistant professor of sport management and program coordinator at Georgian Court University.

Their shared interest was rooted in both academic research and lived experience. They wanted to understand not only what motivates student-athletes, but why certain motivations become stronger than others over the course of a college career.

Who Participated in the Research

The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 10 NCAA Division I athletes. These athletes competed in non-revenue-generating sports, meaning sports that do not typically receive the same financial or media attention as football or men’s basketball.

The participant group was intentionally selected to ensure:

Balanced gender representation
A mix of academic class levels, from underclassmen to upperclassmen
Participation across different sports

This approach allowed the researchers to gather a more nuanced picture of motivational experiences rather than focusing on a single sport or demographic group.

The Role of Self-Determination Theory

To guide their analysis, the researchers used Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a well-established psychological framework that explains why people engage in certain behaviors and how motivated they feel while doing so.

SDT emphasizes three core psychological needs:

Autonomy, or the feeling of having control over one’s actions
Competence, or feeling capable and effective
Relatedness, or feeling connected to others

Within this framework, motivation is categorized into three main types:

Intrinsic motivation, where someone engages in an activity because they genuinely enjoy it
Extrinsic motivation, where behavior is driven by external rewards or expectations
Amotivation, which reflects a lack of motivation altogether

The interview questions were structured around these concepts, allowing athletes to describe their motivations in both academic and athletic contexts.

Three Key Themes That Emerged

After analyzing the interview data, the researchers identified three major themes that consistently appeared across participants’ experiences.

1. Support, Resources, and Ongoing Challenges

Athletes discussed the academic and athletic support systems available at their universities, including tutoring, advising, and athletic department resources. While challenges such as time constraints and fatigue were common, many athletes felt that their institutions provided meaningful support to help them succeed.

2. Athletic Identity and Unbalanced Motivation

One of the most significant findings was the role of athletic identity. Many athletes strongly identified as athletes first, which led to higher motivation levels for sports than for academics. This imbalance often shaped how they prioritized their time, energy, and goals.

3. Culture, Coaching, and Environment

Team culture and coaches’ leadership styles played a major role in shaping motivation. Athletes who felt their coaches valued academics alongside athletic performance reported a healthier balance between the two roles.

Athletic Identity and Academic Motivation

The study confirms earlier research showing that a strong athletic identity can sometimes overshadow academic motivation. When athletes primarily see themselves as competitors, academic responsibilities may feel secondary, especially early in their college careers.

However, the research also uncovered an important shift. Once athletes declared or settled into a major that aligned with their personal interests and future career goals, their intrinsic motivation for academics increased noticeably. Coursework became more meaningful, and academics were no longer viewed simply as a requirement for eligibility.

This finding highlights how academic relevance and personal interest can significantly influence motivation levels.

Satisfaction With Institutional Support

Another notable outcome of the study was athletes’ generally positive view of their schools’ support offerings. While earlier studies have produced mixed results regarding student-athlete satisfaction with academic resources, participants in this study largely felt supported by their institutions.

This included access to advisors, structured academic programs, and an environment that acknowledged the challenges of balancing dual roles.

Challenging Stereotypes About Student-Athletes

One of the broader implications of this research is its impact on common stereotypes. The findings directly challenge the idea that collegiate athletes are uninterested in academics or disengaged from their education.

Instead, the study shows that most athletes do care deeply about school, especially when:

Their academic path aligns with long-term goals
Coaches reinforce the value of education
Team culture supports both academic and athletic identities

Motivation, in this context, is not about a lack of interest but about structure, alignment, and support.

Why This Research Matters

This study offers valuable insights for:

Coaches, who play a key role in shaping team culture
Academic advisors, who can help athletes find majors aligned with career interests
Athletic departments, looking to improve holistic student-athlete development

By understanding how motivation works across both domains, institutions can create environments where athletes are empowered to succeed on the field and in the classroom.

Additional Context on Motivation in Collegiate Sports

Research on motivation and athletic identity has consistently shown that student-athletes experience unique pressures compared to non-athletes. Time demands, public performance, and eligibility requirements all shape motivational patterns.

Studies using Self-Determination Theory suggest that when athletes experience greater autonomy and competence in academics, their engagement improves. This reinforces the idea that academic motivation is not fixed, but responsive to environment, leadership, and personal relevance.

Final Thoughts

This research adds an important layer to our understanding of collegiate athletes’ lives. It shows that while athletic identity often dominates motivation, academic motivation can grow stronger when athletes feel supported, connected, and invested in their future beyond sports.

Rather than viewing academics and athletics as competing forces, the study highlights how both identities can coexist when institutions and leaders intentionally support the whole student-athlete.

Research paper: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jade/vol6/iss2/4/