Drinking and the College Athlete

Lately, there have been way too many reports of players in trouble in the off season. Many of these legal problems are a result of underage drinking, which can unfortunately ruin a career. I’m all for relaxing with a frosty beer or glass of wine now and again, but the level of drinking among college athletes…frankly, it scares me.

As a college athlete you have a choice: give the game your all or go at it half-assed. If you’re a B-list player, chances are that you aren’t all that inspired to care about the ability to perform on game day. You have a beer gut? Big deal. It isn’t like you’ll get to play anyway, right?

That’s the attitude that creates the problem. Coaches reward effort by spending more time with you, working on your problem areas. As an underclassman, if you choose to drink instead of work out and practice, chances are that you’ll never get that opportunity to play. On the other hand, if you put in the extra effort, you might see some playing time even if there are others with more natural talent. Athleticism isn’t just about being “born with it.”

Before I step off of my soapbox, I wanted to reiterate again that having a drink here or there is fine…but if you overdo it time and time again, you’re only throwing away a potential NFL career. At the very least, you’re hurting the team. Choose partying or choose football – not both.

Picture by woodsy.