We all know how Injuries impact a professional football player or even a division one basketball player hoping to get drafted, but what we don’t know is how they impact a division three athlete.
Serious injuries are bound to occur no matter what level of competition you are at. Professional athletes and teams are more likely to have top tier medical staff and services while athletes who compete at a lower level do not have the same luxuries.
Division three athletes play their sport for only four more years when they first get to college. They often have very little chance of making it past an amateur level of play, which is already a hard concept to grasp for someone who has dedicated so much time and energy into a sport. An injury during these four years is often devastating since there is already so little time left.
“I’ve lost a lot of time playing during college due to injuries and it’s difficult to imagine giving it up after playing all this time,” said Cortland wrestler Michael Barker.
These athletes are faced with the difficult decision to either quit or face possible life-long physical problems due to consistent injuries. At some point the cons begin to outweigh the pros and some athletes decide to give up on the sport they love.
Athletes may also be affected mentally after an injury. A lot of changes happen after a serious injury that can impact multiple areas of a student athlete’s life.
“When a student-athlete is injured, there is a normal emotional reaction that includes processing the medical information about the injury provided by the medical team, as well as coping emotionally with the injury,” according to the NCAA.
Some problems that can arise are sadness, isolation, lack of motivation, and changes in appetite. These may be a result of the athlete feeling like a failure or that they have nothing left they can accomplish. It is important for organizations and schools to have professionals who are readily available to help students cope with their diagnosis.
Athletes competing in every level of competition are going to face the detrimental effects injuries can have, but it can be especially devastating when your time as an athlete is coming to an end.