If you’ve watched any television or movies, you’ve likely seen the dumb jock stereotype portrayed on-screen. One popular example is Andrew Clark from The Breakfast Club.
But is there any truth to the rumor, or are we just hurting athletes by believing that they can’t have brains and brawn at the same time?
It turns out that high school athletes outperform non-athletes in the classroom and are actually better students. 62 percent of female students and nearly half of male students have a 3.5 GPA or higher. Non-athletes are significantly worse off.
When it comes to graduation rates, the stats are the same. Almost all high school athletes graduate successfully, and they do so at a higher rate than non-athletes.
Lastly, the attendance rates of student athletes are also impressive. 95% of “dumb jocks” attend class regularly and do so more regularly than their non-athletic counterparts.
While student athletes are making home runs in the classroom, they still face danger outside of the classroom. On the field, sports injuries are prevalent and can often be prevented. Find out more about youth sports injuries here.