If someone were to review a football, basketball, or softball game, they might be impressed with an athletic play or cheer on a particular team. Ultimately, they would come to the conclusion that the point is to win the game. Still, win or lose, it’s just a game. Although winning is the goal that all athletes want to achieve, athletics is much more than a game. Athletics, especially at the collegiate level, is a laboratory for the growth of future top-tier player employees. An A-player is a high-level employee who is a great leader, a role model, and achieves success. Hiring an A-player will dramatically change a business, and with the right tactics to retain valuable employees, A-players will attract more high-quality workers.
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the percentage of athletes who continue their athletic career professionally is small. 1.6% of all NCAA football players will play in the NFL, 0.9% of all women’s basketball players will get a chance to play in the WNBA, and 1.4% of men’s soccer will continue their college career at the professional level. In the 2013-2014 academic year, 472,625 athletes participated in 23 NCAA sports across the country. Unfortunately, the chances of playing professionally are very slim and many talented athletes must leave athletics and enter the working world after graduating from college.
The good news for many companies is that athletes are bred to be great employees. I think a businessman should hire an athlete as his next employee because:
1. Athletes are achievement oriented
2. Athletes are resilient
3. Athletes are good communicators
4. Athletes are team oriented
5. Athletes are great at time management
Most athletes have a burning desire to be competitive. An athlete not only competes against an opponent, but also fights for a position in the team with other teammates. College athletics is a business and every athlete is expected to produce or playing time and/or place on the team may be in jeopardy. Achievement-oriented people refuse to be complacent and tend to never be satisfied. It is important to continually give athletes goals to strive for in the workplace. Competing is fun for them and a company will benefit greatly from the competitiveness of an athlete.
Athletics promotes resilience and overcoming adversity to succeed. The adversities of overcoming are presented in different ways throughout the sports career. Athletes are expected to deal with injuries, adapt to uncontrollables like an umpire’s strike zone, and compete to the conclusion of a game, even if victory seems out of reach. Those who are resilient achieve greatness. For example, in 2004, the Boston Red Sox were three games behind the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. It would have been easy to throw in the towel, but the Boston Red Sox refused to give up and the baseball team proved its resilience by winning four straight and then winning the World Series. The athletes refuse to let the uncontrollables bring them down; They will fight, claw, and claw their way to their goals. An employee with this mindset will be an impactful member of the business and help create a culture of success.
Especially in a team sport, an athlete is required to have strong communication skills. On the field, their job is to communicate with teammates to make plays and encourage positive action through cheers of support, thus creating a unified atmosphere. Communication is not limited to verbal messages, but is any information that is exchanged from one person to another. Successful athletes are easy to coach and communicate consistently with their coaches and team members. Coachability is critical because without buy-in from both the coaching staff and teammates, communication becomes brittle or breaks down, leading to indecisiveness, mistrust, and mistrust. As a manager, you want your employees to wholeheartedly trust the process, be open to constructive criticism, and communicate through behavior, feedback, and allowing themselves to be coached. Because an athlete is achievement-oriented and competitive, he tends to be one step ahead of non-athletes and will deliver for business success.
The benefit of being part of a team is probably the greatest attribute an athlete can bring to the workplace. Being team-oriented encourages selflessness, consideration of the culture and emotions of others, and stands for something much larger than an individual. Athletes work well with others and realize that their actions are a direct reflection of the team and organization. Problems always arise in a group, but when you are surrounded by the same people more than you spend time with family, you learn to manage and communicate with others while fighting for a common goal.
Lastly, a college athlete would be a great asset to a company because of their experience in smart time management. The NCAA requires that all athletes enroll in at least twelve credit hours and maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Athletes are also required to have a certain percentage of their degree completed each year in order to participate in their sport. Depending on the Division (I, II, or III) and college, an athlete is also expected to excel in a strength and conditioning program in addition to attending practice. Juggling academics, practice, and strength and conditioning is a task most freshmen struggle with in their freshman year, but by the end of an athlete’s career, they become masters of the time management. The ability to manage time relieves stress and prevents feeling overwhelmed, as well as reducing dips in performance.
In conclusion, a former student-athlete is an excellent candidate for a company’s next A-player. He may look different while competing in his sport, but college athletes make an impact on and off the field. Athletics builds character and the sport will push a player beyond his or her perceived limitations. Athletes are always given a choice and those who persevere through a grueling but rewarding four-year career become better people, better athletes and have the tools to be contributing members of society. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the most well-known sponsor in recruiting college athletes. In April 2012, they entered into a partnership with Career Athletes LLC to expand the recruitment of former student-athletes. Other companies associated with Career Athletes LLC include Urban Teacher Center, Northwestern Mutual, Stryker, and Federated Insurance.
References:
Brown, Smooth. “Company signs national partnership to hire student athletes”. Post-dispatch from St. Louis. April 25, 2012. Web. November 20, 2015. http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/enterprise-signs-national-partnership-to-hire-student-athletes/article_6f6babf8-8ee6-11e1-9e0a-0019bb30f31a.html
“Estimated probability of competing in professional athletics”. NCAA research. April 14, 2015. Web. November 12, 2015.
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/estimated-probability-competing-professional-athletics