There are incredibly high demands for student athletes who must attempt to delicately balance their academic and athletic endeavours. Our study will further look at the effects of associating with one role over another. This research is important as few students turn into professional athlete's meaning that a student centered approach could aid an athlete after their sport career ends. The purpose of this study is to determine whether identifying more strongly as a student or an athlete will compare to ones academic performance. Conclusion: since having a stronger academic identity can aid ones career, it is important for athletic organizations to put additional programs in place to foster academic identity. Further investigation should look at why certain sports teams identified more closely as either athletes or academics. Overall, institutions should be cautious of producing student athletes who too closely identify with their athletics, instead ensuring that they are students first, providing them a greater chance of successfully transitioning to the world outside of sport.
