Using data from a study begun in 1980, he finds that those students who were athletes or athletic leaders had grades between 8 and 13 percent higher than those that were non-athletes. He argues that the skills developed as a participant or leader on an athletic team are also useful in the academic sphere.

Do student athletes perform better than non athletes?

Overall, female athletes outperformed male athletes with a graduation rate of 67.51% compared to 52.46% for male athletes. In addition, athletes outperformed undergraduates in all categories. Black male athletes had a 43.32% graduation rate compared to a graduation rate of just 37.39% for black undergraduates.

Do grades improve or suffer when you play sports?

In fact, many research studies strongly suggest that playing sports positively enhances academic progress.