Three Unspoken Realities in Canadian Collegiate Sports
As athletes enter their teenage years, they begin to glorify the idea of being scouted, recruited, and ultimately offered a scholarship (known to Canadians as Athletic Financial Awards or AFAs).
Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to play a sport at the collegiate level? The experience is amazing, the lessons learned are priceless, and of course, the memories last forever.
However, being a student-athlete in Canada is no cakewalk. It requires more work than public perception often leads the average student and sports fan to believe. It also differs drastically from the “picture-perfect” lifestyle lived by our collegiate counterparts south of the border.
Don’t get it twisted, being a student-athlete in Canada is great! But there are a few unspoken realities that often carry a huge effect on the overall student-athlete experience that seem to never reach the public forum of discussion.
So whether you’re a young high-school athlete currently being recruited, a current university athlete who’s reading to find resonating truths, or a retired collegiate athlete who’s reading to ignite long-lost nostalgia, this article is for you. Here are three unspoken realities of Canadian collegiate sports.
1. In Canada, Being a Student Matters
It’s widely believed that the term “student-athlete” has become watered down in the world of collegiate athletics. The glamorous lifestyles that NCAA athletes live have led sports fans and future competitors to believe that collegiate athletes do everything but go to class. However, that isn’t the case in Canada.
In Canadian collegiate sports, being a student matters, as grades and GPAs are taken extremely seriously. For starters, athletes can only be eligible for athletic financial awards upon entering university if they complete their high school studies with a grade average of at least 80%. Once athletes get to university, athletic financial awards are maintained in the classroom, as athletes are required to maintain a grade average of at least 65% (70% at some institutions) in order to receive their annual tuition relief.
When it comes to competition eligibility, athletes are required to be enrolled in at least three academic courses per semester, while maintaining a grade average of at least 60% (65% at some institutions) in order to participate in regular-season and playoff competitions.
As for the degree itself? It doesn’t come easy either. In addition to attending practices, workouts, and film sessions, collegiate athletes in Canada must attend their regularly scheduled classes and required tutorials if they want to put themselves in a position to successfully pass their classes and earn their degrees.
Simply put, there are no academic “shortcuts” associated with being a student-athlete in Canada. Athletes who compete at the collegiate level in Canada must learn to balance academics and athletics if they aspire to achieve success in the classroom and on gameday.
2. Full Rides? Not So Fast.
It’s no surprise that pursuing a post-secondary education can be expensive. Because of this, young athletes often use their talents as a vessel to get a post-secondary education at a subsidized cost.
Of course, the dream is to earn a full-ride athletic financial award that covers all of their school-related expenses. These expenses can include (but aren’t limited to) tuition, books, and in some cases, housing.
Not so fast though! Full-ride athletic financial awards aren’t a unanimous reality across Canada. In fact, different conferences carry different rules and regulations when it comes to AFA amounts that can be awarded. For example, athletes who compete in the AUS conference have the opportunity to earn athletic financial awards that cover their entire tuition, while in the OUA conference, athletes only have the opportunity to earn an athletic financial award that covers up to $4,500 of their tuition.
As conferences carry different rules and regulations on AFAs, the amount of tuition relief a school can offer a student-athlete ultimately comes down to budgets. It’s worth noting that not all schools work with the same budget. Therefore, not all schools can award the same amounts when it comes to AFAs. In fact, there are some sports that don’t even award AFAs or only award a couple of AFAs to their top performers.
Depending on the financial situation of the school and the AFA regulations in the conference, the possible lack of AFA opportunity can create financial issues for some student-athletes. Studies show that over 40% of full-time post-secondary students hold part-time jobs during the school year, working a minimum of 20 hours per week. Because of the laundry list of responsibilities that come with being a part of a collegiate sports team, student-athletes often struggle to hold part-time jobs altogether.
Although uncontrollable circumstances, such as budgets and regulations may place a cap on the extent to which an athlete can cash-in on their abilities, there are certain ways in which athletes can raise additional funding to pay for their studies. Some of these ways include renewable entrance scholarships, bursaries, and even additional AFAs in other sports. Yes, section 50.10.3.1.5 of the U SPORTS AFA policies and procedures state that there are no restrictions on the amount of AFAs a student-athlete can receive in a school year as long as the combined amount does not exceed the combined cost of their tuition and compulsory fees.
3. Pay To Play
Yes, the reality is as the subtitle reads.
Unlike the NCAA, collegiate sport in Canada is not a multi-billion dollar industry. Canadian athletic programs have significantly smaller financial budgets, and therefore often require their own athletes to fund a portion of the operational expenses.
The most common “pay to play” financial obligations that student-athletes face in Canada are seen through team fees. These are preseason fees that all members of a sports team have to pay. These fees go towards team necessities and add-ons, such as travel, food, and apparel.
The cost of team fees will vary based on the sport, as some sports carry more expenses than others. But what’s consistent with these fees are their mandatory nature and accompanying consequences. Oftentimes, if athletes fail to pay their team fees, they could face repercussions such as not receiving team benefits (such as catering and apparel), not receiving their athletic financial awards, or not being allowed to compete altogether.
Paying to play is an unspoken reality in Canadian collegiate sports, as many young athletes are not informed of the financial obligations that they are inheriting until after they have already committed to a collegiate program.
While being recruited, always be sure to inquire about any team fees or financial obligations that are associated with your sport. As someone who is committing to giving a program 4-5 years of service and sweat equity, it’s your right to be informed.
