Sonia O’Sullivan: Cash always the chief distraction in college athlete’s life

The NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] championships have always been the place where United States college athletes need to make their mark as they embark on the world stage. Back in the day, it was generally the European student-athletes who continued on each summer with national championships and international opportunities waiting for them before returning to college in the autumn at the end of the European season.

I can remember in 1990 after winning the NCAA 3,000m returning home for international duty at the European Cup, small nations games and ultimately my first major international team at the European Championships that took place in Split, Croatia, which in 1990 — before declaring independence in 1991 — was still part of the old Yugoslavia.

In all that summer, I ran 11 races, broke four Irish records and then went back for my final year at Villanova.

[ Rhasidat Adeleke claims another Irish record in sensational 400m win at NCAA championships ]

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There was no consideration of leaving college early or of signing any contracts as, back then, we were still living through the era of semi-professional/semi-amateur athletics. It was all still evolving. At that time, we were happy to have our expenses covered and a box of shoes delivered to get us through the summer.

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The NCAA finals have always been a launch pad of exposure for athletes embarking on their professional careers and, in recent years, many athletes have opted to forego their final years of college eligibility and go straight to the professional ranks.

The level of competition at the NCAA is rising all the time, for some events greater than others; and future stars who emerge are nowadays snapped up by agents and shoe companies before many have any real international experience. And it can take time to become established on the international stage.

There is no shortage of fast times and races across the US as the college season reaches its climax, but the NCAA is not totally aligned with world athletics in a number of areas, including the use of super shoes, while drug testing for those not yet included in the world athletics doping pool is at a minimal level.

It can take time for the athletes to find their groove but athletes now also can be signed to large shoe company contracts where there is less immediate incentive to race and they often forget that the high level of college racing, including relay events, is what has enabled them to deliver their best results.

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When an athlete’s stock is high, it can be a difficult time trying to decide what’s best for their future career and many don’t always take the time to weigh things up and don’t see beyond the immediate earning potential.

It is a stressful time for athletes, a bit like when deciding where to go to college all over again. Only, this time, it can be a bigger leap of faith in moving outside the safety net of the college environment and a supportive team that has got them to this point to a position, where it is time to start going in a new direction and of finding their way in professional sport.

And there is no trickier environment than the one which exists in track and field where there is no clear path and many hidden pitfalls.

In Ireland, naturally enough after her brilliant performance in winning the 400m at the NCAA last week, all the focus is on Rhasidat Adeleke. What will she do next? She doesn’t really need to go anywhere as the team environment and coaching structure in Texas seems to be working, so why change things just one year out from the Olympic games?

The simplest thing would be to explore some international races this summer in Europe and prepare for the World Championships in Budapest (which are still some 10 weeks away at the end of August). It’s a long time to stay focussed and hold form yet still enough time to come down from the high of winning the NCAA Championships in record-breaking style, to recover, reset and refocus on a new phase of the 2023 season.

There are options now for college athletes to stay in college, retain their coach and training environment yet still explore options of where they may end up after their college eligibility ends.

Such options exist and athletes can be rewarded under the “Name Image and Likeness” rules — introduced in July 2021 — which allow athletes to monetise their name, image and likeness. Effectively, to be paid while still retaining their eligibility as a college athlete.

It is a bit more complicated but not impossible for international student-athletes as their NIL contracts need to be structured outside the US in their home countries for US tax purposes.

Yet it all brings levels of uncertainty and unanswered questions that can cause stress for the athletes and how they manage to balance their value as an athlete and the peace required to manage what’s required to continue as an athlete and deliver the results while living through this undecided growth period.

To me, it just seems simpler to stay where you are and gradually add things in, like dabbling on the international circuit and the world stage, while continuing to represent your university. Maybe pick and choose the races more carefully in the period transitioning to a fully professional athlete status in an Olympic year.

The numbers admittedly were a lot less back in the early 1990s when I was in the situation but the decisions still had to be made. I always found the best way to make a decision was to always retain your love for the sport, and take the steps to greatness, always exploring new options, and greater competitive opportunities, without taking too big a leap and the prospect of failure.

Really, to aim for achievable goals and targets and spread your efforts throughout your career. There is always the fear of failure. Questions abound. Like, what if this is the best I will be? Should I now take the money and run? Or back myself to deliver for many years?

The distraction is always the money and what’s on the table now may not be on the table in 12 months’ time.

The life of a college athlete is not much different to a professional athlete though often more fulfilled in the supportive environment that many miss when they leave college and then have to find their own path forward.

You have to believe in yourself, to know that there will be ebbs and flows along the way. But ultimately those who work hard and believe will retain their value for many years so they can take their time deciding and in making decisions they can stand by.