Social Sphere
Student-athletes who first come to college already have a predetermined social group within their sports team. Often times this excludes them from expanding to other social circles among peers who are not involved in varsity athletics. Student-athletes also compromise their social activities in exchange for athletic and academic commitment. Most often students make friends their first year of college and maintain them throughout their college careers, however, student-athletes tend to struggle maintaining the relationships they made their first year as they don't have the time to allocate. Student-athlete's friends are primarily compromised of teammates and those involved in an athletic context. Due to the social restriction athletes face their social development can be altered or disrupted (Meyer). While not always true, student-athletes may feel that college athletics has inhibited their social development, leaving them with minor interests outside sport and a unidimensional perception of themselves. Student-athletes who are dissatisfied with their peer interactions have a higher chance of doing poorly in academics. When a student-athlete is not socially happy or satisfied and their academics suffer as a result, their athletic sphere is the only sphere they strongly identify with and can experience success in. However, since the spheres are interrelated, a student-athlete who is doing poorly in one or two of the spheres is prone to vulnerability in the other spheres. Therefore, when a student is doing poorly academically and athletically their self-esteem and confidence may be lowered among other things. This influences their ability to interact with others and, ultimately, negatively impacts their social and emotional life.