The thing that sets apart student-athletes from the rest of the student body, is their athletic ability. While this is a good thing most of the time, it can and often does make them particularly vulnerable to extra scrutiny. Gone are the days when poor behavior by an athlete will just get swept under the rug.

Now that virtually everyone has a cell phone, and increasingly one with a camera on it, EVERYTHING the student-athlete says and does can get caught on film no matter where they are.

Combine the pressure of being away from home for the first time, with the responsibility of upholding the image of a school, team and program, as well as being required to perform athletically and academically, it puts a new meaning on stress.

This new degree of pressure can negatively impact a student-athlete’s performance on and off the playing field, and consequently an athletic department. It is the school’s responsibility to prepare the student-athlete for life as a collegiate student athlete. A night out drinking with teammates is no longer a suitable orientation.

Now That You’re A Big Time College Athlete 101 relies on the principles put together in our IROC program. IROC is more than a 1980’s sports car. In this case it stands for: Image, Responsibilities, Opportunities, and Choices.

MVP’s IROC program is designed to provide your student-athletes with a realistic view of what life will be like, and how to handle certain situations. It will outline the expectations and consequences in a way which will be easy for them to understand, entertaining and engaging so they will be interested, and realistic enough that they will retain what they learn.

Make MVP’s Now That You’re A Big Time College Athlete 101 a pre-requisite course for all your student-athletes and keep them in the headlines for all the right reasons, and none of the wrong ones.