As time passes and society evolves, sports have always been apart of the human experience. Academics test the minds of its people, and sports test the bodies of its warriors. One person in particular, Branden Crosby, senior, has found the courage to take on both. 

Branden didn’t originally like the game of football or really any sports in his youth for that matter. “My mom signed me and my older brother up when we were ten,” he said. “I ended up sticking with it and it became apart of me.” 

Branden was determined to tackle both his academic and sports career at the same time so that he could pursue what makes him whole. “I made a routine for myself,” he said about balancing academics and athletics. “You’re a ‘student’ athlete first. My coaches stress grades before playing. How could I play if I don’t have the grades to do it.” 

Branden doesn’t have much free time off the field or at home, but when he does he enjoys spending it with friends. “My friends and I like to do whatever. We like going to each other’s houses and messing around with whatever we talk about or do. Relaxing is a good way to deal with the stress that comes with being both an athlete and a student.”

 He plans on playing football in college or attempting to try to move up the divisional ranking. He said that, “I might play in college, but I’d really like to focus on studying marketing or finance in school. Football is a part of me and I don’t plan on giving it up entirely or just quitting on it. I would like to keep it on the side if I could so that I can continue my studies and play when I wanted to.” 

Branden gave some advice to other people out there trying to balance academics and athletics and he said, “Your education comes first. Anyone can be anything, but remember the teachers, coaches, and friends that got you there.” 

“Sports are just a small piece of the puzzle that makes you, so always put your studies in front of the side stuff so that you can make a career for yourself in education and on the field,” Branden said that he loves the game of football and doesn’t intend to let up on it anytime soon, or his studies. To all those student athletes out there who believe that you can’t do both, take it from someone that understands both games already and always give it a try and remember how you got to this point in your life.