Editor’s Note: Mat Batts is a pitcher on the baseball team. The southpaw will be providing a unique athlete’s perspective in his articles. Enjoy.

Being a student-athlete is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences that a college student can have. The experience, however, is not all glamour and excitement. I have listed below the top five negative aspects that go along with being a student-athlete.

5) NCAA compliance meeting: While this may only be one day out of the year, it is painful enough to be mentioned. From filling out paper work for nearly an hour, to listening to all of the things an athlete cannot do on campus, the yearly NCAA compliance meeting slips in as one of the worst aspects of being a student-athlete.

4) Fundraisers: Fundraisers are an essential aspect for nearly every sport at every school, as competing in a collegiate sport requires a great deal of money. These fundraisers, however, never result in much fun. Aside from meeting with and getting to know loyal fans and passionate followers, fundraisers provide little more than a boost in finances.

3) Off-season workouts: Another necessary evil of collegiate sports, off-season workouts are flat out painful. With little motivation present as the season waits well in the future, it is hard to find any enjoyment in drills, conditioning and weight lifting during the off-season.

2) Travel: Road trips are enjoyable ways to travel to different states and witness various colleges and towns. However, the stress and strain that accompany road trips are far from enjoyable. Long bus rides, random hotel rooms and late night arrivals with class in the morning combine to make road trips a severe burden on student-athletes.

1) Study Hall: For a student-athlete, it is essential to keep your priorities in order and maintain a good balance between your academic and athletic work. Study hall is designed to aid in the process by setting aside mandatory time for student-athletes to sit down and focus completely on academics. This concept, however, makes for some long, boring hours spent in the library, all while missing the big game or a favorite television show.

There it is. A sneak peak into why being a student-athlete is filled with hard work and stress in areas that many people never even think of. Hopefully this has given you a better appreciation for some of the pains that collegiate athletes have to deal with.