Practice time
Obviously one of the biggest factors in student-athletes performing worse in school on a GPA basis is the amount of time spent practicing for their sport. As part of the lawsuit against UNC-Chapel Hill, two former student-athletes claimed they were deprived of a meaningful education, part of it stemming from the amount of time practicing. The NCAA restricts student-athletes to 20 hours per week of practice during that sport's season. Though, the NCAA conducted a survey in 2011 coming up with the following information:
The NCAA also has a limit of 4 hours of practice per day in-season. A survey was also conducted in 2006 resulting in the following information:
Priorities
While the practice time may be an issue, the real problem with student-athletes is their lack of care for their academics. Student-athletes who were given scholarships, or were recruited are most vulnerable to this. This has to do with the amount of emphasis and care colleges put on sports programs, which includes the money put in and the money made from these sports. In 2010, the collective revenue of the 15 highest-grossing football programs in the United States was more than $1 billion. With this much importance put on these sports, it's no wonder why student-athlete put sports ahead of academics.