On the general topic of distractions at college causing poor grades, a recent study found this effect for colleges with winning football teams:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/s...nning-football-and-declining-grades.htmlStudy Links Winning Football and Declining Grades
By MARY PILON
New York Times
December 21, 2011
When a college football team is successful, students put down their books and pick up some beers.
At least, that is the case made by three University of Oregon economists whose study was released this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
In examining the grade-point averages of the Oregon student body and the performance of the Ducks� football team, the researchers found a relationship between declining grades and success on the field.
�Our results support the concern that big-time sports are a threat to American higher education,� the paper�s authors � Jason M. Lindo, Isaac D. Swensen and Glen R. Waddell � wrote. They said their work was among the first to take a look at the �nonmonetary costs� of college sports.
Male students were more likely than female students to increase their alcohol consumption and celebrating and decrease studying when a team fared well, resulting in lower grade-point averages, according to the study.
Women also showed a decline in academic performance, though smaller than their male counterparts. For both sexes, the slack in studying and pop in partying was present only in fall quarters, aligning with the football season.
�The gender gap widens as the football team succeeds,� said Waddell, an associate professor.
�I teach these students,� he said. �And I know that on Thursdays there�s this subtle distraction in the classroom, and the game isn�t even until Saturday.�
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