Sports ineligibility is a bit of a touchy subject.

Every year, various Bruin athletes deal with being unable to participate in their sport of choice because of grade requirements.

Junior Varsity Football Coach Jeremy Kerr explained the rules of academic sports eligibility.

“You have to have a 2.0 and you can’t have more than one F … No drugs and alcohol obviously,” Coach Kerr said. “Progress reports won’t kick you off.”

Coach Kerr then explained how a student can recover.

“My philosophy is school comes before football, so if they are failing multiple classes that is unacceptable,” he said. “We do a couple different things. One of my coaches actually does math tutoring zero period … so I have a couple students in tutoring, and then any students that need extra, extra help. I don’t have them go to practice because they’re going to be kicked off the team.”

Junior Jared Baze, a varsity football player, said the grade requirements are a fair decision for athletes.

“It was pretty devastating but, you know, I guess I learned a lesson from it because this year I have really good grades and I’ve been working really hard to keep it up,” said Baze. “I learned an important lesson. I didn’t have anything to work for, because I wasn’t able to play football at the time… I was lazy and I didn’t work as hard as I should have.”

Sophomore and junior varsity football player Jeremy Rodriguez, on the other hand, does not agree.

“I mean, yeah, I get I didn’t have the grades to do it, but the quarter ends on October 13 and I can’t play until the 27th, because that’s when grades are posted,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think I should be playing this whole time but I feel I should play more than two games.”

Julie Bristol, a sophomore volleyball player, feels the pressure.

“I should worry about my grades affecting my playtime because I feel like I’ll end up falling behind and not being able to play but, for now, I am good,” Bristol said. “I go to school, then to volleyball, then cheer and I get home really late from that. I just feel like I don’t want to do my homework but I have to.”

Grace Cohenour, a senior, has no worries that she will be affected for varsity volleyball.

“I haven’t had any grades that affected any of my playtime,” Cohenour said. “Depends on how long our games are. Like, I’ll get home and I’ll be really tired and end up doing my homework in the morning.”

Rodriguez summed up the disappointment an ineligible athlete feels.

“(Ineligibility) is one of the worst feelings,” he said. “Like you love a game so much and yet you can’t do anything to go for it. You can’t help your team out on the field, all you can do is practice.”