Exploration of the College Athletic Culture

Exploration of the College Athletic Culture

Shea Cinque

University of Kentucky

This paper offers insight on the life of a college athlete today. The first organized college sports club was in the 1840’s. Since then, college sports have been taken to a whole other level. Different instances have affected the growth of this culture ever since its birth. In this paper I will address the history of college sports, the culture surrounding college athletes, and how it is perceived by today’s society.

Exploration of the College Athletic Culture

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” –Plato. Does being a college athlete affect the education received? Since the beginning of collegiate athletics, the culture of college sports has changed drastically throughout the years. College sports began in the 1850’s and have remained evolving ever since. In this paper I will cover the different aspects of what defines the collegiate athletic culture, common beliefs and practices held by the organization, and how it is perceived by society. The main points discussed will cover the prejudices and stereotypes often thought of by today’s society, the difference between gender and what role it plays in college sports, and the insiders common thoughts regarding collegiate athletics.

College sports history is not one simple timeline. Until 1843, college athletics were nothing more than a gymnasium established on campus. In the year of 1843, Yale established the first boat club. Shortly after, Harvard duplicated Yale and created a boat club within the next year. This was the beginning of college athletics. In the 1850’s students began to organize other sports clubs to “release energy”. College sports slowly began to revolutionize campus life. When the President of Cornell found out the University of Cornell and the University of Michigan were planning to meet in Cleveland for a football game, he sent a letter reassuring the University of Michigan officials he would not allow thirty men to travel to Ohio for this game. Eventually, the president of Cornell lost the battle, and college students began forming athletic clubs. They began raising money, charging fees, and selling tickets to support the collegiate athletic programs. Presidents and faculty began to lose authority when it came to college athletics (Anderson, 2012). Unfortunately, injuries and deaths in college sports began to affect the intellectual environment on campuses, and put the end of college sports in sight. Government began to administer college athletics into the 1900’s with great focus on organization and safety. In 1906 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was founded to provide proper equipment, rules and regulations, and coaches. After the NCAA was founded, the sports system in America grew greatly. Providing a safer environment for students, the NCAA helped to keep collegiate athletics a part of colleges. The government intervening helped to mark the recognition of college athletics as an actual part of college structures. The history of each sport has a different timeline, some beginning way earlier than others. For example, basketball began as early at 1891 when the University of Chicago competed in their first college basketball game.

Collegiate sports are indubitably important, but education is the most important part of an athlete’s college career. According to the NCAA, research shows almost twenty percent of student-athletes are first-generation college students. Over eighty percent of division-one student athletes earn their degrees. The average college student graduates with $35,200 in debt, while athletic scholarships offset these debts for student-athletes. Student athletes are also exposed to excellent coaches, giving them an opportunity to learn from the best and be prepared for the years to come. They are given expert medical care, and the colleges provide healthy diets to keep the athletes healthy. Because the NCAA believes success in education is just as important as the success of winning on the field, required grades are established to ensure student-athletes are working towards earning a degree. Each school year and sports season the athletes have to meet these standards to remain eligible to play and not go on academic probation (NCAA.org). Schools continue to ensure student-athletes are receiving the education needed to make it in the “real-world” after college sports.

The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between a student-athlete and an NLI member institution. It includes rules and regulations to ensure the athlete will meet the expectations. The athletes must agree to attend the institution for one academic year (two semesters). The institution will then agree to provide financial aid for the academic year. This law was set into place when high school athletes were being recruited for professional sports careers. Colleges wanted students to receive an education to prepare them for the world if sports are no longer an option. After two semesters at the university, the athlete is able to be drafted to a professional team, or simply leave the organization completely.

In today’s society, there are many prejudices and stereotypes of not only college athletes, but also professional sports in general. From the beginning of sports, African Americans have been discriminated against. Throughout the years, the separation of cultures in sports has lessened, but there still has yet to be absolute equality. This is the same in both professional sports and collegiate athletics. Being treated differently due to background and race is not uncommon in sports. This is also true for gender differences. The growth of women’s sports had a much different approach than men’s. Society was not as accepting, and women were often ridiculed for being college athletes.

Men have always been treated at a higher level than women, and are more respected athletes even within the same sport. It was not until Title IX was founded that sports between men and women became legally equal. "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance (Title IX).” Title IX gives women the right to equal opportunity in sports education institutions that receive federal funds (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2014). A study done in Sports Illustrated magazine proved “girls who compete in sports get better grades, graduate at higher rates and have more confidence (Anderson, 2012).” It has been 40 years since the establishment of Title IX in the legislature, but there still has yet to be complete equality. Girls have a 1.3 million fewer chances to play, but the benefits from Title IX are so enormous and it has made an extreme difference in the lives of many women. Another extremely common prejudice towards collegiate athletics includes the idea that college athletes will not make it in their sport passed college and that they are passing up an opportunity to truly receive a good education. However, many former college athletes have accredited their success to their student-athlete academic experience. Playing a college sports teaches extremely good values to carry with them into their lives beyond college. Prime examples of college athletes who have become extremely successful even after their sports career ended are twins Rhonda and Rachel Price. The twin sisters played women’s volleyball at division II school, University of North Alabama. Rhonda is now an anesthesiologist and Rachel is a clinical scientist. The two stated that the pressures and time crunches of college athletics helped the two to become successful in their “tension-packed” careers (NCAA.org). “I think everything you learn in sports – the competition, the relationships, the wins and losses – it kind of defines your personality and allows you to use those skills in the workforces,” Bell said (NCAA.org).

The college athletic culture as perceived by society has many different aspects. In one sense, college athletics is admired for the hard work and dedication of team members. When a team plays well, players are idolized for their performance. Likewise, there is also a major difference in the “importance” of the sport. However, throughout the history of college sports there have been many incidents that contradict this idea of college athletes. A scandal at the University of North Carolina exposed students receiving grades for classes that never existed just so they could continue to participate in their sport. The NCAA admitted to at least thirty student athletes being accepted simply for athletics and scoring lower than a 700 on the SAT, however there is not data to prove this. Many students admitted to only scoring high enough on exams to be eligible for the NCAA, not truly caring about the score of the test. An interesting study proved many college athletes have such little background education they are incapable of reading and writing. A study conducted by CNN found many college athletes could only read at the eighth grade level. In an article written by Witkin and Schneider, it was proven that many times, college athletes do greater in classes due to their participation in sports. It was not until later that it was realized the students were often just taking simpler classes to pass so that they are able to continuing competing in their sports. Scandals involving illegal gambling, recruitment violations, and many more have given the NCAA a bad reputation, and the NCAA has often had to penalize the schools for these issues. Another perception of college athletes is the difference between sports. Throughout colleges across America, the same sports seem to be admired – football and basketball. But the truth of the matter is, there is more to college sports than these two programs. Athletes in sports such as golf and swimming put in just as much hard work and dedication to their game as the next football player does (Witkin & Schneider, 2002). Respect for the bigger sports is often given due to how “important” people perceive the sport as. Football and basketball being the biggest college sports are also the most competitive. Scandals have given the college athletic association a bad reputation, however, in an article published by The Atlantic they state the real scandal is the structure of college sports. Student-athletes are generating billions of dollars and earn nothing themselves. This brings up the argument that athletes are receiving an education, but does an education equal the amount of money they could be making as an athlete?

In 2005, Professors Josephine Potuto and James O’Hanlon of the University of Nebraska Lincoln conducted a survey 18 D1 NCAA universities. The survey was meant to find information regarding the student experience for student-athletes. The survey asked college athletes about their perspective on their overall educational experience throughout college. Students were asked to rank their opinions and tell whether or not they agreed with statements made. An example of some of the statements includes “I believe I am getting a well-rounded educational experience?” and “my overall education has prepared me well for life after graduation.” Students were then asked if they agree with the statements. In the end, the study showed most college athletes are satisfied with the education they are receiving at school. These opinionated surveys only show part of the whole truth behind college athleticism. Statistics prove many of these questions, and show most of what students say about his/her sport is true.

In an interview conducted with Morgan Collins (personal communication, October 6, 2014), a track and field runner at the University of Kentucky, Morgan expanded on the time balancing she does as an athlete and a college student. The track and field team has an eight-hour per week minimum required for mandatory study halls, and on top of these study halls, twenty hours per week are required for practices. On top of mandatory practices and study sessions, the track and field team, like most college sports teams, travels countrywide to compete against other opponents. A typical schedule for an athlete at the University of Kentucky is a mandatory team breakfast, classes, practice, mandatory dinner, and study hours for the rest of the night. Scholarship money is based on performance, and the amount can vary throughout the years. Living accommodations can vary, but for the most part athletes of the same sport live within the same living community. Morgan stated track and field is extremely time consuming, and college athletes should be respected for the amount of time and work they put into doing the very best they can for their school. Even in the off-season, teams spend their time working to prepare for the next season, having mandatory practices and workout sessions throughout the year. As shown, college sports take up a majority of the time spent at school. It is a very large obligation to play a college sport, and I think that is recognized well by the treatment of student athletes. Since the interview, Morgan has intended to quit track and field due to the extreme hours necessary to be dedicated to the sport.

In conclusion, college sports are a major part of many people’s lives. It not only affects the athletes, but the other students of the school and the fans the school has collected over the years. As covered earlier, there are many prejudices and discriminatory thoughts towards college athletics. Scandals often give college athletes and the NCAA a “bad-guy” reputation, but the advantages of college’s sports overcome the downfalls. College sports are an important part of universities communities. College sports create a bond between teammates, classmates, faculty, and fans. Colleges would not be what they are today without the competition between each other. Being a student-athlete gives an incredible opportunity to be exposed to the world in a whole new way. The competition helps to give insight to the competitive real world work force. The exhausting hours put in help to teach good time-management. Working with teammates and against opponents helps to give the moral of sportsmanship. Each aspect of college athletics is helping to ensure the success of student-athletes through and after college. Colleges work hard to ensure the education of student athletes. College sports have a positive impact on many people’s lives, and it is an important part of universities across America. It truly can define a school. In this paper I covered the prejudices and stereotypes often thought of by today’s society, the difference between gender and what role it plays in college sports, and the insiders common thoughts regarding collegiate athletics.

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