Being a college sports fan while also studying college sports is a difficult space to navigate.
College sports has some issues. College sports has racial and social justice controversies, such as low graduation rates of Black male athletes in football and men’s basketball. College sports’ flaws regarding gender equity were also on display in March when the athletes competing in the women’s basketball tournament called out the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for a dinky weight room that paled in comparison to what the athletes in the men’s tournament received. Concerns over college athlete rights and exploitation have been called into question with the recent court case of Alston v. NCAA and the current testimony of athletics stakeholder to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about athlete access to name, image, and likeness (NIL).
As the instructor of an introductory course on intercollegiate athletics, Athletics in the University, I find myself cheering for the athletes in my class, while also struggling because I know so much more is at stake than what happens in a competition.
I want my athletes to succeed on the court, field, pool, and track and to make lifelong memories with their teammates and coaches. I want them to develop their leadership and time management skills and establish their moral compasses. I want them to hoist conference or even national championship trophies.
However, after years of studying this area, I am still at odds with myself as both fan and emerging scholar. It’s hard to reconcile this love of sports as a fan and athlete-ally knowing so many of my athlete students will struggle to develop their identities outside of sport. It’s challenging to reconcile this love of sports as a fan and athlete-ally when I know most of my athlete students will leave college with lingering injuries such as torn ligaments, hurt backs, or potentially even chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). It’s difficult to reconcile this love of sports as a fan and athlete-ally when I talk to my athlete students about mental health issues that can be exacerbated by competing in college athletics. It’s challenging to reconcile rooting for my athlete students as they compete, knowing that they are denied rights provided to every other student on campus.
Other scholars who share this research space with me have voiced these concerns, too. So how, as supporters of athletes’ endeavors, but also critical thinkers, can we resolve these tensions of knowing both the good and the bad that sports can bring? I have a few ideas.
First, we need to acknowledge and even embrace the discomfort that stems from our dueling roles as athletics supporters and critics. I’ve discussed this topic with peer researchers and students across the country, and our candid exchanges about this seemingly taboo subject prompted me to even consider writing about this topic.
