There is the question of whether or not being a varsity athlete affects a student’s high school education and developmental experiences. Quantitative research, based on functionalist theory, compares the characteristics of varsity athletes to non-athletes. Qualitative research, based on interactionist theory, examine the relationships between interscholastic sports, school culture, and the lifestyle of high school students. The research shows that varsity athletes collectively have a higher grade-point-average than the non-athlete students and also enjoyed the school experience better, wanting to attend college in the future more so. (more…)
The media tends to portray college athletes in ways that appear to undermine their academic ability. Also, the media really just covers the big-time sports, like football and basketball, at big-time schools. The emphasis and glorification of sports in big-time colleges is not the same at smaller colleges. Focusing on the social prominence of sports at big-time schools creates an inaccurate view of all intercollegiate athletics. (more…)
Colleges have been accused of being too commercial ever since the late 19th century. This commercialization has gotten worse over the years as colleges grew in size, popularity, and in intercollegiate sports. Sports in college were separated even more so from education with increased exposure due to television in the 1970’s. At this point in time, the civil rights movement noticed that most participants in intercollegiate sports were white males. (more…)
There tends to be overemphasis on sports development in high school. High school athletes more and more are just focusing on playing one sport all year round. When the sport isn’t in season, they continue to play in outside league and attend instructional clinics and camps. These athletes begin to live and breathe the sport and put less and less emphasis on their academics. (more…)
School spirit is made obvious in pep rallies and the student sections of high school and college games. The less popular sports, however, do not experience this energetic spirit. Games provide a social gathering for schools to show their identity with the school and support. In big-time schools, a relatively small amount of students show up to the games due to either not caring for showing school spirit or high ticket prices for good seats. (more…)
