While reading through the topics for our Civic Issues blogs, one specific one stood out to me, and that was the question that asked if there was a difference between “major” and “minor” sports in collegiate athletics.
The answer to this, is simple, there is a drastic difference.
The major sports at each college are different, though. Schools are ranked for certain sports either Division 1, Division 2, or Division 3. Different sports at each college can have different divisions as well, meaning that football can be Division 1, while Volleyball or Soccer can be Division 2.
What a specific person defines as “minor” and “major” sports are each college can differ based on what division a specific sport is in, or if it even is a Varsity sport, rather than a club, team, or intramural sport. When sports are defined as a major sport, they usually get more respect from the University as a whole, as well as their fans.
But the question arises, what exactly is a major sport and a minor sport? Because of the definition of each Division of athletics, many people seem to define major sports as the Varsity ones, rather than ones that succeed in their competitions. For example, if a school has a Division 1 basketball team with a losing streak, and a Club Hockey team with a winning streak, regardless of the record or their success, the Division 1 team is likely to be considered a “major” sport simply because it is Varsity and Division 1, while the Hockey team is slightly put on the back burner, if you will, because they are “Club.”
The differences between “major” and “minor” sports can be easily recognized simply by the attendance at the competitions and sporting events, because the Varsity sports that are either Division 1, Division 2, or Division 3 are likely to bring in a larger crowd. This may be due to the fact that many, if not all of these events, are televised.
While there is a difference between these sports, the distinction is unnecessary. There are many sports at our University, and certain ones do not receive the level of respect that is necessary simply because they do not receive the same publicity and “perks” that other sports do. So through this blog, I challenge, you as my readers, to take another look at the club sports at your University and think about how they are similar to the Varsity sports, or how intramural sports are as well.
I ran track throughout high school and was intent on attaining a scholarship until I injured myself and was forced to quit. But until then, I dedicated nearly all of my time, energy, and money to becoming the best athlete I could. I ran on varsity my freshman year and practiced with the best club in our area–I wanted to become the best, and I wanted to be noticed for being the best. I think that distinctions between varsity and club sports in any setting is important. It sorts out those who are fit for professional sports and those who are not. It also sorts out those who are serious about sports and those who are not. I think it’s unfair for a talented athlete to have to play with those who are ranked much lower and are not as serious as he/she is. Perhaps it may seem unfair to have different rankings in sports, but I believe this is a form of survival-of-the-fittest, the easiest way to sort out the gifted from the talented.
I like how you chose this topic because not much light is shed on the issue of minimal spectator attendance at certain sporting events. I believe revenue has a lot to do with the issue, but there are definitely ways to make a change. I attended a relatively small high school and played on the JV and Varsity volleyball teams. I understand both sides of the “major” and “minor” question and how attendance is influenced by it.
I definitely see where you are coming from. As much as I love the football team for example, they create the most revenue, and thus get the most attention and treated the best. Did any of you know that they have their own dining commons exclusively for the football team and coaches? How come other successful (or even more successful) teams don’t get the same perks?
As a varsity athlete, I have continually debated over this topic. In all the years my field hockey team has been a varsity sport, we have never won a national championship. Unbeknownst to most of the university, the club field hockey team is reigning national champions. Although these sports often don’t receive all of the attention that they should, they are often highly successful and competitive. The main difference I’ve often seen is in the resources allotted to varsity sports as well as the time demanded of its athletes. Club sports are highly competitive and their athletes should receive more respect than they currently do.
This is an interesting topic. I think one of the biggest deciding factors between a “major” and “minor” sport is the amount of revenue it creates. Obviously, the sports who are bringing in more money are considered to be major sports, while those who aren’t (regardless of being club or varsity) aren’t considered to be as important. For example, our football team isn’t eligible for a post season or a bowl game, but it’s the biggest and most popular sport at our University. Meanwhile, the women’s volleyball team just won the national championship, but you don’t hear people talking about new volleyball recruits. This is because football brings in so much more money than the volleyball team, and is therefor dubbed to be more important.
As a person who knows very little about sports, you explained the division at the top very well in I way that could be universally understood. And I agree that the division does seem unnecessary. All it does is deny certain athletes from receiving the benefits that others do. Great post!
This is an issue that I have not considered, and I look forward to hearing more about it! I have been to nearly all the football games, as well as several volleyball games, but, as I was reading this, it dawned on me that I haven’t attended any IM or club games. That needs to be fixed! I would be interested in seeing if other schools face similar distinctions between sports or how club/IM sports are looking to publicize their events. Great topic — I look forward to continuing to read about this issue!
I definitely agree with what you said. In high school, people only came out to support our varsity sports, never the junior varsity sports. I personally believe it has to do with the level of play in high school, however, in college I believe who chooses to play for the varsity teams depends on who is willing to give the time. There could be a phenomenal soccer player on the club team instead of the varsity team. That is why there are some D3 schools that have a better team than some of the D1 schools. I am curious to read more about your issue you’re discussing.
I have personal experience with this “problem” as I’m a part of the Ultimate Frisbee Club here at Penn State. We have a pretty good record, yet get little to no funding and aren’t even allowed to put “Penn State” on our jerseys. Although I recognize that Frisbee isn’t a very popular sport, but its just as demanding and time consuming as some other D1 varsity teams. And this was also a problem in my high school as we weren’t even a club and couldn’t get practice fields even though we had one of the best records in the school.