I think one thing is safe to say that before entering college there were many believed stereotypes of club sports at colleges. For one, they are seen somewhat as students and athletes not being good enough to play at a Varsity level, for another it is because they are too lazy or cannot afford to go to a school with the Varsity sport.
What people do not realize, is that club sports play an important role in boosting athleticism in colleges.
While many people think that playing a club sport is a joke, a student Gregory John Vitale who attended Tufts University mentions how his opinion of club sports changed drastically. Tufts University, is one well known for both academics and athletics, therefore Vitale had one thought in his mind, that he wanted to play Varsity Rugby while attending. He soon discovered that playing club Rugby rather than playing at a Varsity level was a better choice. He used to hold the opinion that many still do that club sports are a joke, but he learned that ” club sports are generally very competitive and illicit a considerable effort from players. ” Although he does mention in his article that is does depend on the attitude of the team as well.
Club sports, though they are not necessarily the “cream of the crop” per se, make a big impact on the University as a whole. They still go to compete in far away lands (sometimes all over the country) to represent the school they are playing for. The name of their school is on their shirt, and it should also be shown in their performance.
One large stereotype of club sports is that it’s not a game that is competitive and you will most likely be playing with your friends and just having a grand old time. This is false, so false. Cub sports compete at a national level, and for one, Penn State Club Sports have won quite a few championships, such as Gymnastics, Fencing, and Golf. These sports still go onto compete seriously against, get this, other schools. Since some people seem to mix club sports and intramural sports, just to clarify that club sports compete with other schools and IM sports don’t.
IM sports are more of the teams that are just out there to have a good time, compete against friends and play a sport that they love.
Club sports, while most times overlooked play an important role in the athletics of a university. But do they play as important of a role as the Varsity sports? Who has a say in whether or not a club sport really is “just as important” or not? And my most important question, is why do we have these stereotypes of club sports, and how do we stop them?
Although club sports undeniably play a huge role in the overall environment of colleges, it is also undeniable that club sports are not on the same level as varsity sports and will never be because schools choose to spend all their sports money on varsity sports because it boosts the school’s reputation. In addition, varsity athletes are usually looking to become professional athletes because they have unusual ability. This is not to say that club athletes are not talented, but, however, their talent is on a different caliber than varsity athletes’.
I do think that club sports are competitive and are good for universities, but I don’t think they are on the same level as varsity sports. That’s not anything against club sports, or people who are on clubs sports because some of them are definitely good enough to play varsity, but can’t because of time constraints. Varsity sports just have a higher backing from the university, and club sports are still a positive way to represent a university.
There is a lot of bad rep regarding to club sports when compared to varsity sports, and you get at it pretty accurately. Club sports are largely seen as for fun and not a serious endeavor by a majority of people. What a lot of people also don’t realize is that playing in a club sport can also help pave the way for entering a varsity sport because it is just as competitive and can develop rookies into varsity level athletes.