While not all parts of college athletics are beneficial (I’ll be talking about some of the negative aspects next week), there are a few groups of people who have specific benefits from athletics being a big part of colleges. The three groups I’ll be touching on today are the campus students (including the athletes themselves), the University, and the public.
The students on college campuses benefit from sports because it creates an inclusive environment and opens opportunities for people to get to know each other. It also brings about conversation and instant similarities among a variety of people, even students who may not have anything else in common can often find likeness in a sport or two. The student athletes have additional positive outcomes as well, such as the opportunity to play a sport they love while earning their college degree, acquiring relationships through their teams, and becoming more hirable to certain job prospects.
Students, however, are not the only ones who profit from college sports. Many universities thrive around their athletic programs and all the benefits it brings to them. Some universities receive a substantial income every year from their athletic programs. 
For example, according to statecollege.com, “For the past two fiscal years, Penn State athletics grossed about $164 million, with $55.6 million of that coming directly from the Big Ten last year”. Some larger universities profit millions and millions of dollars because of their sports, usually particularly football. As said on seattlepi, “…athletics programs bring in big money. Media rights, ticket sales, branding and direct program donations total millions of dollars”. Colleges also attract positive attention to themselves when they are well known their good athletic programs. Linda Emma on seattlepi states that “Athletics programs drive enrollment and heighten college profiles”, which is an additional profit to the university and its reputation.
A third group of people who gain positively from good athletic programs is the public, both at the athlete’s home and the college’s hometown. The college hometown thrives by having a uniting factor in the sports teams of their university, and as stated by Penn State University, “Routinely ranked among the best places to live in the country, State College and the surrounding areas provide a safe environment and public school system for your family, outdoor recreation in a breathtaking landscape, collegiate athletics and world-class entertainment venues, and a vibrant social scene for all ages.” The athletes home benefits because parents are generally interested in their children’s collegiate athletics and therefore pay attention and track the progress. This can lead to conversations about the college, its athletics, and the positivity that the university is accomplishing. 
I hope you enjoyed learning a little about positive aspects of college athletics and tune in next week for some of the downsides!
Picture links:
https://andgosports.com/the-balancing-and-benefits-to-being-a-college-student-athlete/
Sources:
https://www.ncsasports.org/blog/2015/08/05/benefits-college-sports/
https://usatodayhss.com/2018/recruiting-column-the-real-benefits-of-playing-in-college
https://education.seattlepi.com/importance-college-athletic-programs-universities-1749.html
https://www.theclassroom.com/importance-college-athletic-programs-universities-3523.html
This post came around just as I was deciding whether I wanted to join a sport here in University Park! I really like this post, it can definitely most students thinking about whether they would want to be apart of an athletic program. As you mentioned, being in an inclusive environment that athletic programs provide can indeed shape your entire experience in college. It is such a beneficial decision all around.