To correspond with the Daily Bruin’s sports
section’s week of examining international players in college
sports, I would like to relay a conversation I had with an
international student about college sports.
While in Singapore fall quarter, my Dutch friend asked me one of
the most perplexing philosophical questions I have ever
encountered.
It ranks right along with, “Can God create a burrito so
large even He cannot eat it?” Or, “What is cooler than
being cool?”
As is customary while an American is abroad, I fielded numerous
questions regarding the inadequacies of our nationality
vis-Ã -vis our president, food and inability to see why we
really aren’t the best at everything. But, this question came
straight out of left field and had me dumbfounded.
Her: “Why are college athletics?”
Me: “Huh? What do you mean?”
Her: “Well, college’s primary purpose is for
education right? What do athletics have to do with them?”
Me: “Uhhhh “¦ we’re America. Don’t
question us.”
My mind reeled. I had never even thought to ponder the why
behind college sports. I just watch them, argue about them and
write about them. College athletics are as acceptable a part of
American culture as death, taxes and William Hung.
I pointed out to my friend that college athletics provide tons
of intangibles, like campus pride, unity, revenue and publicity.
They are integral to the college experience.
She still didn’t quite understand. She wasn’t
particularly critical. She just saw no reason why academics and
athletics should go hand in hand.
When I asked other international students from England, Germany
and Singapore if they understood American college sports, I
received similar incomprehension.
Overseas, they perceive the relationship between sports and
academics as one of conflicting interests. If universities proclaim
higher education as their purpose, how can a non-academic entity be
so heavily stressed?
Let’s put the shoe on the other foot. What if Westwood
found it beneficial to open a strip club? It would compromise some
of Westwood’s basic principles, but in return would enhance
people’s enjoyment and boost local commerce. To my
international friends, colleges do the same thing with
athletics.
Now, before I have the entire athletic department on my back,
I’m not trying to implicate any moral similarities between
college sports and strip clubs, especially as they have been linked
enough in the news lately. I am simply trying to illustrate how an
outsider can similarly see a conflict of interest.
Having conversations like this are some of the most rewarding
experiences while abroad. While we live in a societal bubble here
in America, some very interesting domestic phenomenons go
unrecognized. It’s fascinating how an outsider can have no
comprehension of something ingrained in us from day one.
Before anyone out there misunderstands, I like college sports.
Some of the most memorable experiences and biggest thrills of my
college life are due to them.
I do not want to know a life without college sports. Where would
March be without the Madness? Where would Fort Worth, Texas be
without the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl?
This week, while we look at international athletes in college
sports, realize that international recruits probably don’t
conceive exactly what it is to be involved in college sports. They
unknowingly join a phenomenon bigger than they could have
imagined.
That is because college sports provide more for the school than
they take away.
They allow those gifted in sports and academics to pursue both.
They provide entertainment and passion that contrasts with more
solemn institutions overseas. They help mold the university
community. They are often the only way alumni stay connected with
the college.
But still, most importantly, without college sports,
there’s a consequence so horrific that it would cause tears
and grief throughout the land: There would be no college sports
writers.
Peters still proclaims Bonds’ innocence. E-mail him at
bpeters@media.ucla.edu.