As the confetti fell Monday night in Arizona, Alabama’s passionate fan base relished the feeling of being back on top of the college sports world. As the most popular sport in America, football occupies a special place in the American sports pantheon, and our University is now officially the best at the most popular sport.
Crimson Tide football fans, a group of which I myself am a part of, are understandably ecstatic over our program’s latest victory. However, behind the rowdy celebrations on the Strip, the flood of social media posts and the signs of school spirit all over Tuscaloosa, there exists a negative view of college football and of college sports as a whole. From University professors complaining about the emphasis placed on athletics over academics to armchair politicos lamenting the lack of salary for amateur student athletes, there are many people who do not appreciate the positives of college athletics or are trying to turn them into something completely unrecognizable.
It’s true—the primary function of a university should always be to push the boundaries of academia and enrich and educate its students and community. I can understand why, to the outside observer, it seems like The University of Alabama cares more about its next football victory than it cares about its students. I can also understand the argument that says star football and basketball players should be paid for the monetary gains they earn for their university. It’s only fair right?
These arguments ignore the most fundamental tenant of college athletics, and that is that the athletes (myself included) truly are student athletes, and not athlete students. In Tuesday morning’s press conference, Nick Saban bragged, but not about his victory on the field. Saban instead extolled the efforts of the 29 graduated players who suited up in Arizona (an all-time national record), about seeing players use the resources offered by the athletic department to advance their careers, and about shaping the kids that he recruits—who may have not had a chance to attend college without college athletics—into adults with character. These virtues of college sports extend beyond the football field—even non-profitmaking sports enrich the university and its students beyond tangible measure.
That’s not to say there aren’t tangible benefits. The amount of money that our athletic department brings to the University is well documented, and the explosion of growth in both campus infrastructure and student population is a visible sign of that. The Crimson Tide put our university on the map in some regards, and in addition to being proud of our academic pursuits, I’m also proud of our athletic pursuits, in part for that reason. So don’t chortle at the term student-athlete—its more truthful than you think.
Kyle Simpson is a junior majoring in biology. His column runs weekly.
