College Athletics: 13 Reasons To Play a Sport In College

Let’s face it— most people don’t make the best decisions in college.

With that being said, the decision to play a sport (whether it’s varsity or club) is the best decision they make during their college career.

For those of you who disagree, I know what you’re thinking, “her idea of best isn’t the same as mine.” But I too believe that something is best when it is of the most excellence, and incomparable.

And for those who still disagree, I know who you are. You are the outside observers; you are the friends of those who play sports. Therefore, you see things figuratively or as they appear, rather than as they exist in actuality.

You see the practice schedule, the dry weeks, and the state of exhaustion— or to put it simply— you see the demands. You don’t even realize rewards exist. So I’m here to enlighten you of the rewards with 13 reasons to play a sport in college:

1. You get away with eating a lot of food and drinking a lot of beer. And maybe, if you’re as a lucky as I was, you’ll get away with eating a cookie after every meal too.

2. You get an amazing (ballin’) wardrobe with all that free gear.

3. You get to travel to other schools, and thus get out of your college’s circle— which will drive you nuts eventually— on weekends.

4. You avoid the freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior 15 (yes, they’re all a thing).

5. You get more extensions on papers and assignments.

6. You relieve your stress daily. College kids deal with a lot of stress.

7. You have a family away from home.

8. You bond with underclassmen you wouldn’t even know existed otherwise.

9. There’s always someone to eat dinner with in the cafeteria (which sounds minor, but trust me—it’s a big deal. Only weirdos eat alone).

10. You have a fabulous social life.

11. Laundry is a constant chore because those sweaty clothes will start to smell if it’s not done. And let’s be honest, college students usually need to be “forced” to do laundry.

12. You become competitive in all aspects of your life, including drinking beer. This results in beer olympics, case races and beer miles rather than boring, casual drinking.

13. You have a coach who serves as your “young adult mentor,” even though he signed up with hopes of instilling his love for the sport in you, and not with hopes of babysitting you.

While these reasons seem pretty cool in theory, they are life-changing when experienced in reality.

Those who partake in college sports and experience the rewards listed above also experience the lasting friendships, life-skills—and most importantly— memories.

And these enduring rewards should be enough of a reason for anyone to play a sport in college.

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*Section Photo credit to Tom Kelso, Breaking Muscle and Featured Photo (above) credit to Ariel Sandler, Business Insider.

Exclusive: Interview with Chantel Jeffries
Exclusive: Interview with Chantel Jeffries