JOHN LINDROOS
Business, STEM, social science and communications are the top four degrees earned by student athletes in NCAA Division l, according to a 2020 study by the NCAA. Sports management is a popular major in the business department for athletes.
USF, along with many other universities, has a graduate sports management program that focuses on the sports marketplace. With all the games, practices and travelling, it can be difficult for athletes to concentrate on their education. The implementation of an undergraduate sports major program would allow student athletes to focus solely on their sport.
However, while this gives athletes the opportunity to succeed at their sport, a sports degree may give graduates a disadvantage in career success outside of sports.
One big concern for a sports major is how valuable a sports degree would be. Athletics aren’t taken as seriously as other academics, it is worth considering if a sports major would hold its weight against other standard degrees like business and communication or even sports management. Graduates who don’t plan or are unable to play professionally may struggle to find success in the job market with a sports degree. Athletes may not risk majoring in sports over other standard majors, as the other majors hold more value post graduation.
A recent New York Times article by Tania Ganguli details the structure of a sports major, which would allow student athletes to get credit for practicing and playing their sport, including a curriculum to help athletes “understand the social, cultural, anthropological and physiological elements of athletics.”
David Hollander, a clinical professor at the New York University’s School of Professional Studies and a main source in the article, is making a push to make sports education more involved in the academy.
“You can get a degree right now in higher education, in dance and art and music, drama, and I think those are totally valid degrees. They’re portals into the human condition,” Hollander said, “I don’t see how athletics is any different.”
Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson, a communications graduate from the University of Pittsburgh and a masters student for sports administration at the University of North Carolina, also discussed the idea of a sports major with the New York Times.
“I’ve been told in the work force being a college athlete is valuable,” Johnson said. “You learn teamwork, you learn dedication, you learn about adversity. These are real things. These are real topics. And I just think bringing them to light would enhance their benefits.”
The idea for a sports major has been present for a while. In a 2012 article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, David Pargman, who worked as a coordinator for graduate studies and sport and exercise psychology for Florida State University, envisioned letting athletes major in their sport and created a rough structure of the curriculum surrounding it.
Pargman laid out that the first two years of studies would consist of just basic core academics. The two remaining years would consist of sports-focused classes such as anatomy and psychology, laboratory in heavy resistance training and aerobic fitness training, human nutrition and kinesiology. Simultaneously, athletes will be participating in their sport.
One concern for the major would be the grading system. The New York Times article highlights a potential conflict of interest if coaches are the ones grading. Regardless on how a student-athlete does in their courses, a coach may be inclined to pass them to keep them on the team.
Another consideration is whether or not the major would include non-athletes. The major would require credits through playing a sport, but perhaps non-athletes could still take the curriculum for a minor.
The introduction of a sports major wouldn’t just have an influence on student-athletes education, but college sports culture in general. Nike, the main lobbyer for the major, believes that a sports major would help prioritize the culture of athletics over its financial implications. Since the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals in 2021, college sports has taken a much more business-oriented direction, with the top colleges attracting top recruitments with lucrative deals.
The opportunity for NIL deals has also brought along many controversies, which include unfulfilled contracts and scandals. One prominent example is when University of Nevada, Las Vegas quarterback Matthew Sluka announced his decision in September of 2024 to transfer teams and sit out the rest of the season. He announced his decision on an Instagram post that stated “I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me […] it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future.”
Whether these occurrences are the result of poor player representation or contract exploitation by universities, the NIL has created a number of issues that have distracted from the game itself and all its other facets. Introducing a sports major could push for a focus more on academics and the game itself.
While a sports major may help sports culture in general, it will only happen if it’s a popular major among student-athletes.
A sports major may give athletes the opportunity to give more time to their sport and less on outside academics, but the major may not provide much of a backup plan if an athlete were to not play professionally. A sports major may only become valuable when athletics becomes as valued as arts, music and drama subjects.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
