12 Impact of College Sports on Students

Asigiah Aly and Tina Trinh

Sports play an important role in University institutions as it establishes a sense of community for college Students. Sports influence college students’ physical and emotional development, growth, fitness, community, and academics. College students’ participation in exercising and sports at their university recreation helps students build self-discipline, teamwork, and mental health. As for college student engagement with their college sports, the positive impact of attending university sport games or events is that it allows students to connect with other students who share the same interest as them, commemorate school pride, relieve stress and  build social connectives.

We interviewed two 2nd-year college students that attend the University of Washington and asked them about their thoughts and experiences with college sports. One student, shared with us her experiences with the University of Washington IMA and college sport events.

“I go to the IMA at the University of Washington 3 times a week to exercise. I like the IMA because I am a commuter and it is free for me. Going helps me relieve stress. Sometimes I play volleyball and badminton with my friends when we have time during the week and it is really nice and fun because we have time to spend together after a busy week and catch up on life. This helps me with my mental health. As for college sport, I think it is an important aspect of college sportsmanship and school spirit. I have only been to one game but it was super fun screaming and cheering with the crowd and with my friends.” (UW student, 2023)

She talks about how the IMA at the University of Washington is a great space for her and her friends to participate in sport activities and bond together. The IMA at University of Washington is a reactionary center that allows UW students to access a variety of activities, sports, and exercise. The IMA ties into Collegiate ideals, a thick institution as it is a physical location that students go to, influences their academic performance and campus life, sharing a connection to a sense of place. Connecting to what the student experienced, this collegiate ideal impacts campus life and her college experiences. Playing sports and going to the IMA is a positive influence for college students because it provides students an academic escape for physical and mental health, allowing a sense of wellness.

“I feel like sports are beneficial in balancing a daily routine and maintaining a healthy body. However, a disadvantage that sport may have on people is lack of time to do homework. I know that sometimes I procrastinate. Overall, participating in sport activities in college helps motivate me to stay on track with my academics so that I can enjoy hanging out with friends playing the sport.” (UW student 2023)

Additionally, students who exercise regularly teach them self-discipline. “Fitness Fuels the Mind of College Students” (Caparrotta, 2022).  Sports and exercising allows students to maintain an active lifestyle and routine. This is beneficial for balancing school and mental health.

Overall, we discovered that sports have both positive and negative effects on college students. While sports help to improve our physical health and uphold positive mental health, it would be difficult for students to maintain a balanced life between academics and college sports. One challenge that school sport has on students is the time of the game. This makes it difficult for students to attend or complete assignments on time. However, college students believe that sports at university does bring school spirit, ability to make friends from different schools and the same school and also encourages high school students to apply to their school. College sports leverage collegiate ideals. The IMA and Sport games are thick institution Collegiate ideals. Thus, Universities aligned with sports are a thick institution because it can be a personal identity, physical location, and it leaves a mark on students’ journey.