Do college sports have a good or bad influence on the players?
The Big Q: A Good Sport?
- Jake Teeny
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- 3 months ago
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Nathan has always thought, to be the best, you have to believe you’re the best. Recruited to a top Division I school to play basketball, he is ruthless on the court. If he knocks a player down, the player shouldn’t have been in his way. If he scores a three in his defender’s face, he lets his opponent know how bad his defense was. Most guys dislike playing against Nathan because of his competitive callousness. But confidence, alone, can’t take you to the top, and Nathan knows that. He is the first guy to arrive at practice and the last one to leave. Nathan may be called inconsiderate, rude, and egotistical, but being the best means making other people worse than you.
Off the court, however, Nathan seems like a totally different person. He is polite, soft spoken in class, and is willing to help others if there’s homework they don’t understand. Noticing this shift in disposition, one of Nathan’s teammates—one that Nathan had recently called out in front of the whole team—accused Nathan of being two-faced: although he tries to appear friendly off the court, he’s really just an arrogant jerk.
Weigh in: So, is Nathan a good guy or a bad guy? What impact have sports had on his character? In general, do you think participating in college sports has a good or bad influence on the players?
Useful Resources:
- [VIDEO] Do Sports Build Character? (SCU)
- Do Sports Build Character? (Chronicle of Higher Education)
- A Framework for Ethical Decision Making (SCU)
Photo Credit: Roger Smith.
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The Discussion
I am apart of my college debate team and yes that is considered a competitive sport in some aspects. A difference between the good debater and the great debaters were their attitudes. The good debaters were astoundingly arrogant, generally did not have supporters, and when you debated them you felt as though you had your nose shredded against concrete and there was no learning experience. A great debater tried to actually make you understand their arguments, you learned so much from the round even if you lost they made smart arguments not just cheap shots that would win them the round. I believe that Nathan has confused a competitive attitude with a demeanor that undermines other people. Sports foster competition which is healthy, but has to refined so that it does not inflate egos.
The one sentence that stood out to me was this one: being the best means making other people worse than you. This mentality demonstrates selfishness and a lack of perspective. What separates individuals who leave college sports a better person from those who act like entitled brats is having respect for one's fellow competitors.
Based on his actions off the court, Nathan seems to have a basic sense of integrity. Society often tends to separate the arena of sports from 'real life', but he should not allow his competitiveness to overcome the basic value of treating his teammates and opponents with respect, the same respect that he would show his fellow classmates or professors.
An example of being "the best" and still giving an opponent the respect he deserves: http://youtu.be/QN_O4dy6VyI
In my opinion sports generally facilitate both leadership and determination in a positive way however from experience, I have seen members of certain teams (particularly basketball) continuously walk around campus like they own the place or feel entitled simply because they are apart of a team. Clearly competition has a positive influence on one's physical skills yet as seen in the case above, can have stronger negative influences on one's ego (As I see in members of the basketball team on my campus). Anyone have any thoughts or care to disagree?
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I've been an athlete my entire life and I can really sympathize with Nathan both as an athlete and student. There's a saying that competition can bring out the best and the worst in people. Athletes train for hours and hours each day to perfect the moves that they need to win when their in competition. While Nathan might seem "inconsiderate, rude, and egotistical", what he's doing is putting everything into the game that he's spent so many hours practicing in. However, I don't agree with the fact that he needed to "let his opponent know how bad his defense was." Making great shots and being proud of how well you did doesn't mean you need to put another player down. I feel like this is where the issue of bullying and self-esteem issues come into play. With sports, you ca
Nathan seems to have a problem that many athletes have to deal with. It appears that he has taken his competitiveness too far. I believe that it is unnecessary to be degrading to your opponent.
Nathan is not a bad person, however. His practice habits show that he has a great work ethic and a dedication to excellence. His desire to help classmates show that he truly cares about others. Unfortunately, his in-game attitude has not been reflective of the kind of person he is.
Ultimately, college sports can have a positive effect on players. It can teach work ethic, perseverance, sportsmanship, and many other great qualities. Nathan, as well as all other athletes, need to remember that basketball is just a game and being a good person is more important than any stat in the stat book.
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College sports undoubtedly have a profoundly positive influence on the players. Athletes learn a great deal about dedication, time management, self-motivation, and teamwork. In Susan Saint Sing’s book, “Ancient Eight”, Tiff Wood, a Harvard rowing legend, is quoted as saying, “have every student take one semester of crew and you would have better citizens”; I could not agree more.
I do not fault Nathan for his competitiveness on court. However, Nathan should adopt a different approach to constructively criticizing a teammate. Importantly, athletes like Nathan are often forced to change their attitude in college. Most athletes want to win and are fully aware that diva antics do not facilitate winning. Nathan is probably an all-star underclassman used to running his team, he'll learn.
We often live with compartmentalized roles. Nanthan is a good guy in one role and bad in another. One problem is when going after some type of goal, bad habitual actions are overlooked. In many ways the problem with sports has been the influx of money into them. Winning and the money tied to it can put people in a dilemma when it comes to overlooking this bad actions.
Sports is just one more outlet that can lead to character development. For a large number of people it can be the outlet that resonates the most, and is very useful. That development can be for better or for worse. There are jerks in the academy, in the arts, in business, and in any other workplace.
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Being competitive doesn't make someone a bad person. Have you watched an NHL Hockey game lately?....
It's a 2 for 1. Hockey game... interrupted with a few Boxing matches.
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I am a current college athlete and I must say that the lessons I have learned from sports throughout my life are invaluable and are things that my friends who are not athletes will never experience.
Playing college sports has an unbelievably good influence on the players. In order to succeed, you must have incredible time management, incredible competitiveness, and an incredible work ethic. These are things that translate well into life after sports. Things can get heated (and they do) and people can act like jerks on the court or field, but that doesn't necessarily make them a bad person. The one flaw Nathan has is he should be closer with his team. He should be mean and competitive in games but to his team, he should be considerate while still maintaining competitiveness.
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I just graduated after participating in a Division III Swimming program for 4 years and now coach a different team.
The benefits of sport really depends on the program. Good athletic programs give student athletes a support system that will help them develop while at college.
The most successful programs will create friendships among the athletes, giving underclassmen a great avenue to bond with upperclassmen. If the athletic program is led correctly, the upperclassmen and the coach will teach their teammates how to succeed in the classroom and in athletics.
Does that count as building character?
Nathan seems like a great guy. He's challenging his teammate to improve, which doesn't sit well with some people. Nathan should learn to be friendlier with teammates though.
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Sports have the potential to build character in ways that regular education means can't. Teamwork, leadership, and even competitiveness are not only positive characteristics, but they help prepare the player for life in the real world. Even if Nathan doesn't pursue a professional career in basketball, these characteristics can serve him well in many professions.
I think college sports are a good influence, especially when programs stress good academic performance alongside athletic performance.
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(I am not in college) Were I king for a day I'd eliminate all sports from schools. Sports teaches nothing and wastes huge amounts of money that could be spent to teach students things that are worth while (music, math, science, writing skills, etc.). There should be no place at all for sports in schools.
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