One of the few crazy things that immigrant students in the US are often confused about in their universities is the craze for college sports. It is quite strange for them that college sports in the US are so popular because nowhere in the world, college sports are given so much importance. Not only are the college students or ex-students of the college passionate about college sports, but even the local community and the state supporters feel a different kind of pride for college sport. Let’s take into consideration Alabama University.
Whether it be basketball or soccer, almost every type of sport is popular at Alabama University. The people passionate about the Crimson Tide, so much that they even have a superstore that sells every kind of sports merchandise of the University of Alabama, including ‘U of Alabama basketball.‘ In the US, run by the government, this university is also passionate about providing for their athletes and sportspeople.
So the question that comes to an immigrant student’s mind is why college sports are so top-rated that even people from outside the college come to watch the leagues. Here’s your answer:
No Government Funding For Pro Sports
What happens in other countries is that teenagers under 19 who want to pursue sports as their career can take sports professionally and get funded by the government. But this does not happen on US soil because private investors fund only professional sportspeople who play nationals and leagues with franchises like NBA, MLB, and NFL. All sports in the US are not government funded, making it difficult for children from other backgrounds to play sports professionally. So the best way to keep on playing your favorite sport and remain supported by the government is to play your sport at your university.
Universities like Alabama are public universities funded by the government and not privately owned by any investors. That means that the talented and young sportspeople who get their admission into these top universities through sports quota can play professionally and represent their university leagues without being replaced unless mandatory. They can grow to become professional sportspeople and then later play for franchises.
1. No Separate Second Division for Pro Sports
The US citizens may not be well acquainted with the term’ second division’ when it comes to sports. It is not a position for the runner-up. There is a second division for pro sports in Europe, Asia, and Australia whereby teenagers can learn the sport professionally. They have the opportunity to get trained by professional coaches and get proper funding for sports gear, travel expenses, and allowances. The government funds these projects and helps them learn and grow up to become professional players and play for national levels.
The second division players are state-level players who are quite similar to the players in the US’s college sports. Much like the supporters of college sports in the US, the second division players in these foreign countries are supported by many fans who event fund and buy the state level merchandise like the Alabama sports supporters buy ‘U of Alabama basketball.’ Without colleges and universities in the US that support young sportspeople, it could be said that there is no funding for young sportspeople who could become star players for national levels.
2. College Sports Is Interwoven With Its Local Community.
Over 170 years, college sports have been given so much preference even over national sports. You must have noticed that many local community members thoroughly enjoy college sports more than they could enjoy national sports. This is because the local community is very well woven around the college, where thousands of students from these local communities take admissions into these universities. So it is like supporting their children, which is why the local community stands to be a pillar of support for the college sportspeople. There is a sense of loyalty within the local community, and they keep on the tradition of supporting their home college communities and college sports.
When you think about the college culture, one of the first things that come to your mind is the college sports day. If your college or university has a league for basketball players, football players, and even soccer players, then it becomes a part of your college culture. Everyone buys sports merchandise like U of Alabama basketball. Every year, it becomes a festival during your sports day, and every league will become a festive season for university. That is the kind of sentiment that college sports hold for US citizens when the entire university is allowed to bunk college and participate in sports cultural activities.