Why play sports at the college level? This is an ongoing debate – one that requires serious study and more empirical studies. This is very important given the money and time our society spends on sports. As CPA, CFA and MBA tutors, our focus is on helping students with finance, accounting, statistics, etc. but we also want to help them truly evolve as individuals. So we do encourage sports as we believe it builds various aspects of individuals’ personalities.
Here is an excellent article on this topic by Mark Edmundson. It does not provide any statistics or facts but is an excellent and entertaining read drawing on the author’s own experience and some classic history. Recommended reading for all tutors and not just CPA, CFA and MBA tutors !
Over time, I came to understand that the objective of the game, on the deepest level, wasn’t to score spectacular touchdowns or make bone-smashing tackles or block kicks. The game was much more about practice than about the Saturday-afternoon contests. And practice was about trying to do something over and over again, failing and failing,and then finally succeeding part way. Practice was about showing up and doing the same drills day after day and getting stronger and faster by tiny, tiny increments, and then discovering that by the end of the season you were effectively another person.