The field of intercollegiate sports is one of the essential parts of activities that are conducted in educational facilities. Researchers note that intercollegiate athletics is a “popular, and at times, a profitable segment of the American sports landscape” (Mayer et al., 2017). Intercollegiate football, however, has one of the richest backgrounds since it has been around since the 19th century. I am examining the topic of this sport and will briefly discuss its history, why it is profitable for universities, and how the phenomenon of rivalry affects it.
In the United States, this type of intercollegiate athletics football is supported by many collegiate sports associations, including the NCAA, the NSAIDs, the NCCAA, and the USCAA. For educational facilities maintaining sports teams is a beneficial business because the audience’s interest is huge. The idea of supporting someone local and close to you attracts many fans, and with them comes the additional funding for universities. Moreover, nowadays, American schools are constantly embracing the idea of supporting girls’ football teams since the idea of equality in sports became popular.
The history of intercollegiate football began at the end of the 19th century when Rutgers University and Princeton University competed for the first time. Nowadays it remains one of the most popular activities that tie communities together. Though various types of athletic activities create interest among students, football can be considered the most profitable. This is because, over the years, universities have been bringing attention to it by building stadiums and “drawing large numbers of people to campuses” (“A brief historical perspective on intercollegiate athletics,” para 22.). Furthermore, the idea of a rivalry between college teams has a significant impact on the audience attraction” (Havard et al., 2016). Therefore, it can be assumed that this sport not only brings finances to universities but also connects the community since they feel united by the competition against other schools.
This topic is of particular importance since it is one of the most famous sports in the field of intercollegiate athletics. Colleges are willing to offer free education and scholarships to make the best athletes to play on their behalf; therefore, I decided to select it for my research. Moreover, during my investigation, I managed to learn several new facts, for instance, the fact that nowadays, more women are included. Moreover, I was interested in why football is this popular and continuously attracts many fans in different educational facilities.
References
A brief historical perspective on intercollegiate athletics. Humankinetics. Web.
Havard, C. T., Shapiro, S. L., & Ridinger, L. L. (2016). Who’s our rival? Investigating the influence of a new intercollegiate football program on rivalry perceptions. Journal of Sport Behavior, 39(4). Web.
Mayer, K. C., Morse, A. L., & DeSchriver, T. (2017). Intercollegiate football and luxury suites: An investigation of factors related to price. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 26(2). Web.