When doing college searches, one of the first things prospective students may look at are a college’s athletics program. Getting scholarships, especially athletic ones, can really sway a student’s choice on where to go. So, many athletes hope to get a scholarship in their sport from the school of their dreams, but it can be very difficult to get a scholarship due to the competitiveness that comes from colleges wanting to make the best sports teams.

A college’s sports teams can bring in lots of money to a school. This makes having the best team possible important, so schools will only give scholarships to the best athletes they can find. But if sports bring in money, why don’t schools just expand the number of teams they have? In an effort to inspire more support for sports in colleges and universities, and to shed light on some less common sports, here are sports that we think should be introduced to the University as proper athletic teams. 

First off, a men’s volleyball team and a women’s wrestling team. These sports already exist elsewhere, so why not bring them here? And in relation to wrestling, we believe that Boxing should be brought to the university. It certainly is more dangerous than wrestling, however it is still a certified and legal sport. Athletes already get hurt plenty in the sports we do have, so it wouldn’t be too different. 

Next up is Archery, an extremely fun sport for leisure or competition. This is a sport that has been at the Olympics for a long time and that kids will try out in fifth grade once, before dropping it or continuing for as long as they live. Archery can be a great introduction into hunting or the local Renaissance Fair for many, and its versatility in types of competitions can make it great for teams getting filled. 

We’d also recommend making a D1 Disc Golf team at the University. Disc Golf combines the rules and play format of golf with the needed skill to properly throw a frisbee in the right direction. It’s a great option for those who enjoy sports but not ones that require large amounts of physical exertion. It comes with the hilarity of the discs getting stuck in trees or bushes, which is frankly more interesting than golf. 

A final sport that the University should introduce is the time honored competitive sport with short time limits: Cup Stacking. Being able to master quickly setting up and taking down cups in various pyramids and stacks is truly a marker of athletic prowess, so why not support that here at the University? Cup Stacking, or Speed Stacking as it’s known professionally, has existing national and international competitions, so arranging collegiate competitions and finding students to recruit should be a breeze.