Unfortunately, the discussion over what a successful athletic department adds to the university has been mostly a one-way conversation. There are many supporters of the athletic department who are not heard from but believe strongly in what the department offers not only to its student athletes, but also the general student population and the community as a whole.
As a 2010 sport management graduate from Ohio University, I feel that the Division I athletic department played a huge part in my education and does the same for hundreds of other students every year. Because of the opportunity that I was given to work so closely with the football program during my four years at Ohio, I was able to secure a job right after graduation.
I am certain that if it weren't for the experience I gained in working with a respected Division I Football Championship Subdivisions program, I would have had a much more difficult time finding a job.
The sport management program has been a nationally recognized and widely respected program since it became one of the first of its kind in the country. There are hundreds of sport management students on campus, many of whom benefit from volunteering or interning within the athletic department.
With a successful Division I athletic department, recent students have had valuable opportunities such as working in the marketing department getting out the word for football's trip to New Orleans, working in the ticket office leading up to last year's NCAA basketball tournament or working as a manager for any one of the 15 sports on campus. These are experiences that are not learned in the classroom, yet are the things employers look for the most in hiring college graduates in the field.
This is also why I find it puzzling to see a faculty member of the Department for Sports Administration continually criticize and make himself an enemy of the department, while many of his students, myself included, have greatly benefited from the success of that same athletic department.
There are concerns that need to be addressed all throughout campus, and Athletics is certainly not exempt; the department, along with the rest of the university, has made significant cuts over the last few years. But, the fact that Athletics actually does provide educational value to many students on campus is often overlooked and not measurable by the bottom line. That is not the sole reason I support the department, but it is one that is not often discussed. Remember, the students benefiting from a successful athletic department are not only on the field but also behind the scenes.
Kyle Essman is a 2010 graduate of Ohio University and a former employee in the Intercollegiate Athletics office.
4 Opinion
