College sports orcollege athletics encompassesamateur sports played by non-professional,collegiate anduniversity-levelstudent athletes in competitivesports andgames. College sports have led to manycollege rivalries.
College sports trace their roots back to the early 19th century. Originating frompublic schools in Britain,varsity matches betweenOxford University andCambridge University spread toHarvard University andYale University, which influenced the development ofcollege sports in the United States, and to college sports inCommonwealth, European, and other countries, such as Japan.[1][2][3]
The firstWorld University Games were held in 1923. There were originally called theUnion Nationale des Étudiants Français.[4] In 1957, following several previous renames, they became known in English as the World University Games.[4]
Varsity Sports (South Africa) is an organization of university sports leagues in South Africa. The organization currently sponsors seven events: athletics, beach volleyball, association football, field hockey, netball, and rugby sevens.
During the 1970s, theNational Union of South African Students worked to create a university sports program where race was not considered in team and competition arrangements. The organisation faced some governmental hurdles. At the time, inter-racial sports was only allowed to be played on private grounds, which meant games and competitions could not be played on public university grounds. They had models from theUniversity of Witwatersrand and theUniversity of Cape Town which had already held such events.[5]
University sport was established in China by the 1930s. One of these programs was at theCatholic University of Peking. In 1936, members of the team traveled to Japan as members of a team to participate in a basketball andassociation football competition.[6] During the early stages ofWorld War II in the region, most universities suspended their sports programs. The exceptions wereFu Ren University andYanjing University which kept these programmes open until 1942 before shutting them down.[6]
Chinese universities organised boat races before the cultural revolution. These races were modeled after the boat races in England.[7]
TheChinese Basketball University Association (CUBA) is currently China's most popular and competitive collegiate basketball league.[8] In 2018, AliSports acquired the rights to broadcast the league for $150 million. Other university sports associations such as the Chinese Football University Association and the Chinese Marathon University Association are being broadcast by AliSports.
Japan began to engage in sports when Western-style sports were introduced to Japan from Europe and the United States as a byproduct of the Westernization policy developed by theMeiji Restoration after three centuries of national isolation. This was accomplished by so-called "hired foreigners" invited by the new government and Japanese people returning to the West.There were various types of channels through which Western-style sports were introduced to Japan, but it was the schools that played a particularly important role in the frequent and sustained establishment of Western-style sports in Japan. After the student promulgation of 1873, modern sports first began to penetrate various schools, especially higher educational institutions such as universities, higher normal schools, and old high schools. Among the Westernization that was taking place in almost all areas of culture, including economics, politics, industrial technology, thought, literature, music, food, clothing, and architecture, the field of education in particular saw a remarkable development of Western-style sports. This was the groundwork for the emergence of Japan's unique modern sense of sports. The need to give meaning to the practice of sports in the field of education. In the latter half of the 19th century, the elevation of sports was being planned by "tough Christians" activists who were graduates of public schools and Oxford and Cambridge universities, which were attended by the children of gentlemen who were the dominant class ofBritish society and the children of the emerging middle class bourgeoisie who admired them. This view of sports provided the conditions for the Japanese of the time to develop sports in the schoolhouse.[9][10][11][12]
After returning from the U.S., Hiroshi Hiraoka (平岡凞), a railroad engineer, founded Japan's first baseball team, the Shinbashi Club. Rugby was the first sporting event in Japan, with the founding of the Keio University rugby club in 1899. Soccer was played in 1904 with the founding of the soccer club atTokyo Higher Normal School (University of Tsukuba). American football dates from 1934 with the founding of the American football club atRikkyo University.[10][11]
Among the sports introduced from abroad, baseball became especially popular during this period. 1894 saw the appearance of the word "yakyū(野球)" as a translation of the word "base ball". Ichiko lost toWaseda University and Keio University in 1904, ushering in the era of both universities. (This later developed into theWaseda-Keio rivalry), and baseball's popularity spilled over into the competitions between technical colleges and junior high schools (Utsunomiya vs. Mito, 5th High vs. Yamaguchi, 1st High vs. 3nd High, etc.). At a time when the mainstream entertainment for citizens was "watching", such ascherry blossom viewing, visitingtemples andshrines, andsumo wrestling viewing, it was exciting for citizens to see university students taking part in American-born baseball games. People even gathered to watch the students practicing on the baseball field. The stadium was filled to overflowing with people who gathered to watch the games. Major newspapers such asAsahi Shimbun andMainichi Shimbun wrote extensively about the success of the games, and college baseball became a kind of social phenomenon.[10][11]
University sports was established in Japan by the 1930s.[6]
Even afterWorld War II, university sports have established a glorious history and tradition, such as the revival of Waseda-Keio_rivalry (ja:硬式野球) atJingu Stadium in the fall of 1945 and the popularity ofShigeo Nagashima, who supported the golden age of Rikkyo University in the 1960s. From these developments, the athletic club (Undō-bu,ja:運動部) was formed as part of the extracurricular club activities (club-katsudō,ja:クラブ活動) at schools in Japan, which have various academies (bu), and sports activities.At each university, an organization called Taiikukai_Undō-bu(ja:体育会運動部) was formed, and the term taiikukai-kei (ja:体育会系) was even coined.[10][11]
By 1977,ultimate Frisbee had been established as a university sport. National championships were held that year withAichi Gakuin University winning the inaugural event.[13] Many of these new sports became popularized after being played by university teams (e.g.lacrosse).
In 2019, the Japan Association for University Athletics and Sport (UNIVAS), a general incorporated association, was established to strengthen university sports in Japan. See List of University Sports Competitions and Organizations in Japan(ja) for more information on each athletic organization.[11][12]
In fact, theKōshien baseball tournament, a high school baseball tournament (played in spring and summer), and theAll Japan High School Soccer Tournament, a men's soccer championship, Spring High School Volleyball (ja), basketball, Hanazono (National High School Rugby Tournament) for rugby, Ekiden's Miyakoōji (All-Japan High School Ekiden Championship) in Ekiden (played in winter), are held by high school teams in Japan, These are all the more exciting because they are featured on live TV broadcasts and news programs. However, Few tournaments are nationally televised for student athletes in college sports, such as theAll Japan University Rugby Championship.TheTokyo Big6 Baseball League is in Tokyo, and TheKoshien Bowl, which is supposed to be the national American football championship, is only exciting in the Kansai region, so it cannot be said to be a nationwide event. TheHakone Ekiden, which is said to increase the number of applicants and the income from examination fees as a result of winning and performing well in the event, is actually aKanto region event. For more information on soccer, seeCollege soccer#Japan.[10][11]
In addition to the general entrance examination, Japanese universities also offer Sports Recommendation Admission (ja:スポーツ推薦). This system is used to admit students who have achieved a certain level of athletic success in order to strengthen and maintain the strength of university sports teams. Many universities do this. However, the admission criteria, i.e., the number of students admitted, the degree of athletic achievement, and the way in which the academic performance of the applicant is taken into account, vary from university to university.[11]
Collegiate sports are organized by the Korea University Sports Federation (KUSF) and students must be enrolled at a member institution in order to participate. It runs theU-League in six sports (baseball,basketball,football,soft tennis andvolleyball) and the Club Championship in four team sports (baseball, basketball, football and volleyball). The U-League is mirrored after the domestic professional leagues and a large number of student-athletes eventually turn professional. The Club Championship is contested by college teams operated as intramural clubs.
TheFederation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP) is the governing body recognized by theInternational University Sports Federation (FISU) in the Philippines. Notably, the two largest athletic associations inMetro Manila, theUniversity Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) are not members, but the largest athletic association inMetro Cebu,Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc., is, as well as most other athletic associations in the provinces.
The UAAP tried to wrest recognition away from FESSAP's recognition by FISU in 2013 but was denied.[14]
TheArmenian Student Sports Federation (ARMSSF) is a nationalnon-governmental organization responsible for advocating, supporting and promoting the interests ofstudents'sports and physical activities inArmenia.[15] The headquarters of the federation is located inYerevan. The Federation maintains numerous cooperation agreements withuniversities across Armenia.[16][17]
The Federation is responsible for sending student athletes to participate in various international and European level university sporting championships, including theWorld University Summer & Winter Games, theFISU World University Championships, and the Pan-European Student Games.[18] The ARMSSF also organizes national events, competitions, and activities for students across Armenia and often collaborates with other sporting federations such as theArmenian Table Tennis Federation, theArmwrestling Federation of Armenia, theArmenian National Rowing and Canoe Federation, and theFigure Skating Federation of Armenia, among others.[19]
The ARMSSF organizes the annual "Student Sports Games of the Republic of Armenia".[20] In November 2014, over 3500 students from 21Armenian universities participated. The games are sponsored by theMinistry of Education and Science.[21][19]
InVictorian Britain, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries,rowing took pace atEton College,Westminster School and otherpublic schools.[22] The firstEton v Harrow cricket match was held in 1805. These led to the firstUniversity Match in cricket betweenCambridge University andOxford University in 1927 andThe Boat Race, which was first contested in 1829.[23] Sports were assimilated into academic life at Cambridge and Oxford universities in the nineteenth century and became a feature ofOxford–Cambridge rivalry.[24][25][26] These earlyvarsity matches spread to other sports, other universities in the United Kingdom, tocollege sports in the United States,[2][3][27][28] and to college sports inCommonwealth, European and other countries.[1][29][30]
Building on earlyEnglish public school football games,[31] a group of students from Cambridge University createda set of 11 rules for football in 1848. In 1863 the Football Association of England adopted most of these rules and added three moreLaws of the Game creatingassociation football.[32] The varsity team played the first football match against Oxford in 1874,[33] although intercollegiate football games date back earlier.[34] During the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Cambridge University contributed to the development of many other sports including tennis, horse racing, boxing, cricket, women's collegiate sport, and the Olympic games.[30][1]
The first modern athletics clubs in the world were founded at the University of Cambridge in 1857,[35] and the University of Oxford in 1860.[36][37][38] The Cambridge and Oxford Athletic Games were first held in 1864.[36][39]The Scottish Varsity match inrugby union between theUniversity of St Andrews and theUniversity of Edinburgh began in the 1860s, the first varsity match in the world in a code offootball.[40][a] The Oxford vs Cambridge women'sUniversity Match in(field) hockey was first played in 1895, the oldest women's varsity match in the world.[41]
University sport began to be organised more formally in the early 20th century beginning with the formation of the Inter-Varsity Athletics Board of England and Wales (IVAB) and the first inter-varsitytrack and field competition among nine universities atManchester University in 1919.[42][43] Manchester University invited women's teams to compete against them in 1921, which initiated women’s inter-varsity competition.Birmingham University hosted the first Inter-Varsity Athletic Board Women’s Championships in 1922 and the Women’s Inter-Varsity Athletics Board (WIVAB) was formed in 1923.[44][45]
Multiple organisations subsequently represented university and college sport in the United Kingdom.[42][43]
These organisations evolved intoBritish Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS),[46] the governing body for university and college sports in the UK. It runs competitions in 54 sports across over 160 universities and colleges;[47] an annual championship and trophy in 16 sports;[48] and an annual multi-sport even in 6 sports held over three days.[49] More than 100,000 students compete in BUCS competitions and events each year and over 400 qualified for the FISU World University Games in 2025.[50] TheFISU has described it as "one of the most well rounded and developed university sport programmes in the world".[46]
Separately from BUCS,universities in the United Kingdom holdvarsity matches with rival universities and offerintramural sports.[51][52] This includes widespread programmes inuniversity rowing in the United Kingdom.
In addition,Scottish Student Sport run over 100 events each year foruniversities in Scotland including the annual multi-sport Scottish Student Games.[52][53][54] Students atuniversities in Northern Ireland can also participate inStudent Sport Ireland events.[55]
College sports in Brazil is common in many college and universities, although it does not possesses the prestige and status of existing sports clubs, being relegated to amateurish. Most of the games are organized by student associations usually called "Atlética" of the respective student course, resulting in intramural matches between teams of different courses, there are also extramural competitions between different universities, a famous derby are the matches between students from the Mackenzie University and Universidade de São Paulo - USP in São Paulo. Since 1935 the Brazilian University Games - JUBs are held, started as biennal event, it became annual since 1968, they are organized by the Brazilian Confederation of College Sports - CBDU.
Some Mexican universities are affiliated with professionalassociation football teams. One such team is theUniversidad Autonoma Pumas.[56][57]
Canada has over 14,000 student athletes within 56 universities under U Sports.[58] U Sports is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada. There are 12 different sports annually that compete at 21 national championships throughout the year.[58] Compensation is limited to athletic scholarships. There are athletic scholarships that are awarded to student athletes based on academic eligibility and athletic ability. There is a minimum academic requirement for student athletes to achieve the scholarship. There is an amount cap on scholarships which varies between sports. Athletic scholarships are not only determined by the league caps but it varies on the institution, team, and coaches standard. Each student athlete that competes under U Sports has five years of eligibility and must complete 3.0 credits every year prior to competing. There are other sports that compete at the university level but do not fall under the U Sports. These sports may be legislated by the conferences including -Canada West (CanWest),Ontario University Athletics (OUA),Quebec Student Sport Federation (RSEQ), andAtlantic University Sport (AUS). Colleges in Canada compete under theCanadian College Athletic Association (CCAA).
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College athletics is a major enterprise in the United States, with more than 500,000student athletes attending over 1,100 universities and colleges competing annually. The largest governing bodies are:
Among many other sports, the most-watched competitions areAmerican football andbasketball, though there are competitions in many other sports, includingbadminton,baseball,softball,ice hockey,soccer,rugby union,volleyball,lacrosse,field hockey,cricket,handball,swimming and diving,track and field,golf,tennis,table tennis,pickleball,rowing, and many others depending on the university.[citation needed] In the United States, college athletes are considered amateurs and their compensation is generally limited toathletic scholarships. However, there is disagreement as to whether college student-athletes should be paid.[59] College athletics have been criticized for diverting resources away from academic studies, while unpaid student athletes generate income for their universities and private entities.[60] Due to the passage ofTitle IX in the United States, universities must offer an equal number of scholarships for women and for men.
UniSport organise theUniSport Nationals, an annual multi-sport event among its 43 member universities and tertiary institutions in Australia. Over 7,000 university students participate in the event each year.[61]
The history of university sports has received little academic attention in Australia.[62] In 1863, rugby union was first played in Australia at theUniversity of Sydney when several clubs affiliated with the university were established.[62] One of Australia's earliest cricket teams was founded at the University of Sydney in 1854. This university affiliated team is one of the only teams from that period that still exists.[62]
New Zealand universities's sports teams normally compete in local sports leagues against non-university teams. The annualNew Zealand University Games covers a large number of sports and competitive cultural activities (such as debating). The event is typically held overEaster, rotating around university centers.[citation needed]
At this time, in the second half of the nineteenth century, England was experiencing a sporting revolution that went global, with Cambridge ... having a significant impact.;Edwards, Ashley (2019-09-12)."History of Sport in Cambridge: Cradle of a Leisure Revolution".www.sport.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved2025-05-17.
Perhaps more than any other two colleges, Harvard and Yale gave form to American intercollegiate athletics--a form that was inspired by the Oxford-Cambridge rivalry overseas, and that was imitated by colleges and universities throughout the United States. Focusing on the influence of these prestigious eastern institutions, this fascinating study traces the origins and development of intercollegiate athletics in America from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century.
What sets British team and competitive sports slightly apart ... is that they were introduced primarily to solve an educational rather than strictly military need. These sports were initially aimed not at the general population but at the upper classes and social elite, or at least their male offspring; they were therefore structured around the pedagogical and disciplinary requirements of a limited range of institutions, that is, the elite public schools and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
As the sport of rowing was growing rapidly in the United Kingdom with the founding of major events such as the Boat Race (1829) and Henley Royal Regatta (1839), rowing on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean was slowly progressing. "Amateur clubs were formed in the New York area in the 1830s, and races were well publicized," says Weil, "so the idea was not novel when some Yale classmates bought a boat and established the first collegiate boat club in 1843. Harvard followed the next year."
most of the countries in the world still play British sports or sports that were derived from British sports
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