The idea is not new: A sizable number of collegiate athletics teams work to better the communities in which their colleges/universities are located. The athletes visit food pantries. They serve at soup kitchens. The teams collect toys during the holidays. They run athletic clinics for kids. Some organize “parents night out,” with athletes babysitting for local children on predetermined dates. Athletes visit nursing homes and hospitals. They allow local elementary school teams to play short games at half time.
All of these activities are important on a myriad of fronts. They better the larger community and reflect the importance of civic engagement. They help the student-athletes see and experience the responsibility that comes with wearing a college or university’s name on their uniforms. Some of these events enable the student-athletes to bring the community to campus and perhaps plant the idea of attending this (or another) college/university in the future. These activities create a “buzz” and produce followers who will cheer the teams, win or lose. They open the door for new regional recruits.
But, most of the civic engagement of athletic teams now involves what I call “one-off” events. That is not bad in and of itself. But, it is important to think about more extended engagements that can truly make a lasting difference, create relationships with durability and showcase behavior that can be replicated over one’s lifetime. Year-long or semester long activities are harder to pull off; they take more planning; they take more commitment; they take more coordination with the recipients of the “giving.” But, it is all worth it.
Here are several examples that have been tried. To be sure, this is not an all-inclusive list. And as with all initiatives on campuses, they need to be adapted and tailored to campus culture, community culture, team size and community willingness to engage. Here are the names of two organizations that Southern Vermont College (SVC) baseball coach Dave Gage has deployed with his DIII players: Vs. Cancer (involving shaving their heads) and Homes for Our Troops (helping support construction of homes for needy veterans). He also used a variant of Team Impact; the team “adopted” a child with a life-threatening illness, enabling that child and the family to “hang” with the team. There are other organizations that enable engagement.
But, here are two powerful “out of the box” suggestions that have real value but require considerable time and effort to organize.
Example One: We are all aware of the need for more students to enter into and find success in the STEM disciplines. In communities with many low-income students, there is a particular need to develop interest and competencies in STEM. And, there is no shortage of fear among many students of math – sadly, parental fear can be passed along! But, we know many kids are interested in sports. So, here is an idea (tried and true) to link STEM for kids and athletic teams. (Think about the ways many of us used baseball cards in our youth.)
Many students struggle with percentages as well as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We selected a local fifth grade class where some of the students were struggling in math. This group of students each picked a player from the SVC men’s basketball team. Then, each student used this player’s statistics posted on the SVC web throughout the season to measure his improvement, how he compared to other players on the SVC team, how he did on the court compared to other teams with which SVC played. Then, the students met the athletes whose statistics they were following and attended a basketball game to see “their” players in action. The team also went to the elementary school to talk with the students, most especially about good sportspersonship.
This effort was a triple win – for students, for players and for the community.
Example Two: What if a team “adopted” a local family, a faculty member and a staff member? Some teams already do some version of this – faculty or staff “coach” for the day. But this is different as it has continuity.
The faculty member and staff member could attend practices and games and then invite the players for dinner on occasion (assuming that does not violate some NCAA rule out there). Or, they could bring baked goods for post-game treats. The local family could do the same – attend games and practices and have the team or members of the team over for a meal or an afternoon picnic, again assuming no NCAA violation. Those adopted could sit on the players’ side of the court or field. They would be cheerleaders, wearing SVC tee shirts. They could be introduced at a game or two.
For the faculty and staff member, understanding how the teams at their institution work would be valuable. They could share their experience with others on campus; they could even write about it. It would enable closure of some of the schism between academics on the one side and athletics on another. I suspect both the faculty and staff members on the one side and players on the other would learn a great deal about each other. Indeed, it is useful for students to show success in one arena (sports) when they may be struggling in another (academics); and, faculty and staff benefit from seeing this success and effort and commitment on the part of students.
For the family adopted, this would be a way to keep the family focused and together; it would be a shared activity at a time when even shared meals are scarce. It would create a conversation topic. It would also showcase the value of college, as the family would be engaged with the team, the coaches, other college students as well as the adopted faculty and staff members.
There is no shortage of other ways that athletes and their teams can engage with the community. We are only limited by our imaginations and our willingness to commit to community engagement. We often talk about winning. These engagement opportunities are double and sometimes triple wins. That’s a positive for sure.
Featured image via PSU.edu
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