Varsity athletics do not equal academic credit

As a Division III athlete participating in cross country and track, varsity sports have been and continue to be a major part of my education. I feel that training to master a sport has infinite parallels to mastering a subject in the classroom, and I have found that the mental attitude that is essential for successful training and competing has made me a more competent and successful student. Although I am extremely thankful to be able to participate in a sport that is constantly complementing my classes and contributing to my education, I do not think that athletics deserve academic credit.

There are many time-consuming and mentally stimulating activities that are classified as extracurricular activities. It is therefore important to distinguish between a class that earns academic credit and an extracurricular activity. An extracurricular activity is an activity that lies outside of what would be considered a normal education. No matter how valuable and educational these experiences can be, they should always be considered as complements to a core education composed of classes that earn academic credit. At a Division III school, it is reasonable to assume that athletics are meant to complement classes and so, no matter how intense a sport can be, it is still an extracurricular activity.

The fact that athletics do not earn academic credit ensures that those who wish to participate are passionate about the sport and will not sacrifice academic rigor for the sake of athletics. Offering credit for athletics makes academic classes and athletics interchangeable in that one can choose between a class and a sport. By creating this means of tradability between classes and athletics, athletics are no longer seen as complements to classes. A potential athlete who once wondered whether or not he or she could handle a sport in addition to classes can now decide whether they want to replace a class with a sport that will earn them just as much credit. At a Division III school, the administration should be most concerned about the classroom aspect of an education and should do what it can to make sure that a student's decision of whether or not to participate in athletics does not alter their academic decisions.

While in principle I feel that athletics do not deserve academic credit, realistically I do not think that the decision will have any significant effect. All current athletes would participate in their given sport regardless of credit offered. Additionally, anyone who decides to participate in a sport because of the credit will soon realize that an academic credit is not the kind of reward that an athlete has to work for. An academic credit alone will not convince someone to willingly participate in an activity that leaves you physically drained after hours of work every day. Athletes must be driven by passion and rewarded by their accomplishments. Without discounting the unbelievable amount of hard work that athletes must put forth in addition to their academic studies, I believe that as a symbolic gesture it would be wrong for Vassar to place athletics on an equal level with academics.

—David Reuss '12 is a math major. He participates in cross country in the fall and track in the spring.