Celebrations erupted on campus after Colorado State defeated Virginia in the first round of March Madness. A few days later, the Rams shared his disappointment and groaned when the team lost to Texas. In between and before these moments of shared joy and pain, CSU, like other universities experiencing the inevitable ups and downs of sports, has grown closer together as a community.
Research shows that sport has this unique power to bridge divides and unite people through collective experiences, both within teams and among spectators, and eliminate feelings of alienation and exclusion.
As the country currently faces a highly divided election season, I believe that sports, which are central to American culture and society, can provide important lessons that can strengthen the pillars of democracy that elections represent. I am. Student-athletes remind us of the value of practice, the strength that comes from focusing on different roles, and the heights that can be reached when a group accomplishes the same goal. These are lessons I absorbed as president of CSU.
Acquire skills that will last a lifetime
Universities are unique communities with structures, policies, procedures, and outlets designed to educate students to make sense of their world. Sometimes these mechanisms work quietly and efficiently, propelling the campus forward in its pursuit of knowledge with the grace of a championship-leading star athlete. More often, stumbles and setbacks occur in forging a path forward and finding common ground.
In some cases, disagreements travel beyond campus and become part of the national conversation, and in other cases, the national conversation is brought onto campus. The United States is currently experiencing this in a wave of protests on campuses across the country. The ideal scenario is a conversation guided by a shared commitment to deepening understanding and creating new knowledge. Differences of opinion are at the heart of it. Research shows that we learn best by listening to and constructively engaging with people who have different points of view. However, the reality is that no matter how much discussion we have, we may not be able to reach an agreement due to the diversity of viewpoints.
Competition of ideas is the engine of progress. Research shows that this is where knowledge and new approaches emerge. That is where we can find, if not cooperation and mediation, then at least points of agreement and connection. Today's universities are full of young people and bright minds who can play their part and provide opportunities for practice.
College is often the first place students vote. They run for positions such as student body president or ski club officer. Students learn how to influence institutions of power by serving on advisory committees that make recommendations to deans, provosts, and provosts, and by participating in campus demonstrations and protests. They are exposed to people from very different backgrounds with diverse perspectives. In most educational institutions, faculty, staff, and student leaders are elected by their peers to elect a representative body that makes decisions, shapes policy, and is responsible for a shared governance system.
unite as a team
We often fail to see those with whom we disagree, no matter how small, as fellow citizens with the same aspirations for our team, our country, and our own lives. There are too many. They are seen as enemies to be defeated.
In political debates, each side can be the victim in its own story, while the other side can be the oppressor who must be forced to see the error of their ways. Former President Ronald Reagan said that a leader is one who recognizes that “those who agree with you 80 percent of the time are friends and allies, not 20 percent traitors.” That can't happen unless future leaders can see those who disagree with them as members of the same team, or at least as fans with the same interest in supporting democracy.
Like politics, fandom has its ugly side. In some cases, bad behavior occurs where individuals or groups demonize players, coaches, or referees and attack them personally because of something that happened during a game. Competing teams and their fans can attack each other.
Still, athletics can serve as a bridge. Politics is rarely an issue when spectators gather to watch college teams play. Even class and race lose their potency. The common goal of winning takes precedence over other considerations. At that moment, people have a common identity.
pursuit of vision
There is a carryover effect. The day after the big victory, the atmosphere on campus was positive. After a bad loss, we share the feeling of disappointment. In both cases, students gain a new layer of common experience as fans. I believe this connection will further enhance students' ability to listen to each other. You can see your classmates as teammates, even if you are on opposite sides of a political issue. They see a common humanity.
Still, college athletics proves that natural talent has its limits. Our student-athletes demonstrate that groups are better when they put aside their personal differences and come together toward a common goal.
This also applies to democracies, where citizen participation is essential to success. Both fields require dedication, commitment, courage, and resilience to stay focused on goals and change strategies and tactics.
Robert Putnam, Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, recently visited CSU to give a lecture on the state of democracy. When I asked students for advice on how to strengthen democracy, he emphasized the value of collaborative activities, including sports, for students to build social capital and forge connections with different kinds of people. I emphasized.
At CSU, when basketball season finally came to an end, the next thing we thought about was how we could do better next year. Complacency is not an option. Each season and each competition is about effort and the pursuit of excellence. This will be a great ride for the audience.
Of course, democracy is not and cannot be a spectator sport. Just like in sports, the truth is that we benefit when we have opponents who play hard and within the rules. In this way, rivals are actually partners, and groups interact with each other out of a common love for the game.
