Playing a sport while going to college is possible in the United States. Students who enjoy sports can get scholarships.
The dream of the scholarship
Studying at a recognized university in the United States can be very expensive ($ 60,000 per year for 4 years). Then, the possibility of being a scholarship is very attractive for those who have developed a sports talent. Currently in Peru, there are local companies that provide a complete advisory service to athletes who want to look for this career option. In the United States they have very well detected geographically where the main talents are in each sport. That is why, Argentines, Brazilians and Uruguayans are very required by the football coaches of the different universities. In tennis, the offer is wider and they come from different Latin American countries. Matías Silva and Rafael Aíta, two players who have been part of the Peruvian Davis Cup team a few years ago, graduated in the United States thanks to a university sports scholarship. Many of them, after graduating, decide to exercise their careers, before becoming sports professionals, as happened with Silva, who only played 4 years as a professional and then retired, and Aíta, who decided not to open the ATP door to play on the finance field immediately after graduation, despite the fact that his coaches claim that he had all the conditions to be currently a Top 200 in the world.
This has been a global panorama of university sports in the United States but with a specific focus, taking as an example the prestigious Harvard University. Sport articulated through an ecosystem in which each part works holistically, as the same efficiency as professional sport: sports excellence, diverse infrastructure and latest technology, television with live coverage and other media with daily news that amplify the attention of fans, sports brands of universities built with value and positioned in the minds of sports consumers, huge assistance from fans to sports venues, brands that invest millions in sponsorship contracts to be emotionally linked to universities and have exposure constant in the media. This is the great apparatus of university sports in the United States. A unique example of the planet of extraordinary sport management capacity and commercial efficiency, creator of an admirable virtuous circle. With large facilities, some campuses of American universities really offer top-notch sports areas. Going to university does not only mean attending class, listening to teachers and sitting in a classroom throughout the day. There are other types of activities that can be carried out on a university campus, some of them even allow to add academic credits.
When choosing a destination to study abroad, the United States is a favorite of young people. Its large universities, its attractive cities and the idea of living in the country of opportunities is particularly tempting for university students.
Precisely, the universities of the United States have one of the most recognized and useful activities outside the classroom when adding academic credits: sports activities.
Sport in US universities is more than just an activity, it implies a whole sport culture. Therefore, for foreign students there is the possibility of accessing studies in American universities through sports scholarships, which allow them to pursue a career while serving as professional athletes for the university team.
This importance given to the sport means that some of the American universities have first-rate sports facilities, which at first glance would not be associated with a university, but with a first-line sports team.
Would you like to study in the US and at the same time practice sports? These are the universities with the best sports facilities:
Michigan University
Duke University
Florida University
Soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, athletics, swimming … American universities have sports teams from all disciplines.
The best of all? For those who access a sports scholarship or commit to being part of the university’s sports teams, the academic load is more flexible, thanks to study programs specially organized according to the sports calendar.