The Forgotten (Often Misunderstood) World of Club Sports
With classes back in session, whether it is virtual or in-person, students across the country are getting ready for spring semester or quarter. With spring in the air, that means baseball, basketball, hockey, softball, lacrosse, and many other sports are underway, with students crowding stadiums or arenas supporting their school.
However, often when one stadium is packed, there is some other action occurring at the recreation fields or a random high school across town: a club sports match. Club sports, in short, are mainly student sponsored and promoted. Often led by a student executive board, they function as if they are varsity sanctioned sport, yet do not receive all the funding. Whether it is by dues or donations, students often dedicate themselves to their club sport and their teammates. Since students often choose school for academics first or they did not want to fully commit to the varsity lifestyle, club sports offers a “virtual varsity” experience without the full commitment, with often regional and national tournaments at the end.
The most notable example in how successful and intricate club sports can be is the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association, also known as the MCLA. The mission of the MCLA is “The Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) provides a quality national intercollegiate lacrosse experience. The MCLA consists of nine non-varsity college lacrosse conferences featuring over 150 teams across 42 states and two countries. The association provides a governing structure similar to the NCAA, consisting of eligibility rules, national awards, polls, and championship tournaments.” With teams ranging from Boston College, Florida State, Michigan State, Texas Christian, Chapman, San Diego State, Simon Fraser in British Columbia, Oregon State, the MCLA, as they put it, are everywhere. In addition, the talent is often very competitive, as many could-be NCAA athletes choose MCLA for convenience, academics, or other reasons. With big-name institutions, some have even jumped from the club level to NCAA, most recently with Utah University. Other notable examples include Michigan, Richmond, and Marquette.
However, because of the reliance of student dues, lack of priority registration, being in the chokehold of waiting for the school to pay, or lack of facilities and field space, club sports athletes often struggle in keeping up with varsity sanctioned sports, with practices often off-campus in the later hours of the day. However, that does not stop the success of club sports and their students, who often create better content and gear than their varsity counterparts, which elevates their status to gain better recognition.
So, if one is bored, and the varsity team is not in town, check out the local rec fields or gym and go support club sports. All the support and help can boost the morale of the athletes, and who knows, maybe one can find a new weekend tradition or sport one never thought of watching.