With the Olympic Games comes a celebration of the world-class talent of individual athletes. There’s something about the Olympics that is inherently different from our dominant American sports culture: it’s rare that we appreciate individual sports rather than the team sports associated with large stadiums and die-hard fans. For a nationwide sports fan base so committed to particular teams — some, like the Cleveland Browns’ Dawg Pound, in fanatical way — it’s quite jarring to witness the sudden shift to admiring individual athletes. We should use the Sochi Games as an opportunity to reflect on why individual sports have been pushed so far to the periphery in our collective sports consciousness and how better appreciating them would do justice to athletes at the college level.
Young people are introduced to athletics through team sports — family outings to the ballpark, Little League baseball and football on Sundays. Throughout middle school and into high school, the most athletic students almost always gravitate toward sports that generate the most public attention and the biggest crowds. Most of the student body will only care about teams like football and basketball. A county or state championship in either one will be the talk of the town. Meanwhile, runners, swimmers and tennis players may merely be honored at the school district’s board meeting and receive a write-up in the local newspaper.
The divergence between team and individual sports continues at the college level. But in the NCAA sphere, it’s a more daunting problem because revenue comes into play. Premiere programs will devote all their attention to revenue-generating teams intent on securing lucrative television contracts. They may not even offer the full range of teams available at the high school level.
The Ivies seem to do the best job at recognizing the value of individual sports, as part of the League’s commitment to “broad-based participation.” Dartmouth’s 34 varsity teams dwarf the number held at many big-time schools in other conferences.
Still, even at the Ivies, football and basketball get the lion’s share of attention from fans. I don’t mean to suggest that all sports fans should change their habits, or that they shouldn’t follow their favorite teams. But neglecting non-spectator sports is problematic. Why shouldn’t the hard work and commitment of swimmers, runners and tennis players be valued as highly as that of the more “marketable” sports? Why do we rarely hear about individual accomplishments and championships? Clearly, with our attentiveness to the Olympics, the sports world has shown the capacity to place greater value on individual sports. Why can’t that enthusiasm be present in the everyday happenings of sports? On a college campus, we can elevate the spotlight of individual sports. The competitors are our classmates, friends, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters.
For example, the men’s cross country team is one of Dartmouth’s most successful programs, yet most do not know anything about it. Between 1984 and 2002, the team captured 13 Ivy League championships, including an eight-year winning streak beginning in 1984. Former head coach Vin Lananna is tied for the record number of Ivy team championships by a coach (eight), and current coach Barry Harwick is in a four-way tie for second on that list (six). On an individual basis, Ben True ’08 holds the Ivy record in the five-mile run. True and Jim Sapienza ’85 are two of only three Ivy runners ever to win three individual Ivy titles. The Big Green have the highest number of individual Ivy title winners, 15.
Let’s use the Olympics buzz to think about how we can better recognize the achievements of individual athletes. This will benefit both athletes and fans.