- The Neyland Stadium, home to the University of Tennessee-Knoxville Volunteers, holds a max occupancy of 95,000 people. On game nights, no less than 115,000 fans pack this roaring stadium.
Some of the best known colleges in the country don’t even go by their full names – when someone says they graduated from Florida or Ohio or Tennessee, we know exactly what they’re talking about. Such schools have vast name recognition, the product of amazing name branding brought about by strong football programs. And many of these football schools offer equally strong academic programs, producing bright and well-educated graduates each year.
But before your child mails off his registration forms for his chosen football school, consider a recent study by the University of Oregon (also a football school) which shows a link between high performance football teams and declining grades. The study, which looked at the academic performance of nearly thirty thousand non-athlete students from 1999 to 2007, found that average GPAs dropped significantly in years in which the school’s football team won more games.
School spirit is an amazing aspect of the college experience. It creates a unique sense of camaraderie and provides many of the best memories of college. But sometimes, especially at schools known for their sports teams, school spirit can get in the way of learning.
The study found that male students were more likely to see a drop in grades than female students, and that the drops in grades corresponded with the football season. When researchers interviewed students, students were more than willing to admit that a winning football season was a distraction from academics. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 male students admitted that the success of Oregon’s football team decreased the amount of time they spent studying. After all, time spent tailgating, watching the games, and celebrating the wins didn’t leave a lot of weekend time for writing term papers or studying for exams.
If your child is interested in attending a football school, be sure to consider his or her level of self-discipline before signing on the dotted line. If your child is responsible and dedicated to his or her education, it’s likely that he or she will do well no matter where they go. But if your child is easily distracted and finds it difficult to stay on task, you may do well to consider a school with fewer distractions.
