Click here to read about 5 factors that continue to uphold the popularity o...
From college tennis to basketball – NCAAF to hockey, swimming, baseball, soccer, and cricket – the world of college sports offers a seemingly endless list of highlights to our sporting calendars each and every year. While sports in their own right, they manage to capture some of our favorite aspects of professional sports, while also drawing upon a slightly more homespun and modest sense of competition and patriotism which so many of us see as the perfect complement to the more intense rivalries of pro sports.
There is, afterall, some intangible quality which continues to set college level sports apart from the rest, and to continually bring us back on-side each year – whether you’re devoted to your alma mater, or simply happy to observe the action as and when it unfolds.
So, for that reason, here are just five reasons why college sports, whether tennis or football or any other event, continue to prove so popular across the country – and, in some cases, around the world. Read more below.
1. A Source of Sheer Passion
College sports enjoy a unique position in the wider world of competitive and televised sports, and tennis is no exception. Whereas, in some pro-grade sports, commentators and fans alike are beginning to worry that the
games are becoming too predictable, college sports – and, in particular, college tennis – boasts a much rawer form of athletic passion and ability.
In these matches and, more broadly speaking, the college-level tournaments themselves, budding players with the potential to make waves within pro-grade tennis as and when (and if) the time comes for them to progress to that level take center stage. As spectators, we get to observe their origin stories unfolding before our eyes and, with that, catch a rare glimpse of their raw talent, power, and passion for the sport before it is honed into the sharp point that is required at professional levels.
The opportunity is, for any fan of the sport, one that mustn’t be missed – and will continue to offer the perfect complement to an interest in professional tennis for many, many years to come.
2. A Major Draw for Betting Opportunities
NCAA events represent a number of major moments on the sport bettors’ calendar – and for good reason. Combining the raw, unbridled talent and passion we touched upon above, with the excitement that can only come from NCAA’s unique fanbase, college sports as diverse as football, basketball and tennis all enjoy significant attention from punters.
From March Madness to intercollegiate tournaments, this
list of online sportsbooks rated by independent reviews features a number of ‘big names’ in the world of NCAA sports betting, and offers plenty of insight into just how popular college level sports are proving among a wider fanbase.
3. A Blend of Tradition and Innovation
The National Collegiate Athletic Association was initially founded in 1906 and, while a great deal has undoubtedly changed since those first competitions around one hundred and fifteen years ago, it’s safe to say that the core premise – that of intercollegiate, pre-professional grade competition – remains unchanged.
Still, sports in general are nothing if not ready to evolve alongside the people playing them, and with every new athlete, college sports demonstrate their propensity to change and develop into something wholly recognizable, but fresh.
4. Glimpse Future Superstars of the Sport
The same goes for other leading sports, like football or basketball. The ability to catch that initial glimpse of a rising star, as it begins its ascent toward the big leagues, is something that cannot be matched or surpassed by any other phenomenon in the sporting world.
Take, for instance, the US Open – even a single category, such as the men’s singles. In 2020 alone, the draw for this one category was brimming with post-collegiate players, including names as renowned as Mackenzie McDonald and Maxime Cressy of UCLA, Dominik Koepfer of Tulane University, Cameron Norrie of Texas Christian University, J.J. Wolf of the Ohio State University, and Steve Johnson of the University of Southern California.
Every year, and with every college tennis match, fans of the sport are able to position themselves at the very fount of US talent within the sport, and cast their predictions for the future as new, budding players take those first confident steps onto the clay or grass.
In effect, college tennis represents a celebration of the sport itself – and of the incredible arc that the sporting world’s superstars can take from those first few games, to
the NCAA championships, to the upper echelons of professional competition.
5. A Link to that Alma Mater
A big part of the beauty of college sports in general is the fact that, as fans, we can remain as committed to our alma maters and hometown players as we want. For some, merely positioning ourselves at the heart of fresh talent, and observing the origins of tennis’ future stars is enough – for others, however, following college tennis represents one of the most profound ways of keeping ‘in touch’ with our alma maters.
On a practical level, the ability to drop in on games without first needing to make a two day long road trip, sleep in motels, and drop hundreds of dollars on tickets to professional grade stadiums certainly has its appeal. On a more profound level, however, it offers an antidote to higher stakes of pro-level tennis games – which, although they certainly boast their own appeal and can never be replaced altogether by college level, benefit from the more local approach to competitive sports.
It is, of course, down to the individual to what extent they continue to throw support at their alma mater, but there is an undeniable charm about being able to maintain such a strong link with our original teams.
College sports represent a significant draw for thousands of people each and every year, even beyond the ‘ecosystems’ of the colleges themselves. Fans from across the country are able to tap into a friendlier, though still highly competitive, atmosphere, and to show their appreciation for raw talent within sports that have come to define America, and its citizens.
