Game Over: Why Do We Stop Playing Sports at University?

Why do so many students hang up their gloves after leaving school

This is not to say that everyone stops doing sports at university. Some carry on childhood sports, others pick up new ones — but there’s no denying the drop-off in participation once students arrive at university.

Sophie Portier, Vice President of St Andrews Swimming Club, explained that the intense schedule of competitive school sports required her to make significant sacrifices. She says that many see the switch to university as a chance to explore new interests and reconsider their commitment to sport.

This is true, but for many recreational athletes, school sports rarely required such dedication. So why does participation still dip for them?

One of the biggest changes moving to university is newfound independence. Yet with that freedom comes the somewhat stressful realisation that our time is now our own. That means one thing: organisation. Some things at university must get done — deadlines, for one — so unless you are competing in BUCS, sport easily slides down the priority list.

Despite still playing socially, Brett Gieras stopped playing competitively once she left school. 

“I have more deadlines and felt my education was more important than the large portion of time it takes to play tennis competitively,” Gieras told The Saint. A realisation anyone scrambling to meet last-minute deadlines can relate to.

Furthermore, when it comes to time management, much of this was structured for us at school. Imogen Taylor, a member of the Women’s 6s hockey team, now plays significantly less hockey than she did at school. 

“I suppose I was forced to do sport at school and now it’s by choice,” Taylor said. “I do less when I have time to do it; it’s less built into my day.”

I am sure that anyone who’s joined a university sports team will have also felt the financial blow — it sure isn’t cheap! Taylor made the point that at a fee-paying school or club, the parents covered the cost, which is often not the case at university. Financial implications, then, may play a role in the drop-off in sports participation. Our time and our money are our own now — and they’re both precious commodities at university.

As an American, Gieras also noted the stark contrast between university sports in the US and UK. Whilst some do play sports to a very high standard at British universities, it’s a whole different ball game across the pond: “In the States, university sports are largely competitive, with many students being accepted to a college solely for sports and gaining a sports scholarship.” 

This big difference in the US perhaps explains why sporty Americans come to St Andrews, with the hope of a more varied experience.

These reasons, gathered from those with a variety of sporting involvement at university, explain why and how priorities change. The key thing is that university is what we make of it — and whether you are involved in sports or not, there are so many ways to join in.

Image taken from Wix