The Meaning of Sports in Birmingham

Today's blog post was written by Justin Cunningham.  Justin is a senior Finance major at the University of Notre Dame and is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching, a course taught by Professor Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan of Play Like a Champion Today.  This spring, Justin will be assisting a local high school baseball team.

In the first week of December, football players at the University of Alabama-Birmingham received life altering news. Due to financial difficulty at the University, UAB President Ray Watts and officials in the athletic department decided to shut down the school’s football program. UAB became the first major college program to close its doors in nearly two decade.  (University of the Pacific closed in 1995.) The players did not receive much notice or explanation other than a suggestion that “the numbers didn't look right.” While the news of a Division I football program shutting down is both shocking and upsetting, it also makes me question if we have lost the real meaning of sports.

When I first read the story, I began to think of how unfortunate it was that the UAB football program was not making enough money to continue. I began to wonder how the players of the team felt that they would have to change schools to still play for NFL scouts with the hopes of getting drafted. I thought about how this would affect their chances of reaching the professional level. However, reading the players reactions made me realize that the issue was something completely different. 

Obviously, all of the players were saddened by the news. Junior offensive lineman Cameron Blankenship (#71 pictured below) recounted that “[he] has never seen so many grown men cry in [his] life.” From the freshman to the seniors, the news that they could no longer play for the university they chose to attend and play for did not go over well. Tristan Henderson (#88 pictured below), a senior tight end refused to hold his opinions to himself. Henderson was furious that the decision was made for financial reasons. As a former MP in the Army who did a tour in Iraq, Henderson is one of the older leaders on the team at age 26. He told a story of not knowing how to answer his 3-year-old sons question of what they were doing with the program. He continued by voicing his concerns for the younger players on the team. As a senior, he would not have a future playing at UAB either way. However, he felt for the young players that are only 17 or 18 years old and traveled thousands of miles from home to join the UAB program. Listening to the passion in his objection, you start to realize that is was not about the money for the players. They were still promised their scholarships, but football and UAB meant more to them than free schooling. Blankenship recalled that “the one thing that got to everybody was when he told [them] that he cared more about UAB than [they] did.” It was never about numbers for the players. It was about playing the game and being a part of the team they have come to love.

                                   

This story brings up an important problem in the world of athletics today. The presence of financial benefits and profit in sports has sullied its true meaning. Sports are not about making money. Of course, it is a career in the world today. However, the essence of sports is the joy that athletes take in playing. The essence of sports is about being a part of something bigger and greater than yourself. It’s about coming together as a team and competing, growing, and improving. That is all that these players wanted. As Henderson asserted, “some of these [players] came from 3,000 miles miles away and came right here to be a part of this. To be a part of all of this.” 

It was never about the money for these players. Obviously the scholarships mean a lot to the athletes, but they play football because it’s a game they love. By canceling the UAB football program, players were forced to change schools or surrender something they love. Blankenship explained that “football is [his] life, and it’s been [his] life for a very, very long time.” While he recognized that he owes a lot to UAB for helping him become the man he is, he “couldn’t live with [himself] if [he] didn't play [his] senior year somewhere.” Blankenship, like many of his teammates, must leave his school and home to continue playing the sport he loves. We may have lost what playing a sport truly means to these athletes.