For hundreds of thousands of student athletes, college sports are an opportunity. Sports are a means to a better life because they teach young men and women the traits that are necessary to succeed as adults – grit, work ethic, self-discipline and teamwork.
Student athletes often must train before sunrise, balance full academic schedules and compete for their teammates, their schools and the communities that stand behind them.
At a time when Americans are divided on so many issues, seeing young men and women mature through sports is one thing that unites and inspires us. College sports remain a rare tradition that still brings people together.
On fall Saturdays during football season, college towns come alive. Stands fill with school colors, marching bands echo through the afternoon air, and thousands of families, friends and alumni return to campus, carrying decades of pride and history into every rivalry game.
Yet the foundation that has sustained college athletics is beginning to crack.

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