[Jeong Gyu-yeong's Gongseonunhak②] Stanford, Yale, Harvard... The Secret of Sports at Prestigious US Universities (Part 1)

Editor's NoteAsia Economy is running a series of expert contributions to suggest directions necessary for improving the structural problems of sports in the Republic of Korea and achieving harmony among professional sports, recreational sports, and school sports. Jung Kyu-young, president of the nonprofit organization 'Gongbuhaneun Seonsu Undonghaneun Haksaeng (Gongseonunhak),' offers his proposals. Having studied at Stanford Graduate School in the United States and served as the captain of the university's fencing team, President Jung established the nonprofit in 2015 to introduce the American school sports system he observed there into Korea, promoting it through publicity and scholarship projects. He plans to point out the limitations of the domestic student-athlete admission system, school sports management, sports club development, and sports organization operations, comparing them with overseas cases and suggesting future directions.

Jung Kyu-young, President of the Studying Athletes Exercising Students Association / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, students from Stanford University in the United States won a total of 27 medals, including 10 gold medals. South Korea won a total of 21 medals, including 9 gold medals. The number of gold and total medals won by students from a single American university surpassed the entire performance of South Korea. Based solely on this result, Stanford University is clearly a specialized sports university that nurtures athletes equipped with rigorous training and ironclad stamina.

Is that really the case? Stanford University is a comprehensive university with only about 7,000 undergraduates and is considered one of the most difficult universities to enter in the United States (Stanford ranks first in lowest acceptance rate, followed by Harvard). Even more surprising is that this university has no sports-related departments and, naturally, no sports majors. So how do ordinary students at this university outperform South Korea's national athletes? The secret lies in the student selection and 'Athletics Department' operation methods of prestigious American universities, including Stanford.

☞ Reference [Jung Kyu-young's Gongseonunhak①] 'The Essence of Physical Education is Education'... This Comes First

'Study Machines' NO
Bonus Points for 'Students Who Play Sports'

Due to the most important educational effect of physical education emphasized in the author's previous series, American universities, especially prestigious ones, regard physical education as a very important form of education and reflect its importance in the student selection process.

Simply put, if there is a student who scores 99 points academically and another who has a 90-point academic score but ranks 50th in a particular sport in the U.S., the latter has a much higher chance of being admitted to Stanford University. There are too many students like the former, and most universities do not want their incoming classes to be composed mostly of 'study machines' who only excel academically.

Students who have balanced study and sports from a young age, communicating with teammates and coaches and learning leadership, can bring vitality to campus life compared to those who excel only academically or individually. They can also become valuable members of university sports teams that effectively promote the school. Therefore, it is judged that the latter students are healthier and more likely to have personalities suitable for campus life.

Then, would parents of the student with 99 points sue, petition, or protest the university because their child was rejected while a student with lower academic scores was admitted? Absolutely not. Even if they did, they would gain no sympathy. There is a consensus that student selection is the university's thorough freedom and inherent authority.

American Princeton University fencing team athletes participating in the International Elite University Fencing Championship / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

1 to 2 out of 10 Undergraduates at Prestigious U.S. Universities Are Student-Athletes
No Physical Education Departments or Majors... But Emphasized as a Required Subject

As mentioned earlier, how much do these highly selective top U.S. universities prefer students who excel in sports? At Stanford University, 12%; Harvard University, 16%; Yale University, 14% of enrolled students are 'student-athletes' active in their respective university sports teams. At Princeton University, 18% of undergraduates participate as student-athletes. This means that 1 to 2 out of every 10 students are selected as students who excel in sports.

These students are often healthy, mentally strong, and possess excellent character, serving as role models in campus life. Strong physical and mental stamina particularly prove valuable in the academically challenging and competitive environment of prestigious universities. Moreover, high obedience and adherence to rules, known as sportsmanship, are the qualities most desired by professors and staff.

Prestigious U.S. universities also have organizational systems called physical education departments, but their nature differs from those in Korean universities. These are not departments where physical education majors take classes and train; rather, they are organizations that manage sports teams composed of general student-athletes and oversee school sports facilities. There are no physical education lectures specifically for 'specialty students' who are school athletes.

Why do these top U.S. universities operate physical education departments and emphasize physical education without having physical education colleges or majors? Zoltan Dudas, fencing coach at Princeton University, stated, "The purpose of university education is not to deliver vast knowledge but to help students grow into intellectually healthy individuals both mentally and physically," emphasizing, "Therefore, physical education is not specialized knowledge learned as a major but a required subject for all students."

This idea is the essence of what American universities emphasize and take pride in as 'Education Through Athletics.' Hence, physical education departments exist not only for physical education majors or specialty students but for all students and student-athletes who make up the sports teams.

Jung Kyu-young, President of (Nonprofit) Gongbuhaneun Seonsu Undonghaneun Haksaeng and CEO of Lorus Enterprise