Student Athletes Call for Change in King’s Athletics

Audience in the stands at the King’s volleyball game I Photo by B. Hill for King’s Athletics

Interest in athletics at The King's College has drastically declined in recent years. Students involved in the athletic programs voiced their frustration, especially freshmen, who committed to teams that have since dissolved due to a lack of players. This dilemma is partly due to the pandemic, which affected sports teams across many college campuses in the U.S., and a general disinterest in sports at King’s. 

Athletics Director Bryan Finley said, “Through sports, [students] have the opportunity to acquire and sharpen important tools that will help them long after their playing careers have ended. We're looking to help students become leaders in whatever their future holds, and athletics can help that process.”

Finley also noted connections between participation in college sports and career success: 95% of fortune 500 CEOs were athletes and as many as 96% of high-level female executives played sports. 

“Learning how to fit everything in while still producing quality work is an invaluable skill that will set King’s student-athletes apart when they enter the workforce after graduation,” said Callie Donahue, captain of the women’s soccer team and Assistant Athletics Director.

According to Finley, King’s will need more incoming students to commit to sports and to stay committed through their tenure. Many student-athletes also feel that King’s sports teams lack general support from the rest of the student body; rarely do non-team players watch the games or cheer on the teams. 

Alexandria Kemsley, a senior student-athlete and President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), said, “Even my friends who are not involved in athletics can see that we do not get enough support. It goes beyond budgetary issues; the athletics program is routinely exploited as a selling point for this school when the sad reality is most of the athletes that come will fail or transfer out and the upperclassman athletes feel routinely ignored by faculty and the student body.”

Finley believes that this is largely due to the lack of King’s-owned facilities for games to take place in. 

“We have to rent all of our facilities and sometimes they can be a bit far from campus. However, when we play basketball or volleyball at the Hill Center in Brooklyn, we often get a fun, noisy crowd!” Finley said. “When our volleyball team made it to the United States College Athletic Association National Championships last Fall, quite a few faculty, staff and students were cheering the team on in the Fishbowl where the games were being broadcast. So I think there is interest, but often it's just hard for students to get to the games.”

 If King’s continues to foster an athletic community, the Admissions Department needs to reevaluate its approach. According to the Athletics Vision Statement, the Athletics Program “provides students with the opportunity to enjoy competitive, recreational and instructional sports. We emphasize leadership and genuine involvement in teamwork, while demanding commitment, discipline and a strong spirit in play, at practice and anywhere teams meet or represent King’s.” 

Many freshman athletes express disillusionment when it comes to playing on a team at King’s versus their expectations. 

“Be honest about the athletic program here. The athletic program at King’s is more of a rec league than it is an actual athletic program, which is great considering the amount of academic commitments students have here; however, it seems wires are getting crossed,”  Kemsley said. “Once the college figures out what kind of athletics program it wants, then it will finally be able to attract the kind of players that will stay here all four years.”

Athletes who came to King’s with realistic expectations for engaging with the teams are more satisfied with the way the college executes the programs. 

Megan Chouinard, a freshman on the women’s soccer team, admits, “I didn’t expect to come to a small liberal arts college and the athletics be amazing, so it’s honestly exactly what I thought it was. I understand why a lot of people have problems with it but, personally, I don’t.” 

Commitment is a primary cause of the strain on the individual teams. Finley estimates that about 12% of students are involved in sports, as opposed to 20% pre-pandemic. Of the students who commit to sports in their freshman year, only half remain committed through their time at King’s. While several students express interest in joining a team, few feel capable or adequately supported when it comes to balancing school and sports. In order to promote a better environment for athletes, Kemsley suggests that admissions, faculty and staff at King’s better accommodate the needs of athletes. 

“Athletes are getting two different messages. The first is telling us that our academics come first, that we’re here to be students at an academically rigorous college. The second is telling us that this is a serious athletic program meant for serious players,” Kemsley said. “You can’t have both. If they want us to be great student-athletes, then stop expecting us to bring home trophies and awards. If they want us to be great athletes, then give us some more grace with absences and actually give us support when it’s clearly needed.”

Mandie-Beth Chau is a freshman studying Journalism, Culture and Society.