When I started my undergraduate degree there were two things that I was certain I wanted to do during my four years in school, the first was compete in Division I athletics and the second was study abroad. At the time I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to have a college, athletic department and coaches who supported me when I got the opportunity to intern at the US Embassy in London in between my sophomore and junior years. Many of my student-athlete peers also studied abroad either during our winter term, summer session or even for a full semester. However, this is not an option for many college athletes, particularly in Division I or profit sports, where time obligations are too high, and athletes do not want to risk falling behind their peers and risk playing time to participate in a high impact practice like study abroad that may require a bigger time commitment than what a student-athlete can handle in their schedule.
Some institutions have the infrastructure and resources to provide study abroad advisors for student athletes, but for many student-athlete who lack administration and coach buy-in there is less opportunity for them to gain international experience during their undergraduate careers. It is important for faculty, academic advisors, administrators, and student-athletes to understand their options as well as think about different approaches that may make study abroad more inclusive and accessible for student-athletes.
One way that athletic departments can provide opportunities for student-athletes to study abroad is through the use of foreign tours and international competition. The NCAA allows athletic teams to travel abroad for foreign tours and international exhibition games once every four years. While the focus of these trips is often team bonding, playing international competition and cultural exposure, it would be wise for athletic teams to considering incorporating a more traditional academic component as well. This is was the case with the NDSU men’s basketball team who traveled to Costa Rica this August. In conjunction with their foreign tour, the team enrolled in a Global Practicum course where I guided them in synthesizing their experience, discussed how growing cultural competencies could help them on and off the court, and encouraged personal reflection. Not only did this allow student athletes to receive credit for their study abroad experience, but it also helped them to contextualize their experience and apply it to varied majors and educational background. With athletic teams across the country embarking on foreign tours every year I encourage teams to partner with faculty to create coursework that can be completed in conjunction with their foreign tours.
In addition to supporting traditional short-term study abroad opportunities for student-athletes, another way to promote global learning is through virtual exchange or collaborative online international learning (COIL) so that student-athletes can gain global experience without having to leave their home campus. Therefore, implementing COIL programming eliminates some of the challenges related to studying-abroad as a student-athlete, but can provide the benefits of increasing intercultural awareness and fostering peer-to-peer learning.
Above all promoting study abroad and international experience for student-athletes needs to be a collaborative effort from student-athletes, faculty, athletic administrators, coaches, and study abroad advisors. Coaches and athletic administrators should not dismiss a student-athlete’s desire to study abroad, rather keeping an open mind and encourage their students to pursue opportunities that will enhance their athletic or academic pursuits. This can include short-term faculty-led study abroad that takes place outside of the competitive season, athlete focused programs like through Student-Athletes Abroad or virtual exchange. In addition, faculty and study-abroad advisors should work with student-athletes to help them find options that will fit their educational goals as well as not hinder their competitive season. Only by working across administrative divisions can we break down barriers that limit student-athletes’ opportunities for global learning.
