College sports are at a crossroads. Student athletes can now profit from their name, image and likeness, and the business of college athletics continues to grow into a multi-billion-dollar industry.
But some educators are asking a different question: if sports are such a central part of campus life, should they also be treated as a serious academic field?
One of the people pushing that idea is David Hollander, a professor at NYU and the author of How Basketball Can Save the World. Hollander argues that basketball — and sports more broadly — aren't just games. He says they’re systems of thinking that can teach leadership, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving.
He's also helping lead a national conversation about whether students should be able to major in sports — an idea that’s drawing interest from universities, athletes and even companies like Nike.
Hollander will be in Boise next week for a public keynote at Boise State University and a national symposium exploring the future of sports as an academic discipline. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
