BJU to Participate in Intercollegiate Athletics

Ken, they are joining the http://www.thenccaa.org/ NCCAA … I don’t think that it could be said that “the (sports) tail wags the dog” at any of their schools… I went to Faith, which competes in the NCCAA. It gave some students a chance to compete, and others a chance to socialize at the games, but I don’t think they even had even minor athletic scholarships (I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am). This is not even the NAIA, much less NCAA Division I… They’ll be playing people like…

Baptist College of Florida
Carver Bible College
Chowan University
Emmanuel College
North Greenville University
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Pensacola Christian College
Southeastern University
Southern Wesleyan University
Truett-McConnell College

Now, I could see some heated rivalries develop with PCC, I suppose. But I doubt it would ever be a “dog-wagged by the tail” scenario- unless there is more to the English Bible Translation Debates than even I am envisioning… ;-)

I don’t think they even had even minor athletic scholarships (I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am).

You’re correct. No athletic scholarships. One year back in the 80s, the Athletic Director gave out one free pair socks to the basketball players. I think he received them as a promo or something. Anyway, the joke that season was in calling them “Scholarship Socks.”

My son, Luke Harding, played four years at third base for the Clearwater Cougars in the NCCAA II. Last year they went to the world series finals in Mason, Ohio and lost the final game 2 to 1. Playing baseball while being a Math major was not an easy task. Looking back on it as a parent I found the collegiate baseball experience to be a very positive and demanding element of his training. He is now married and a full-time seminarian working on his M.Div. I wish he could have had the opportunity to have this same college experience at BJU. I am very glad for future students who can have this experience. I think BJU will start with basketball and soccer and then gradually expand to other sports. Personally, I think they could field an outstanding baseball team in the years ahead. In addition, BJU will be adding an ROTC program. If BJU is able to receive regional accreditation (5-7 year process) in addition to their new venture into intercollegiate sports and ROTC, I believe it will help the school to obtain and retain many new students that otherwise would never attend the school. BJU has excelled academically, musically, in ministry training, and in Christian character development for many decades. Now I think it is opportune for them to expand their training in other fields as well.

By the way, the NCCAA II (the entity to which BJU will belong) is a non-scholarship entity.

My son would love to go to BJU if they had a baseball team. This is exciting news!

Mike,

I think an ROTC program would do very well. My church isn’t that far from Quantico, where Marine officers train. We nearly always have several BJU grads in the Marine officers program coming to our church. They tell me anecdotally that they think BJU sends more graduates to Quantico than any other school by far (per capita).

Shayne

Then BJ would definitely qualify to be The Citadel on Wade Hampton Blvd. :)

[Shaynus] Mike,

I think an ROTC program would do very well. My church isn’t that far from Quantico, where Marine officers train. We nearly always have several BJU grads in the Marine officers program coming to our church. They tell me anecdotally that they think BJU sends more graduates to Quantico than any other school by far (per capita).

Shayne

Shay,

I agree with you wholeheartedly about the ROTC program. Our military officers would greatly benefit by a BJU education.

Ken,

BJU will emphasize discipleship in their sports progam from the selection of godly and skilled coaches to the opportunity of witnessing when on the road. The administration will place some necessary parameters regarding home games in order to assure a positive spiritual environment. Sports, like others avenues, can have its pitfalls. However, I have confidence in the administration and faculty of the school that they will make every legitimate attempt to do these ventures for the glory of God and the good of their students.

I’m just saying that there are dangers involved because sports is an area where a lot of people change their priorities and let their sin nature come out over sports.

“This school has my inter-collegiant sport so it must be God’s will for me to go there.”

“My school beat your school by one point in tag team tiddly winks so we are better than you.”

“Our athletic programis an evangelistic out reach even though we only play other “Christian” colleges”.

“I don’t know how many guys we had go to the mission field but we had one guy go to play right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates”.

If you don’t think there is a high risk for people to have a higher priority on sports than essential things then tell me why there have been 4 times as many responses about BJ sport vs. BJ accreditation? Did my degree just become more valuable because of a proposed sports program or accreditation?

Equipping to do the work of the Lord better not be eclipesed by equipping for the big game on Saturday.

I will retreat to my bunker for the incoming round of basket balls.

[Rob Fall] Then BJ would definitely qualify to be The Citadel on Wade Hampton Blvd. :)

[Shaynus] Mike,

I think an ROTC program would do very well. My church isn’t that far from Quantico, where Marine officers train. We nearly always have several BJU grads in the Marine officers program coming to our church. They tell me anecdotally that they think BJU sends more graduates to Quantico than any other school by far (per capita).

Shayne

Actually my Marine friends think BJU sends more than the Citadel to the Marines. Other services may vary. Crazy!

If you don’t think there is a high risk for people to have a higher priority on sports than essential things then tell me why there have been 4 times as many responses about BJ sport vs. BJ accreditation? Did my degree just become more valuable because of a proposed sports program or accreditation?

Reason? It’s easier to make quick jokes about sports than it is about accreditation.

What you say about sports is true, yes- But I would say that increasing from an inter-mural program to competing against the Brothers of Chef Boyardee University isn’t going to increase those pitfalls in any significant way. I would also tend to doubt that an NCCAA program would have much possibility of producing even minor-league talent, much less supplying players to the major leagues… If BJU had had no traditions like Turkey Bowl previous to this, I think your concerns would be a little more in order. But they have state of the art facilities, regular competitions, and so forth. This is just another of the same kind. Some will care about it more than they ought, and some will not even know anything is different. I know when I attended Faith (admittedly as a married student), I attended one athletic competition total in our time there (and paid about a much attention to the pep band as I did the action on the basketball court).

And besides, your comments about knowing who is a MLB athlete vs missionaries produced isn’t exactly a fair assessment of things. BJU may not have produced athletes of that caliber, but your alumni has its share of notable (and notorious) figures. You (figuratively) can list your prominent politicians and business people, or prominent musicians, or what have you, and generally more quickly than you can graduates who serve in missions. Missions and ministerial types are okay with that, though (or certainly ought to be)- we’re not in it for the recognition, and the people who get noticed in the contexts we’re discussing are for the most part the exceptions rather than the rule- especially from schools in the category of places like BJU.

Actually, my comment is based on onwe of my “private” jokes. IMO. schools like BJ and Maranatha are leadership schools just like the service academies. So, I joke about MBBC being West Point on the Rock River and BJU being The Citadel on Wade Hampton.

For the sake of this thread, MBBC has plated intervarsity sports since its inception in 1968. I always thought it was cool to re-fight the Thirty Years War on the gridiron when we played Northwestern (Lutheran) College.

[Shaynus]

[Rob Fall] Then BJ would definitely qualify to be The Citadel on Wade Hampton Blvd. :)

[Shaynus] Mike,

I think an ROTC program would do very well. My church isn’t that far from Quantico, where Marine officers train. We nearly always have several BJU grads in the Marine officers program coming to our church. They tell me anecdotally that they think BJU sends more graduates to Quantico than any other school by far (per capita).

Shayne

Actually my Marine friends think BJU sends more than the Citadel to the Marines. Other services may vary. Crazy!

I have always been more than a little concerned with the concern some fundamentalists have about athletics in their schools.
First of all, keep in mind that the level of intercollegiate athletics we are talking about here in this instance (in terms of the program) is frankly slightly above high school — and in many cases, it is really well below high school.
(If a student is coming from a large high school with a full athletic program, especially a viable football program, it is definitely below that.)
Although a program like this will certainly cost the school more financially than it directly earns back, it is basically a way for the school to promote itself, generate goodwill and publicity, provide a means for kids to get some exercise and enhance the social atmosphere on campus. That’s about it.
You really have to get above NCAA (not NCCAA) Division III before these factors begin to change significantly and you become inherently in danger of “the tail wagging the dog.” Of course, there are exceptions and examples of gross violations, but those are not the norm. (There are also examples of Christian schools who do a marvelous job with their athletic program and make it a shining jewel.)
I commend BJU for taking this step forward. I just wish they had started bigger. In my mind, you really don’t qualify to say you have a sports program unless you have a football program. 8-)
Also, I am always disheartened by the call for concern and restraint that we all as fundamentalists are supposed to have about the dangers of sports. The Apostle Paul did not promote that attitude in 1 Cor. 9:24-27. Sounds to me like he was striving to win. How then did this thinking get to be part of the fabric of fundamentalism?
Frankly, there is more danger in teaching kids, “It’s OK if you lose, Jesus still loves you!” than there is if we, heaven forbid, fill a park with fans who come to cheer on Alma Mater in football.
(And you can call me names if you want to, but this ain’t Europe and soccer just ain’t the same :X.)

As an alum, I am all for BJU succeeding. I worry about this decision because of the attitudes we all seem to share to one degree or another when it comes to sports. When I was in school, there was a constant problem with one or two groups looking down on the rest of us because of their sports prowess. My kids tell me that the problem still exists to this day in the intramural program. I can hardly imagine it becoming any less when the ‘elite athletes’ of the school make the school team, while the rest of the ‘peons’ just play ‘intramural’. I’m really not sure how this is a step forward, spiritually speaking.

When I was in school, there was a constant problem with one or two groups looking down on the rest of us because of their sports prowess. My kids tell me that the problem still exists to this day in the intramural program.

How exactly does this “problem” manifest itself? I’d be curious. I played some sports in HS, but only because our Christian day school was too small to cut anyone. I’m definitely not speaking as a “jock.” But if the more athletically inclined want to look down their noses at others, well, so what? Why do those not as athletically inclined care? Isn’t it as much the problem of those who let it be a problem? I mean, would anyone care if the mechanics students scoffed at those who couldn’t tell a spark plug from a cylinder? What difference does it make that the debate team thinks the rest of the campus is a bunch of intellectual dimwits? If there was such an attitude with anyone (athletes or otherwise) at FBBC- I neither knew nor cared. Then again, I was a married student. :-) But this attitude of competing for prominence takes more than the cocky victors insufferably strutting their stuff. The “little people” have to cater to them (or resent them, as the case might be). Most of us 40 and over today don’t really care if the guy next to us is better at some game than we are (I know I don’t). That’s something the under-40 set will have to learn, eventually, too. I don’t think having an intercollegiate program of the scale BJU is entering is going to really affect that in any significant way one way or the other.

Besides, Don is just bitter they aren’t fielding a hockey team or competitive curling, eh? :-)

[Don Johnson] My kids tell me that the problem still exists to this day in the intramural program. I can hardly imagine it becoming any less when the ‘elite athletes’ of the school make the school team, while the rest of the ‘peons’ just play ‘intramural’. I’m really not sure how this is a step forward, spiritually speaking.

It is not a step forward or backward, spiritually speaking. The problem already exists, and will continue to exist. The problem is in the heart of man.

Sports won’t fix that, only reveal it.

Experiences learned within the sports program under good Christian coaches — now that can begin to fix it.