A recent survey from Match College released the 2021 Alternative College Ranking Index, which shows which colleges have the highest sports participation among the country’s 50 biggest institutions. The measurement key is the number of student-athletes per every 10,000 undergraduates.

Below is an excerpt from 247sports.com’s breakdown of the top 10 schools with the highest percentage of student-athletes on campus.

10. Missouri

• Student-Athletes: 2.44%

Recent information showed that Missouri had an enrollment just shy of 30,000 undergraduate students. There’s plenty of athletic talent in the Midwest region of the country and with a campus located in Columbia, Missouri, the Tigers find themselves just two hours away from the St. Louis area, where talent runs deep. Missouri was a longtime member of the Big 8/Big 12 Conference but made the move to the SEC which allows athletes to compete in a different region of the country, seeing some bigger schools and also opens up a recruiting base to some rather large areas in the south.

9. Ohio State

• Student-Athletes: 2.47%

There are not that many names in college sports that carry as much weight on name alone as Ohio State University does. In fact, most refer to it as THE Ohio State University. The colors, the stadiums/arenas and so much more make playing college sports in Columbus, Ohio, all the more exciting. Not to mention the success that the school has in its sports. Of course, the football program is the most notable of those programs.

• Student-Athletes: 2.65%

Nearly 25,000 undergraduate students share their passion for Volunteer athletics and of those students, Tennessee finds itself in the top 10 of this unique list. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a school’s tradition like Tennessee and while the football program is incredibly historic, the women’s basketball program at Tennessee is one of the most notable ones in the history of the entire sport.

7. Wisconsin

• Student-Athletes: 2.71%

It’s such a popular location to attend school that over 43,000 students were actively enrolled at the school, according to recent records. And the athletic programs for the Badgers have been incredibly successful, with as many as 30 NCAA National titles claimed by the school.

6. Utah

• Student-Athletes: 2.81%

Located in Salt Lake City, the University of Utah has just over 33,000 students enrolled, which is an increase from its enrollment in the 2019 school year. Things got easier for the Utes in athletics when they made the move from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 Conference at the start of the 2011-12 school year.

5. Oregon State

• Student-Athletes: 2.97%

Most people think of Oregon before Oregon State in athletics due to the flashy uniforms that the football team wears and the unique basketball floor that the teams play on. But over 33,000 students still decide to go to school in Corvallis, as opposed to going to Oregon in Eugene. The Beavers haven’t had as much national success in recent years but this year could be changing things.

4. UMass-Amherst

• Student-Athletes: 2.98%

Seeing Massachusetts so high on this list might come as a shock to some people. But with a student enrollment of 22,660 and plenty of sports for those students to compete in, one can see how the Minutemen make it so high on this percentage list.

3. California

• Student-Athletes: 3.06%

The impressive part of California being No. 3 on this list is the size of its enrollment. Over 42,000 students are enrolled at Cal, which means the number of student-athletes involved in sports with the Golden Bears is rather impressive.

It doesn’t look like enrollment is going to drop off massively either, so expect California to remain high on the percentage list for a number of years to come.

2. Iowa

• Student-Athletes: 3.15%

Iowa reports more than 30,000 students enrolled in the school, which is rather impressive considering all the area schools. In the same state alone, Iowa State fights for student enrollment, and nearby schools like Kansas, Kansas State, and Nebraska fight with the Hawkeyes for Midwest region students.

1. Michigan

• Student-Athletes: 26%

Recent information available shows that over 40,000 students are enrolled at Michigan and when it comes to success and tradition in athletics, who can blame them? The football program is one of the most successful in the history of the sport with 11 claimed National Championships and 42 conference titles in the school’s history. Even though it might get cold in Ann Arbor, Michigan is always an enticing spot.

To read the full story about the 2021 Alternative College Ranking Index and the percentage of student-athletes on campus from 247sports.com, click here. 

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As athletics resumed in the state, schools were limited to scheduling regional and conference-only competitions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But, now, according to a report in NBC-5 Chicago, schools in ‘Phase 4’ regions can begin looking out-of-conference for games and, possibly, look forward to postseason tournaments.

Low-risk sports like swimming and diving, bowling, gymnastics, softball, and baseball will be allowed to schedule out-of-conference games, out-of-state games, tournaments, and state series as part of the ‘Phase 4, Tier 1’ rollout guidelines, NBC-5 Chicago reported. Those schools in ‘Tier 2’, as well as ‘Tier 1’ moderate-risk indoor sports like volleyball and water polo, will be able to schedule out-of-region games within 30 miles.

High-risk sports, such as football, wrestling, and basketball, will be permitted conference-only schedules until their respective regions reach Phase 4, at which point IHSA schools will be able to schedule out-of-conference games within 30 miles, according to NBC-5 Chicago.

Competition will be allowed to resume this month in seven sports, including basketball, girls gymnastics, badminton, and boys swimming and diving, which was announced in late January. Boys soccer practice is slated to begin on March 1, while football practice begins two days later with IHSA games starting on March 19.

All student-athletes in indoor sports, with the exception of swimming and diving and gymnastics, will be required to wear masks during competition. All student-athletes not participating in events, along with all coaches and officials, will also be required to wear masks at all times. Student-athletes in outdoor events will be required to wear masks when social distancing is not possible, including in dugouts and on benches and sidelines.

Depending on the tier and phase of your region, up to 50 spectators can be allowed at games moving forward.

To read the full report from NBC-5 Chicago on the IHSA adding more flexibility in scheduling, click here. 

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At Rutgers, we prided ourselves on our competitive drive. I thought it was the chip on our shoulders as a result of our New Jersey roots. While growing up in the Garden State did give us a unique predisposition, the reality was that coach Hill instilled that competitive mindset in us every single day. “Playing all nine innings” was repeated like a broken record.

Coach Hill rarely talked about winning. He believed that if we played to our abilities and executed the fundamental skills that we practiced daily, the wins would take care of themselves. What he did speak about — before, during and after games — was the importance of competing for the entire game. Baseball is unique in that there is no clock. No matter the score heading into the last inning, the losing team has a chance to win. And whether it was a walk-off grand slam by Todd Frazier to overcome a late seven-run deficit against UConn, or a 1-0 complete game from pitcher Bobby Brownlie to clinch the Big East title, we won more games out of sheer competitiveness than most could ever dream.

As coaches, we are a product of those who we played for and worked with. I am no different, as much of my approach to developing players and teams is a result of coach Hill. Unlike college, where the core group of players is together for years at a time, I am handed 35 to 40 players each season at the professional level before receiving an entirely new crop the following year. The makeup of each team during each season constantly changes, with guys ranging from college educated to high school draftees or players making their first trip to the United States.

As different as our roster looks each season, before long every club takes on a familiar look. We play the game the right way and play with intelligence. Above all else, we play the game with a competitive drive that makes our staff proud. While the wins vary from year to year, opposing managers in the South Atlantic League know what to expect when playing against the Greenville Drive. It’s the same way rival coaches in the Big East probably knew they were in for a fight when competing against Hill’s Rutgers teams.

Every September, while recharging from a long season, I’m able to look back with some perspective on the year. Every time, I’m amazed at how each team, with its own unique personality, managed to take on the same look as it had in years prior. It wasn’t until a couple years ago, after my third season as a manager, it hit me — it comes from consistency.

For 10 years, I listened to Hill preach about the importance of playing all nine innings. Ten seasons, with one singular message. The consistency of that message resonated with our clubs and it became a staple of who we were as a program and our identity as a team. My message, though different from Hill’s, comes with that same consistency: “What is the best part about yesterday? It’s over.”

Good or bad, win or lose, yesterday’s results have no bearing on the present. If we were coming off a perfect game, today represented an opportunity to do it again. If we were pounded by double digits, tomorrow gave us a chance to right the ship. We would not allow the past to affect the way we approached the game. And because everyone on our staff was on the same page, our players couldn’t help but fall in line.

Players appreciate that consistency. When they were sky high, we made sure they were grounded with the understanding that their work wasn’t finished. When licking their wounds, our players knew that they wouldn’t walk into a firestorm the next day when they arrived at the park. Over time, consistency will shape your players and your program into whatever you want it to be.

While the results make some days better than others, the model of stability that we offer our players will soon be what they become — consistent with their work, and consistent with their play.

Darren Fenster is manager of the Greenville Drive (S.C.), a Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Following a six-year professional playing career with the Kansas City Royals where he was twice named a Minor League All-Star, he spent six years on the baseball staff at Rutgers University, where he was a two-time All-American shortstop. Find him on Twitter at @CoachYourKids.

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The problem is that many coaches don’t understand how to teach athletics effectively. Plus, some coaches don’t take the time to grasp how athletes learn. Here are nine proven steps to becoming a better teacher and a better coach.

1. Understanding your passion for the sport first.

Before jumping into coaching, coaches first must understand their passion for the game. Having a high level of passion for the sport tremendously influences your energy, creativity and ability to motivate players. Passion is contagious. If one player or one assistant coach comes to practice excited and fired up, that emotion and passion easily is passed to every other member of the team.

2. Setting the stage for teaching.

Prior to the first practice, meet with your athletes and explain your role as a coach and teacher of the game. Let them know your purpose is to help improve their athletic skills. Impress upon them that you care about them as people, and that you are concerned about their lives even beyond athletics. Feeling cared about makes a player more coachable — effort and concentration increases. If you care enough about them, they’ll walk through walls for you.

Part of you caring is to work through players’ mistakes. Tell them mistakes are part of the learning process, and the only true mistakes are ones of lack of effort or concentration — both of which easily are corrected.

3. The importance of why.

Don’t assume players know why you are asking them to practice a certain technique or to perform a skill drill. Explain how everything has a positive effect on their ability to play. Be as detailed as possible, because it’s important that they understand why you’re doing certain things.

4. Fundamentals first, then complex.

Know the fundamentals of the sport you teach. This enables you to design practices for your players’ appropriate skill level. It also becomes easier to assist an athlete who cannot perform a certain skill. After grasping the fundamentals, players move on to practice drills focusing on more than one skill at a time. Don’t expect to teach complex skills to players who have not mastered the basics.

5. Use the whole-part method.

Oftentimes, it’s necessary to teach skills in parts or steps. Once again, in-depth knowledge of fundamentals gives you an advantage. Teaching a skill in part keeps the player motivated, because they are forming a mental checklist for performing the skill correctly. Educators refer to this as “task-analysis.”

Moving from one step to the next puts the focus on progress, which allows you to praise the player for grasping a skill and working with the player in areas that need more practice. A good barometer to know if a player is mastering a certain skill is to see if that player is teaching the skill to another teammate.

6. Effective motivation.

Find something positive to say to every athlete at every practice. This satisfies the athlete’s need for attention, recognition and appreciation. Be specific with your praise — specific praise is used to reinforce the why of practice. Always attempt to find more positives than negatives while constantly praising effort.

7. The hoopla of success.

When an athlete or team finally masters a skill or concept, don’t hesitate to momentarily stop practice to recognize the achievement. Praise their effort, and remind your players why mastery of the skill is so critical.

8. Model what you preach.

Most coaches talk to players about certain values and characteristics they hope to see in all team members. Coaches really are the best positive role models for these values. When stressing good sportsmanship, talk about coaching with honor, respect for the game and attitude toward officials. When stressing tenacity, never give up on yourself with your athletes. And, when stressing organization, conduct practices that are structured.

Players look to you for guidance, so don’t say one thing and do the opposite.

9. Encourage crossover athletes.

Coaches who are overzealous sometimes encourage their athletes to play one sport on a year-round basis. This can leads to overuse injuries and burnout. Participating in other sports improves the way the athletes play your sport. The movements and skills required for many sports are similar. Consider the footwork necessary for soccer and basketball are almost identical.

Productive coaching is highly dependent on the coach’s ability to teach their sport. Teaching isn’t just blowing a whistle, barking out orders and heading home after a couple of hours. Being a good teacher takes time, effort, practice, patience and a passion to make a difference in the lives of your players.

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The University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) Legislative Council met last weekend and considered adding a number of new sports, but none won overwhelming support. The council considered boxing, gymnastics, water polo, lacrosse, table tennis, bass fishing and cooking, according to The Dallas Morning News. Some were favored more than others.

From the article:

Lacrosse and water polo were presented after the UIL had conducted surveys over the previous months on whether schools would favor adding the two sports. Nearly 80 percent of respondents were against lacrosse. Water polo had 43 percent in support, a number that continues to climb. While the UIL didn’t take action to add water polo, that could be coming soon. 

“I think it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” UIL deputy director Jamey Harrison said.

According to the article, Texas has not added a new team sport since 1999, but it sounds like that could soon change. It’s a bit surprising to see that lacrosse didn’t have more support, given the number of states that are adding it. Last year, Ohio voted to sanction lacrosse beginning with the 2016-17 school year.

Click here to read more on this story.

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