Field Hockey: Underappreciated Women’s Sport

When it comes to college athletics, it is usually the sports like football and basketball that receive the most attention. After all, these sports can be watched on TV and they receive a lot of media coverage. The schools themselves push these sports, because the income generated by the fans of these sports play a major role in the budgets of the universities. However, while these sports can be a lot of fun to watch and are enjoyed by many, their popularity sometimes eclipses the other college sports on campus that might deserve a second look. A case in point to prove this rule is field hockey. Field hockey at the college level is highly competitive, exciting to watch, and is a great show of athleticism. Missing out on checking out a college field hockey game is a shame for any sports fan.

College field hockey is often played by women (and indeed many people blame this fact for the lack of public interest in field hockey, as women’s sports at the college level garner less attention in general). Despite the lack of crowds of college field hockey matches, the teams are extremely competitive, and many of the girls who play on these teams are drafted into the schools as football and basketball players are. Field hockey scholarships can be a great boon to many women athletes looking for a way to finance their educations.

Of course, not all field hockey is played in college, and not all field hockey is played by women. There are men’s field hockey teams in the US, but particularly in Europe and some Asian countries. Field hockey is an Olympic sport and there are many other field hockey tournaments throughout the year. If you are sports fan looking for a little something out of the box, give field hockey a try.