Who cares about the Beanpot? by Michael Armini February 14, 2022 Share this story Copy Link Link Copied! Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter WhatsApp Reddit Tonight our men’s hockey team will go for its fourth straight championship in the annual Beanpot tournament. Our women’s team played last week. I realize that many of you may react to this with a collective: Who cares? It’s certainly true that a university’s mission is centered around the vital pursuits of education and research. It’s also true that college athletics—particularly certain aspects of the NCAA—are far from perfect. But at a time when higher education is increasingly seen as aloof and elitist, I would submit that collegiate athletics do a lot to help to humanize these important institutions. Prospective students want to be part of more than a disconnected learning experience. Current students (especially in Covid times) desperately need opportunities to blow off steam and experience the ups and downs of rooting for a team. The mental health benefits are immeasurable. Not surprisingly, the lifelong ties of alumni are made stronger by allegiance to their school’s teams. Consider that the average viewership of a March Madness tournament game routinely exceeds 10 million people. And if those reasons seem frothy or frivolous, it is generally agreed that a greater percentage of low income and minority students have been able to access college thanks to college sports. And, while not perfect, the advent of Title IX expanded opportunities to millions of young women, whose lives have been empowered and enriched by athletic competition at the varsity level. Finally, I have yet to meet a college athlete who isn’t organized, self-disciplined, and resilient. And these admirable qualities not only serve the athletes themselves—they can often carry over to their classmates, resulting in a collective upskilling of peers. So tonight when our Huskies take on the BU Terriers it’s about much more than shooting a puck into a goal. If you can make the time to attend the game or tune in on TV, consider the non-athletic elements of what the Beanpot tournament brings to the fore: Spirit, pride, achievement . . . and the enduring power of human connection.