The concept of college athletics has been around for more than approximately 150 years (Siegel). From the beginning, college athletics was destined to become a vital part of higher education in its own right. Their importance and significance from the beginning until now is undeniable. College athletics serves a valuable role and is beneficial to institutions in ways such as promoting positive character development among athletes, creating unity from a surplus of people, and supporting college experiences and traditions. These are just some of their contributions to higher education. While there are various controversies surrounding these points, they are just some of the reasons why athletics will remain ingrained in college life for decades to come. In August 1852, the prestigious Harvard University and Yale University competed in a boat race in New Hampshire, marking the first inception of intercollegiate athletic competition ("University Athletics Programs"). Only 44 years later, “the first women's intercollegiate competitions were in basketball, and were held in 1896 between the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford, and the University of Washington and Ellensburg Normal School” (Siegel). Many other sports have followed this example, including baseball, soccer, rugby, tennis and more. These sports are just a few of those that still reign supreme in athletic programs today. College athletics has continued to rise to the top and become increasingly popular in the field of education. This exponential increase in admiration for college athletics has caused it to be "incorporated into the mission of universities" ("College Athletics Programs"). Soon, the creation of an organization to help maintain college athletics was necessary to… middle of paper… increase the importance of college athletics. The benefits that college athletics brings to the metaphorical table of a university are numerous. Promoting positive character development, creating and sustaining unity, and sustaining college experiences and traditions only scratch the surface of the profound impact athletics has had and continues to have on higher education. The important influences that college athletics brings with them are indisputable, even to opponents of college sports. Critics will always have their opinions, facts, statistics and reasons as to why college athletics should be taken off a positive pedestal or even banned entirely. No system or organization is flawless and will always have a few bumps along the way. But despite this, college athletics will always remain integral and valuable in its role in higher education.