The Impact of Intercollegiate Sports Competitions on the Overall Educational Achievement of Participants in Some Selected Nigerian Universities

Abstract

Intercollegiate sports and its effect on undergraduates has been of global concern to scholars. This study however seeks to have a clearer picture of the concept of intercollegiate sports competition and whether it has any significant impact on the overall academic achievement of participants in some selected Universities in Nigeria. One hundred and twenty (120) respondents from some selected Universities in South-South geo-political zone in Nigeria made up the sample for this study. A validated self structured questionnaire was the instrument used. Frequency counts, simple percentages and the chi-square (x²) were the descriptive and inferential statistics used to analyze the data obtained at a 0.05 level of significance. The results indicate amongst others that participating in intercollegiate sports competition has significant positive impact on the overall academic achievements of participants. In light of this, this study recommends amongst others that coaches in Nigerian Universities must ensure that they monitor the performances of their athletes to see that they do not suffer academically. Emphasis must be placed on the management of time efficiently by athletes.

Keywords: Sports Competition, Participants, Academic Achievement, Classroom, Lectures, Athletes, Performance