Over the Edge * March 27th 2013 Sports 13 HOW PROFESSIONALS AND UNIVERSITY ATHLETES DIFFER BRONTE JAMES THE BRUNSWICKAN (UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK) FREDERICTON (CUP) — I spend my weekends sitting on the bleachers covering Varsity Reds’ sports. Whether it’s soccer, hockey, basketball, or volleyball, I’m sitting in the stands and watching university athletes play the sport to which they dedicate their university lives. While covering these sports, there was one thing I realized; professional athletes and university athletes play for different reasons. Professional players may have started out with the love of the game in mind, but somewhere along the way, they drifted into the economic side of things and began demanding more. More money; more sponsors; More, More, more. University athletes, however, other than scholarships, are doing it purely because they love the sport. If they aren’t playing at home, they jump on the bus every other weekend to travel to yet another university. They do their homework on the bus, so they stay caught up with school, and they give their time and dedication each and every day to make themselves the best athletes they can be to represent their school. Some of the people I have interviewed over the course of the past three years have inspired me to take the bad and turn it into motivation. Athletes like Amir Razak who has had three surgeries on the same knee and is looking forward to his next season, or his fellow teammate Aaron McMurray, who broke his back in three places and is starting goaltender for the men’s soccer team. They have no reason to continue playing other than the pure dedication they have to their sport. Yes, professional athletes have their stories too, but they have the financial benefit of returning to the game. University players don’t have the same option. The key difference between university sports and professional sports is this: One plays for money, while the other plays for purpose. Obviously, this is not true of every single player in the NHL or NBA, etc., but it seems to be a consistent image. Bringing the sport to a halt with demands and negotiations for more money is not what sports are about. Professional athletes need to stop making it about themselves and make it about the game. Are you a 4¢7/4c at heart? Maybe you love photography? Or you know website design or GRAPHIC ARTS? Over the Edge hires new staff every year, and accepts applications for every editorial position! FOR MORE INFORMATION, STOP BY OUR OFFICE, 6-350! canadawest standings Men’s Basketball Pacific Division 18-4 UBC 16-6 Victoria 10-12 Trinity Western 12-10 Fraser Valley 8-14 Thompson Rivers 6-16 UNBC 6-16 Mount Royal 5-17 UBC-Okanagan Prairie Division 16-6 Saskatchewan 14-8 Alberta 14-8 Manitoba 14-9 Winnipeg 13-9 Calgary 12-10 Lethbridge 7-15 Regina 6-16 Brandon Women's Basketball Pacific Division 18-4 Fraser Valley 17-5 UBC 16-6 Victoria 15-7 Thompson Rivers 8-14 UNBC 7-15 Trinity Western 6-16 UBC-O 5-17 Mount Royal Prairie Division 19-3 Regina 19-3 Calgary 14-8 Alberta 13-9 Saskatchewan 10-12 Lethbridge 7-15 Winnipeg 2-20 Manitoba 0-22 Brandon