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Lindsey Wilson University to Host Nov. 10 Panel about 'Educational Value of Sport'

Four national scholars to discuss merits of creating a sport performance major for undergraduate students.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (11/04/2025) — The educational benefits and professional value of competitive sports in higher education will be the topic of a Nov. 10 panel at Lindsey Wilson University.

Four national scholars on the topic will discuss "The Educational Value of Sport" at 3 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 10, in the Norma and Glen Hodge Center for Discipleship. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be moderated by Lindsey Wilson Assistant Vice President for Student Success Eric Carter.

The panel will feature:

* David Hollander, a clinical professor at New York University's Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport;

* Lou Matz, a philosophy professor at the University of the Pacific (California);

* Courtney Murray, an instructor of sport management at Campbellsville (Kentucky) University;

* and Erianne Weight, a professor of sport administration at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The panelists are members of the Sport Major Collective, a group of scholars who help colleges and universities transform the athlete experience into a rigorous form of academic study.

"The panelists will discuss the growing movement to create a sport performance major on the undergraduate level," said Carter, who is a member of the Sport Major Collective. "Grounded in theories of integrative learning, embodied pedagogy, ethical reasoning, intercultural competence and teamwork, this major provides students a structured academic framework in which student-athletes critically reflect on their practice, training, rehabilitation and competition."

Carter said that the sport performance major is similar to undergraduate majors in the fine and performing arts.

"My hope is that people come away from this panel thinking about competitive sport as an interdisciplinary major that is grounded in the liberal arts similar to the way that dance, theater or music are grounded in the liberal arts experience," he said.

The sport performance major strikes a balance of classroom instruction, supervised athletic engagement and applied reflection to create a "transformative learning environment that supports Lindsey Wilson's mission of educating the whole student," said Carter.

Another benefit of the sport performance major is its focus on cultivating highly marketable professional skills such as analytical reasoning, leadership, communication, data literacy and problem-solving.

"All of those skills help prepare a student not only for a career in sport but in other professional fields, such as business and education," said Carter. "As a recent story in Forbes pointed out, 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs played sports in college, which underscores the value of competitive sports in college."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

David Hollander, a clinical professor at New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport, is one of four panelists who will discuss “The Educational Value of Sport” at 3 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 10, at the Lindsey Wilson University Norma and Glen Hodge Center for Discipleship.

Lou Matz, a philosophy professor at the University of the Pacific (California), is one of four panelists who will discuss “The Educational Value of Sport” at 3 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 10, at the Lindsey Wilson University Norma and Glen Hodge Center for Discipleship.

Courtney Murray, an instructor of sport management at Campbellsville (Kentucky) University, is one of four panelists who will discuss “The Educational Value of Sport” at 3 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 10, at the Lindsey Wilson University Norma and Glen Hodge Center for Discipleship.

Erianne Weight, a professor of sport administration at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is one of four panelists who will discuss “The Educational Value of Sport” at 3 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 10, at the Lindsey Wilson University Norma and Glen Hodge Center for Discipleship.

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