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Social Media In College Athletics
Engagement & Stewardship to
Revenue Development
3.24.14
More Than Publicity
@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
B.S. Colby-Sawyer, 2000
ALB Harvard, 2009
Stanford 2013-present
Senior Assistant Athletic Director
Harvard 2005-13
Assistant Athletic Director
Saint Anselm 2001-05
Director, Athletic Communications
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Franklin Pierce 2000-01
Assistant Director, Sports Information
@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
Public Affairs & Media Relations
Department Spokesperson
Integrate Relationships
Influence Dialog
36 Varsity Sports
General Council
University Communications
Athletic Director
Development/ Fundraising
Alumni Relations
Ticket Sales
Marketing
Facilities
Events
Pac-12 Networks
@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Big Day




Background
Landscape
Going
Strategic
Engagement & Stewardship to
Revenue Development
More Than Publicity
 Data
 Bandwidth
 Budget
3.24.14
 Fear/ FOMO/ Education
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Big Day
 First Things First
Engagement & Stewardship to
Revenue Development
 #CSCESS
More Than Publicity
3.24.14
 Tagboard.com/CSCESS




Selfies
Questions
Comments
Jokes
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
Background – Evolving Communications
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
Background – Evolving Communications
 Campus Phone to Mobile
 Consider Email
 How many Email Addys? Why?
 AOL/ IM
 5 C’s (+1!)
 Compliance
 Text/ Phone/ Twitter/ Snap!
 Consumption
 Rotary?
 Conversation
 Connection → Community
 → DASH for CA$H
@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
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Key Thought: Community
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
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Current Landscape
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
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Current Landscape
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@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Current Landscape
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 Hey!
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Current Landscape
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 Crowded
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Current Landscape
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 Distracted
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Current Landscape
3.24.14
 Recruit Me!
 Come Here!
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@KSvoboda
3.24.14
Social Media In College Athletics
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Reality – Where Are We Going?
 Sports = Mobile
100m active Twitter users | 5/day | 184M mobile monthly users
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
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@Ksvoboda | *information courtesy ExpandedRamblings.com
Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
Current Landscape
 Me
 Just got a great
workout in
 Lunch was fab!
 I’m up early.
finna get
this money!
 Wattup Twitter??
 Gotta go to work!
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@KSvoboda
3.24.14
Social Media In College Athletics
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
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Reality – Where Are We Going?
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Reality – Where Are We Going?
 Publicity Hunt MUST < Community
Engagement → Stewardship → Data → Development = Community
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
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Reality – Where Are We Going?
 Publicity Hunt MUST < Community

Engagement → Stewardship → Data → Development = Community
3.24.14
#NerdNation
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Reality – Where Are We Going?
 Publicity Hunt MUST < Community

Engagement → Stewardship → Data → Development = Community
3.24.14
#NerdNation
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Reality – Where Are We Going?
 Publicity Hunt MUST < Community
3.24.14

Engagement → Stewardship → Data → Development = Community
↑
↑
↓
Better
Better
Analytics
↑
↑
↓
↑
↑
Informed Decisions
↑
↑
↓
↑
↑ ←←←←←←←←
Better Communications
↑
↓
Bias, anyone?
↑
Better Marketing
↑
↓
↑
= + ↑ Ticket Sales, Donations
↑
↓
↑
Better Development
→→→→→ →→→→→ →→→→→ ↑
@Ksvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
Reality – Where Are We Going?
 Attention!
 2013 – 8 seconds
 2000 – 12 seconds
 Goldfish – 9 seconds
 Our Story
 Get Point Across
 Rich Media
 Simple
 Sharable
 Call To Action
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@Ksvoboda | *information courtesy DigitalRoyalty.com
Social Media In College Athletics
Reality – Where Are We Going?




3.24.14
Our Story
Get Point Across
Rich Media
Simple
 Sharable
 Call To Action
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking
 Strategic
 Data
 Recruiting
 Bandwidth
 Budget
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 Where is the Experience?
 Fear/ FOMO/ Education
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@Ksvoboda | *information courtesy DigitalRoyalty.com
Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking – Data
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 Publicity Hunt MUST < Community
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking – Data
 Data

Step Back
 Questions





What Are We in (Social Media) Business For?
Who Is our Audience?
What Are our Goals?
What Are Our Key Messaging Points?
What Is My Voice? My Unique Things?

DATA! → Audience (um, who?)
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



Human - #NerdNation vs. Tough
What Are My Tools?
How Will I Execute? Types? Frequency?
How Will In Interpret Metrics

@Ksvoboda
DATA! → Audience (um, who?)
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Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking – Data
 Data

What Data?
 Questions

What Are We in (Social Media) Business For?

Answers Vary


3.24.14


@Ksvoboda
Education

Athletic and Personal Development
Community

Accessible

Role Modeling

Visible In Technology = Visible In Recruiting
Revenue Generation

Ticket Sales

Donations | Gifts |Other
Winning

The Home of Champions
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Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking – Data
 Data

What Data?
 Questions

What Are We in (Social Media) Business For?

Answers Vary





MLS*

3.24.14
Education (Athletic and Personal Development)
Community (Accessible, Modeling, Recruiting)
Revenue Generation (Ticket Sales, Donations, Gifts, Other)
Winning (The Home of Champions)
Grow Fan Base

= More People Watching on TV

= More People Attending Games

= More People Consuming Content

= More People Wearing Team Gear
@Ksvoboda | * Amanda Vandervort, Director of Social Media, MLS
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Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking – Customer Data
STANFORD CARDINAL FAN PROFILE
Age
Gender
55 -…
29.9%
45 -…
35 -…
25 -…
Men
Women
70.1%
18 -…
# Of Children In
3+
52.0%
54.4%
23.9%
7.0%
7.7%
32.9%
32.0%
1 or 2
Own
5.0%
8.5%
Not HS…
66.2%
Married
6.4%
11.3%
23.4%
19.2%
HS…
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21.9%
20.0%
17.8%
19.6%
13.4%
16.9%
73.9%
19.6%
17.9%
College…
$500,000 or
more
$300,000 $499,999
$200,000 $299,999
$100,000 $199,999
Under
$100,000
33.8%
Reside
Education
Post…
Marital Status
16.4% 23.6%
16.9%
15.8%
65…
Household Income
Home Value
35.9%
47.1%
16.3%
14.9%
$40,000 -…
$30,000 -…
2.4%
3.0%
Stanford Fan
$75,000 -…
$50,000 -…
4.9%
6.2%
3.2%
2.9%
Less than…
San Francisco DMA
43.3%
36.1%
$100,000 or…
14.6%
15.9%
14.0%
14.1%
8.2%
8.9%
9.6%
11.3%
10.2%
13.8%
Stanford Fan
San Francisco DMA
Source: Scarborough Research San Francisco DMA 2010
@Ksvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking – Customer Data
3.24.14
Google searches for “college football” occur more
frequently in the Midwest and South than in other
parts of the United States, on a per capita basis.
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Strategic Thinking – Customer Data
Local Google search activity in the Bay Area for “Cal”
and “football” than “Stanford” and “football”
Google searches for “Cal” and “Football”
Google searches for “Stanford” and “Football”
3.24.14
Berkeley, CA
Stanford, CA
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Stanford – My Unique Things
 Football Recruiting vs. Marketing
World of Different Lenses
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
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Stanford – My Unique Things
 Football Recruiting vs. Marketing
The Sitch
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
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Stanford – My Unique Things
 The Sitch: Football Recruiting vs. Marketing
 Audience Members | Who Will Join Our Community? Why?






John – Traditionalist
Jane – Creative Class
Sumi – Alpha Mom
Luis – Middle Class
Chuma – Recruit
Rose – Stanford Mis/Disconnects
 One Size Does Not Fit All = Deep Dive
3.24.14

Internal Sell


Budget
Bandwidth


@Ksvoboda
Straight Expense vs. Investment lens
“People don’t buy from brands, they buy from people they know and trust.”
- Michael Idinopulos, CMO, PeopleLinx
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Social Media In College Athletics
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Stanford – My Unique Things
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@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
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@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Stanford – Social Media Awareness
Social media and networking have changed the way we interact today. Everything happens rapidly in a hereand-now social forum. When using social media for personal or professional use (including student-athletes),
be sure to utilize the R.A.P.I.D. principle:
RESPECTFUL
Be respectful of others and don’t assume their intentions. Kill them with kindness if need be.
AUTHENTIC
Reach others on a personal level; be “real.”
POSITIVE
Stay positive above all, especially bad news, after tough losses and stressful situations.
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INTELLIGENT
Represent Stanford University and yourself intelligently.
DISTINCTIVE
Be distinctly you. What do want other people’s takeaway about you to be?
@Ksvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
Voice – MLS*
 Confident, not Authoritative
 Approachable, not too Familiar
 Entertaining, but not Silly
 Focused on Visual Content
Offers/ Contests
Customer Service
Promotion
News
Behind-Scenes
3.24.14





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@Ksvoboda | * Amanda Vandervort, Director of Social Media, MLS
Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
Where Is The Experience?
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@Ksvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Where Is The Experience?
 All Over


Twitter = Real-Time
TV = Attendance Decline
Alabama 2009-12 (32%)*
Arizona 2013 (48%)**
3.24.14


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@Ksvoboda | * Wall Street Journal | ** Darren Rovelle
Social Media In College Athletics
Where Is The Experience?
 In-Venue


Experience > Game
Community Experiences



What Apps?




Extension of Behavior
Access
Concessions
Value
Connectivity / Infrastructure
3.24.14

@Tagboard
Glass
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@Ksvoboda
3.24.14
Social Media In College Athletics
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Fear/ FOMO/ Education
 Fear

Emerging Technologies
 FOMO


Silicon Valley
Name = Expectations
 Education
Students Are #1
3.24.14

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@Ksvoboda | * Wall Street Journal | ** Darren Rovelle
Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
Thanks
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@Ksvoboda | * Wall Street Journal | ** Darren Rovelle
Social Media In College Athletics
Stanford – Social Media Strategy
1. Every moment is a job interview.
Be respectful. Anything you post in your role as a University employee reflects either positively or negatively on the University. Be
professional and respectful.
2. Each task is a chance to show pride in who/what you represent.
Stanford University, the Athletic Department, family, YOURSELF, church, organization, etc.
3. If you can’t say it in front of your grandmother, then don’t say it.
If you have any hesitancy about saying or posting a comment because of the above rule, skip it.
4. Get your ears on.
“Listen,” of follow to online conversations on your preferred tools to maintain a current understanding of what is relevant and of interest
to the community. At present time, Twitter is a handy tool for seeing topics and coverage up-to-the-minute.
5. Be active.
Because news is covered by the minute, we should engage and be active on social media. Going weeks without a post makes you
irrelevant.
3.24.14
6. Twitter is a telephone, not a megaphone.
Professionally, don’t use it to dictate, use it to listen as well. Handles that don’t follow/engage with others are megaphones. Personally,
don’t use it as an outlet to complain about your life.
7. Cross promote
Use your status in the department to call attention to all the programs, people around us - athletic or otherwise. Engage with the worldwide Stanford community. Do a quick Twitter search for “Stanford” and see for yourself.
8. We all lose in Twitter arguments. Ignore them and don’t engage in any.
9. What happens in the locker room stays there.
Don’t tweet or post something about a heated exchange - anywhere. Things said in private should remain private.
@Ksvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
THE SOCIAL MEDIA PHILOSOPHY
The continued growth of social media has changed manner with which recruits, fans, communities and media consume and spread information.
As such, athletic departments must adjust long-held communications strategies and meet our users where and when they wish to engage. In
addition to utilizing traditional media outlets, we have a unique ability to tell our own story and use multiple platforms and techniques to tell that
story in a variety of ways.
We need our social media presence to be highly interactive and a two-way conversation – not a one-way advertisement or information push.
Think of it like this: Twitter and other social media platforms are NETWORKING opportunities – they are telephones, not megaphones. We will
position GoStanford.com and our social media accounts as THE hub of all Cardinal content as well as the official source. We will leverage our
access to the programs and position as the content owner to promote our brand.
We will engage with our fans, listen to and lead the conversation about our department, amplify key messaging and steward our advocates. We
will promote and engage with our student-athletes online, within California State laws and NCAA regulations, and deliver a long-term relationship
that will strengthen their affinity for their University.
Goals and Strategy:
• Fan engagement/ Stanford community/ Local communities/ Bay Area
• Listen to and lead the conversation
• Spread our Information and amplify messaging
• Position ourselves as the official source
• Promote our student-athletes and steward them through their time at Stanford
• Engage and promote all University athletic programs and initiatives
• Partner with campus departments in promoting the larger Stanford mission.
3.24.14
We will also use our personal, non-school Twitter accounts to be additional voices in promoting not only your personal brand but also the
Stanford Cardinal brand. We are an information source, but engagement and interaction is paramount in amplifying our message.
While we will use our non-affiliated outlets to be additional voices and serve as a necessary informational source to the media and key followers,
we will never break Stanford news on our personal channels. Breaking news and new information are the exclusive right of the platforms which
we represent.
@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
PLATFORMS
Social media and networking have changed the way people consume and share information. We intend to reach people where and how they are communicating and do so across multiple
platforms. With ever-changing and growing social networks we must continuously evaluate best practices for different platforms with an eye towards doing some things very well and not
necessarily being on all platforms. Various platforms have different strengths and areas of focus, and we need to maximize our limited time appropriately.
When evaluating new tools, we need to see where they fit within our strategy and prioritize resources when choosing where to focus our social media efforts. This should be an ongoing
conversation with welcome input from all corners of the department. Good ideas are everywhere and we will be receptive to all input.
FACEBOOK
Our Facebook goal is to create an engaging and interactive fan community, showcasing the many impressive stories of Stanford student-athletes as well as the many opportunities for fans to
showcase their support and affinity for this great University.
While we want to share content and information, we don’t want pages to be merely a duplication of our website. Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm demands that posts be engaging to
generate likes, comments, and shares by fans to ensure our content appears in fans’ news feeds. Additionally, we do not want to saturate the Facebook marketplace. As a rule of thumb, do
not post more than one Facebook entry within a two-hour span (longer if possible) – this avoids us from posting too much and spamming. If you schedule a post for a certain time, alert the
rest of the group so we know.
Main Stanford Athletics Facebook Page:
GOAL
Fan Engagement and Appreciation
Provide customer service
STRATEGY
Post interactive and engaging content
SAMPLE FACEBOOK TACTICS
Fan photos, ask open-ended questions
Answering fans’ questions, providing
customer service options, commenting
back and leading the conversation
Enhance and Promote the Brand
Represent and share the brand in a
visual, engaging way
Sample cover photos, marketing
images, branded action images
Spread Information/Amplify messaging
News and promotion
Big wins/game results, player awards,
original content, highlight videos, ticket
information
3.24.14
Individual Program Facebook Pages:
The goal with individual sport pages is to provide fans a more in-depth look at an individual team than provided on the main page. Not all sports have individual pages but we will work with
team personnel to create pages in accordance with department policy. The same goals as above apply with the addition of the following:
GOAL
STRATEGY
Provide look inside the program
Some revenue generation needs (football, volleyball, basketball, baseball)
SAMPLE FACEBOOK TACTICS
Leverage access; behind-the-scenes
and insider content
Photos from travel, pre-game, facilities
In-game updates/results, game pre
views and event promotion
@KSvoboda
Complete coverage of that team’s events
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Social Media In College Athletics
TWITTER
Our goal with Twitter is to be a quick, go-to source of official information. All of our news should be distributed via Twitter via our official accounts
simultaneously or immediately surrounding being posted to our website and prior to being emailed to media.
Fan questions should be answered in timely manner to position ourselves as a customer service resource and good source. Fan engagement and
leading the conversation is a priority.
Another top priority is engagement and promotion of our student-athletes. Twitter handles should be used whenever possible in tweets
containing their names. Cross promotion between sports and our students will create a wholesome online community. For 2013-14, we will begin
offering social media workshops to specific student-athletes with the intent of featuring those individuals who complete training. Featured
individuals will receive branded twitter pages and additional status in promoted materials (i.e .schedule posters, website).
Ideally all tweets would be done manually, but we will also use Twitter feed to generate automated tweets of all releases posted to
GoStanford.com to ensure that they are all tweeted. All of our general social media goals apply with Twitter with the addition of the following:
GOAL
Position our accounts as the official
Promote our programs, S-A, coaches
STRATEGY
Own our stories and content first
source for information
SAMPLE TWITTER TACTICS
Tweet @ profiles whenever possible
Way to go, @Hoagie8!
Vine video APP
Post to Twitter before emailing media
Answer fan questions in a timely manner
Fan Engagement and Appreciation
Join and lead the conversation
3.24.14
Provide customer service
Search for conversations with
#GoStanford, #Stanford, #NerdNation
or search player names to retweet
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
3.24.14
@GoStanford
RT sport-specific content
Department news
General contests/promos
In-game engagement for certain sports
(Football/ high-level others)
Final scores/results
Fan engagement
Event reminders | Revenue generation
Tone
Official but authentic and accessible
Fun, engaging for fans and current
student-athletes
Frequency
Varies (engagement)
Less is more for content (support team handles)
Individual Sports (acts as team voice):
Recruiting
Revenue generation as appropriate
Breaking news | official information
Live updates (notables)
Event reminders
Behind the Scenes/team-centric photos and videos
Alumni/ fan/ student-athlete engagement
Tone
Official and serious
Engaging for responses and fan interaction
Frequency
Frequent on engagement for news, “inside looks”
Moderate for alumni engagement
Low for current S-A personal engagements
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
YOUTUBE
YouTube as a video platform encourages sharing and enhances chances of our videos being seen by a wide group of people over a longer period
of time. The YouTube community is especially important to Stanford as it provides a unique way to reach a significant number of constituents
that might not be actively looking for Stanford content.
Reaching this audience will be accomplished through the incredibly high standard that our Creative Video team has established as well as a
refined focus on key words and increased promotion on GoStanford,com.
Videos that are “evergreen” and will hold interest over a longer period of time are posted to our YouTube channel and organized in playlists by
sport and type. Types of videos include highlights, features and hype or promotional videos. News conference or media availability videos are not
typically posted to YouTube but can be depending on the event.
INSTAGRAM
Instagram is a photo-based social network growing in popularity. We can use it to host and tweet pictures from the main @GoStanford Twitter
account. All photos are tagged with #GoStanford, #Stanford or #NerdNation to increase the likelihood of fans finding them via search. Instagram
is almost entirely mobile app-based and supports our presence in the mobile space.
Our accounts are limited to GoStanford and StanfordFBall for the 2013-14 season and we are solely focused on QUALITY rather than QUANTITY.
Only, professional, artistic and thoughtful images will be used.
3.24.14
GOOGLE+
Our Google+ profile (GoStanford) is a new offering that has quickly become our largest social media community. It is a community made up
largely of unaffiliated individuals and therefor offers tremendous opportunity to promote our Key Messaging Points as an introduction to our
brand.
PINTEREST
Our Pinterest profile (GoStanfordCard) is a placeholder to protect our brand in the space while evaluating its place in our social media strategy
and whether it will be an area of growth.
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
Corporate external posts are coordinated through our sponsorship partnership with Cardinal Sports LLC Properties. We are sensitive to both
protecting the value of our social media audience as well as protecting the integrity of our relationship with them. We have guidelines to
determine whether a sponsored post is appropriate or permissible.
With the growth in social media we get regular requests from external parties to post their content to our social media accounts. We must be
discerning and careful about which, if any, we post in order to protect our social media sponsorship value and our sponsors.
We discourage posting items related to a business that is not a sponsor with the following guidelines considered:
• If the post or promotion is from a business that directly competes with one of our sponsors, it should not be hosted or retweeted by any of our
official accounts.
Examples: Tweet mentioning a local restaurant that directly competes with a CSP sponsors (i.e. pizza company vs. California Pizza Kitchen)
• If the post or promotion provides a direct benefit to a student-athlete or program, it may be posted.
Examples: Winning mascot of the Capital One Mascot Challenge receives a $20,000 scholarship; some major awards for athletics achievement
now include a fan voting component
• Promotions that require an email address or Facebook “Like” for a user to enter are not likely to be approved. That provides valuable data to the
company without a sponsorship.
STUDENT-ATHLETE INTEGRATION
We should make every effort to @ mention/tag, or re-tweet/share student-athlete social media accounts as long as they are PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.
Current California State laws prohibit employees from requesting to “follow” private accounts of students or requesting friend invitations on
Facebook. Many in the public space have found the social media accounts of our student-athletes and are following and sharing their content
regardless of any promotion or confirmation from us. Fake impersonation accounts have also become prevalent for several high-profile studentathletes.
3.24.14
Student-athletes often post positive tweets about their team or being a student at Stanford that we would benefit from sharing. Additionally, our
students can cross promote our other programs with an authentic tone unique to their standing in the community. For that reason and in order to
provide education at all levels of the athletic department, we will aim to offer social networking workshops for select individuals and, in turn,
officially promote them on department collateral. These student-athletes will be held to a higher standard for their content.
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@KSvoboda
Social Media In College Athletics
WE WANT FACULTY AND STAFF TO:
Become brand champions and storytellers
Promote Stanford’s athletic accomplishments as a point of pride for the entire University
WE WANT STUDENTS TO:
Promote the Stanford brand with friends, family and peers in other academic and athletic settings
Become a Stanford storyteller in social media (#gostanford)
Become engaged in games and events
WE WANT ALUMNI TO:
Understand Stanford’s value to the NCAA’s mission, the nation and world at large
Lend their passion and commitment to Stanford athletics
Assist our student-athletes in career advice, services and opportunities
Be inspired to donate to the athletic department
Encourage high school students to aspire to Stanford, to make ourselves accessible in their eyes and, ultimately, to apply to the university
WE WANT PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS TO:
Understand the value of a Stanford education and promote the Stanford brand among friends and family members
Recognize Stanford for its extensive leadership initiatives and community engagement opportunities
Be inspired by the Stanford brand, believe an educational opportunity here to be attainable and apply for admission
WE WANT FANS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO:
Promote the Stanford brand with friends and family members
Gain understanding and a feeling of accesibility for Stanford
Promote these in social media
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WE WANT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO:
Understand the university’s contributions to solving problems in the community and the state
Understand how the university contributes socially and economically to the Peninsula
Promote the Stanford brand to others in the community
Attend games and engage with our student-athletes in the community
WE WANT MEDIA TO:
Tell our stories of scholarly and athletic excellence at the highest level of Division I athletics
Advocate for Stanford’s importance to the future of NCAA sport
Rely on Stanford’s athletic communication staff experts for research, information and creative story/ feature opportunities
Promote the Stanford brand in professional and social activities
See Stanford coaches, students and administrators as qualified and prepared as leaders and experts in their respective fields
Collaborate with Stanford in community engagement opportunities
@KSvoboda
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Social Media In College Athletics
Key Messaging Points
1) Stanford Athletics is the national leader in combining academic and athletic excellence.
The integration of academics and athletics at Stanford is the singular example of what can be achieved without making compromises
to the broader enterprise of interscholastic athletics. Stanford student-athletes achieve elite competitive success while making an
uncompromising
commitment to rigorous academic pursuit.
2) Stanford student-athletes are exceptionally prepared to make future positive contributions to society.
Academic and athletic pursuits provide complementary learning opportunities; the critical reasoning skills and analytical learning in
the
classroom or lab complement the leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship skills that student-athletes need on the field or court.
The rigor of these experiences lays the foundation for lifelong success. Student-athletes at Stanford are fully integrated into the
undergraduate community. They complete undergraduate degrees at a rate equivalent to the rest of the student population and go
on to have very successful careers, both in and outside of sports.
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3) Stanford student-athletes are superb role models for youths.
High performance is expected of Stanford student-athletes in both academics and athletics, and they must demonstrate a
commitment to multifaceted excellence. Their example shows younger student-athletes that high-profile athletic success can be
attained while also making a similarly robust commitment to academic endeavors.
4) A place as a Stanford student-athlete is special and highly sought after, and can be earned by anyone through hard work and a
desire to excel.
Young student-athletes dream of competing for Stanford. Individuals from a variety of backgrounds turn these dreams into reality by
making a true commitment to high achievement in school and sports. The experiences of making these commitments as a Stanford
student-athlete results in an uncommon bond of mutual respect and admiration among our community and continues throughout
life. Being part of that group is a privilege and a point of pride for everyone that is a part of it.
5) Stanford Athletics is an active participant in the Silicon Valley ecosystem and is a center of innovation in sports.
Similar to how other parts of Stanford University make pioneering contributions in many fields, Stanford Athletics is at the
forefront of progress
@KSvoboda
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