This article is one of the winning submissions from the New York Post Scollers Contest published by. Command Education.
For the past year I woke up at 6am and practiced a badminton swing in my backyard in front of school. For a few days I blasted out YouTube tutorials with footwork and asked a friend to rally with me in the junior atrium outside the gym.
All this was done between homework, eating and sleeping. Badminton meant everything to me. My counselor circled around the sport’s mention (I was interested in investigating it) and said, “Maybe they’ll pivot towards ‘serious’ extracurricular activities? “It writes.
His words were stabbed worse than the overlooked smash. This is the truth: badminton is serious. But despite the fact that badminton is a sport that is being accepted by 220 million people around the world, it seems that American universities cling to the dusty playbook that cherish football stadiums more than cultural relevances do not want to see it.
Badminton is a sport that people of all ages can enjoy and is deeply woven into my culture as it is widely considered a tradition in China for recreational activities and family gatherings.
In my culture, it is often seen as a symbol of national pride for the competition and success that Asian athletes have achieved in sports.
A strict system that fails passion
I know about rigidity systems. Last fall I dropped the American Lights, not because I hated Walt Whitman’s poetry, but because my teacher scored like a robot that is limited to strict rubrics and interpretations of his own texts. All his opinions on things that didn’t fit his format and texts he read in class received mediocre grades. This idea is different from a billion-dollar television deal for large-scale sports.
For those who know, badminton doesn’t need ESPN highlights. It has long been the second most popular participatory sport in the world with 220 million athletes. However, in the US, it is treated like a ping-pong set at a garage sale. You need to dust it for the PE class.
This way of thinking is different from varsity track athletes, and it hurts for people like me who actually spend time. Especially when considering payoffs: no scouts, no scholarships, no awareness of the application.
Many universities claim in their pamphlets they want “grit” and “dedication.” So why do I apply under “Hobby” when I juggle my AP class, spend time practicing footwork in my small apartment, travel one-way every other day to meet my coach?
Cultural brush off
The impact of this idea is enormous. Stepping into a California badminton tournament, you’ll see Asian American faces. Sports is woven into our community. This is a famous tradition like the red envelope of the moon New Year.
My Chinese grandfather performed in college… in China. here? The NCAA offers Zero Division I Badminton Program. So when the university posts graphics for AAPI Heritage Month while ignoring the central sport of my legacy, it’s not just hypocrisy, it’s elimination. We are told to celebrate our culture, but only in a way that provides excellent marketing for our brochures. It’s no surprise that my best friend and teammate left last year. “What’s the point?” she asked me, “What if the university thought our passion was a joke?”
Myth of “revenue or bust”
Talk to the elephants in your room. Badminton doesn’t make money. Not even 43% of the NCAA football program, but it is still funded. why? tradition? How nostalgic is the graduates? Meanwhile, Gen Z is here editing badminton tiktok with millions of views. Proof that interest exists. And why the university is not only in the back, but also looking ahead.
And don’t start a discussion of “life sports.” Colleges love to promote “active lifestyles,” but ignore the games they play in the 80s. My knees come out of badminton at about the same time that the brains of soccer players start to forget their children’s names.
A road to advance (stadium is not required)
I’m not looking for a $10 million arena, but the community and university can start small. This is the way.
First, badminton sanctions: Make badminton an NCAA sport, allowing tournaments to be important and people to be hired.
Next, praise the sport. If students compete, they count to credits to PE class.
Finally, we will develop the game. Why stop by badminton? It’s not the only sport underrated in the US. NCAA organizations should start more research and include sports like table tennis.
Badminton is more than a hobby. It’s a discipline, a cultural anchor and a test that sports colleges refuse to take seriously. My early morning practice and commute to an hour of training is not just a “dedication” but a testament to the admissions committee’s view of our passions as trivial. The college “Celebrates AAPI Heritage” in a pamphlet, whilst watching the central sports of Asian communities.
If universities really value grit, they start to recognize the dedication behind underrated sports like badminton. Sanction. I’ll credit that. Until then, the promise of “diversity” is empty words.
Aiden Tsang, an 11th grader at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, intends to pursue a career in the medical field.
