This text is likely one of the successful submissions from the New York Put up Students Contest, introduced by Command Schooling.
I’ve spent the previous yr waking up at 6 a.m. to observe badminton swings in my yard earlier than college. All through the times, I’ve blasted YouTube tutorials on footwork and begged associates to rally with me within the junior atrium exterior the health club.
This was all achieved between homework assignments, meals, and sleep. Badminton meant every little thing to me—till my counselor circled the point out of the game (I’d listed it as an curiosity on a survey) and wrote, “Possibly pivot to a extra ‘severe’ extracurricular?”
His phrases stung worse than any missed smash. Right here’s the reality: Badminton is severe. However American schools, clinging to a dusty playbook that values soccer stadiums over cultural relevance, appear unwilling to see it, even if Badminton is a sport embraced by 220 million globally.
Badminton is a sport that’s deeply woven into my tradition, because it’s a sport that may be loved by individuals of all ages and is broadly thought-about conventional in China for leisure exercise and household gatherings.
In my tradition, it’s usually seen as a logo of nationwide pleasure because of the excessive degree of competitors and success Asian gamers obtain within the sport.
The Inflexible System that Fails Ardour
I find out about inflexible techniques. Final fall, I dropped American Lit not as a result of I hated Walt Whitman’s poems, however as a result of my instructor graded like a robotic, confined to strict rubrics and his personal interpretation of the textual content. Something that didn’t match his format or his opinion on the texts we learn at school obtained a mediocre grade. This pondering shouldn’t be in contrast to billion-dollar TV offers for large sports activities.
For these within the know, badminton doesn’t want ESPN highlights. It’s lengthy been on the planet’s second-most well-liked participatory sport, with 220 million gamers globally. But within the U.S., it’s handled like a garage-sale Ping-Pong set—one thing to mud off for PE class, and when not wanted, it’s put out close to the mailbox with an indication “free”.
This mindset hurts for somebody like me who spends hours in observe, not in contrast to varsity-track athletes. Significantly, when you think about the payoff: no scouts, no scholarships, and no recognition on purposes.
Many schools declare of their brochures that they need “grit” and “dedication.” So why does my hustle—juggling AP courses, discovering time after college to observe footwork in my small house, and touring an hour every manner each different day to satisfy with my coach—get filed underneath “interest”?
The Cultural Brush-Off
The influence of this mindset is big. Stroll into any badminton event in California, and also you’ll see a sea of Asian-American faces. The game is woven into our communities, a practice as well-known as lunar New Yr crimson envelopes.
My Chinese language grandfather performed in faculty…in China. Right here? The NCAA gives zero Division I badminton applications. So when schools put up AAPi Heritage Month graphics whereas ignoring a sport central to my heritage, it’s not simply hypocritical—it’s erasure. We’re advised to have a good time our tradition, however solely in ways in which present good advertising and marketing for his or her brochures. It’s not stunning that my good good friend and teammate give up final yr. “What’s the purpose,” she requested me, “if schools assume our ardour is a joke?”
The Fable of “Income or Bust”
Let’s tackle the elephant within the room. Badminton doesn’t earn cash. Neither do 43% of NCAA soccer applications, however they’re nonetheless funded. Why? Custom? Alumni nostalgia? In the meantime, Gen Z is out right here making badminton TikTok edits with tens of millions of views. Proof that curiosity exists. And the explanation for schools to look forward, not simply behind.
And don’t get me began on the “life sport” argument. Faculties love touting “energetic life,” but ignore a sport individuals will play into their 80s. My knees will give out from badminton across the identical time a soccer participant’s mind begins forgetting their children’ names.
A Path Ahead (that Doesn’t Require a Stadium)
I’m not asking for a $10 million enviornment, however communities and schools can begin small. Right here’s how.
First, sanction badminton: Make badminton an NCAA sport so tournaments matter and permit individuals to be recruited, the identical manner monitor and subject athletes or basketball gamers are adopted.
Subsequent, credit score the game. Let PE courses depend towards credit if college students compete.
Lastly, increase the sport. Why cease at Badminton? It isn’t the one under-represented sport within the US. The NCAA group wants to begin doing extra analysis and embrace sports activities like desk tennis as effectively.
Badminton is greater than a interest—it’s a check of self-discipline, a cultural anchor, and a sport schools refuse to take severely. My early morning practices and hour-long commutes to coaching aren’t simply “dedication”, they’re proof that admissions committees see our ardour as trivial. Faculties plaster “Have a good time AAPI Heritage” on brochures whereas sidelining a sport central to Asian communities.
If universities actually worth grit, they’d begin recognizing the dedication behind underrated sports activities like badminton. Sanction it. Credit score it. Till then, their guarantees of “range” are simply empty phrases.
An Eleventh-grader at Stuyvesant Excessive College in Manhattan, Aiden Tsang intends to pursue a profession within the medical subject.
