You can break down these different levels of college sports into 3 categories:
Intramural:
Intramural sports are a way to allow anyone attending a college to play some form of sport. They are played with teams formed within the walls of an institution, and do not compete against other schools. You could look at intramural sports as the most casual level of college sports.
Varsity Sports:
Often considered the The "Big Cheese," so to speak, there are actually many layers to this category. You have your Division I NCAA athletes, the highest level of competitive play under the NCAA, often full of those who on top of wanting to play competitively, aspire for greater things afterwards (like playing professionally, or even competing in the Olympics). These are the athletics that bring money into schools, garner the most attention in the media. These teams compete regionally, and nationally, against other institutions, and work their hardest to be the best. They have the most rigorous schedules, and sets of guidelines - and also the most visibility. There are also Division II, and III NCAA athletics, which are often distinguished by smaller budgets, less public exposure compared to Division I athletics, and as a result, an increased ability to balance college and athletics on the part of athletes. It is considerably rarer to get full scholarships as a Division II athlete, and impossible as a Division II athlete, though athletes in these 2 divisions can get some form of assistance for part of their tuition. Iona College is a Division I school, meaning their teams all play in NCAA's Division I category.
Varsity Sports:
Often considered the The "Big Cheese," so to speak, there are actually many layers to this category. You have your Division I NCAA athletes, the highest level of competitive play under the NCAA, often full of those who on top of wanting to play competitively, aspire for greater things afterwards (like playing professionally, or even competing in the Olympics). These are the athletics that bring money into schools, garner the most attention in the media. These teams compete regionally, and nationally, against other institutions, and work their hardest to be the best. They have the most rigorous schedules, and sets of guidelines - and also the most visibility. There are also Division II, and III NCAA athletics, which are often distinguished by smaller budgets, less public exposure compared to Division I athletics, and as a result, an increased ability to balance college and athletics on the part of athletes. It is considerably rarer to get full scholarships as a Division II athlete, and impossible as a Division II athlete, though athletes in these 2 divisions can get some form of assistance for part of their tuition. Iona College is a Division I school, meaning their teams all play in NCAA's Division I category.
Club Sports:
Club sports are sports that are intercollegiate in nature - teams compete against other schools, either regionally, nationally, or both. Their budget, however, is often far, far smaller than that of a varsity team. Some of the funding might come from their host school, but often club sports have to fend for themselves, and raise a lot of the money for equipment, uniforms, and transportation on their own. In a sense, you could look at club sports as "any competitive, intercollegiate sport that is not operated under NCAA jurisdiction." For example, men's rugby in American colleges falls under the jurisdiction of USA Rugby.
Club sports are sports that are intercollegiate in nature - teams compete against other schools, either regionally, nationally, or both. Their budget, however, is often far, far smaller than that of a varsity team. Some of the funding might come from their host school, but often club sports have to fend for themselves, and raise a lot of the money for equipment, uniforms, and transportation on their own. In a sense, you could look at club sports as "any competitive, intercollegiate sport that is not operated under NCAA jurisdiction." For example, men's rugby in American colleges falls under the jurisdiction of USA Rugby.
'Why did I choose to play a club sport?' you might be wondering. Between the statement that could be made by pursuing varsity sports (given the issues I've had to overcome), and the prestige associated with varsity sports, you'd think that playing in a varsity sport would be worth pursuing. There are a few factors, however, that make me lean towards club sports over varsity sports besides the fact that men's rugby is considered a club sport.
1. Time Dedication
It is no secret that varsity athletes work hard, especially Div. 1 athletes. So hard that the NCAA limits their time playing, and practicing, to approximately 20 hours a week, or 4 hours per working day. This eats away a lot of time that could be dedicated to studying for classes, leisure, and necessities like eating, and sleeping. Additionally, practice schedules can create issues in so far as class availability, and scheduling.
In contrast, many club sports meet for about half that time, or 2 hours a day, for a total of 10 hours a week. Some club sports meet for less time than that. As a result, those who participate in club sports have more time to dedicate towards academic success, compared to those who are in varsity sports. For someone like me, who is still working on improving time management, and sometimes finds dis tractability an issue, the additional free time also makes it less stressful to plan out my time. Finally, the lower amount of time dedicated to practicing per day makes the prospect of registering for the next semester/s classes less odious, as I have considerably greater flexibility regarding the times of day when I can take class compared to someone playing in a varsity sport.
2. Entry Overhead
When I use the term "overhead," I mean the amount of preparation I would need learning about a sport, as well as getting in the exercise and conditioning needed to prepare myself to play. This would be increased if I expressed interest in a varsity sport, versus a club sport, at least partially from the increased rigor needed. The other part of this increased overhead, I feel, is driven by next factor, which I call "competitiveness in entry."
3. Competitiveness in Entry
This is probably not the best name for a factor, but maybe it won't sound so bad once I elaborate. Usually, club sports don't require prior experience, and are open to people who want to try their hand at a sport, irrespective of if they have had much experience at it. On the other hand, while it is not outright impossible to join a varsity team without any form of repertoire, the odds are much more slim. At least part of this, I feel stems from the fact that at tryouts you'll often be competing for a spot against those who have played on teams in the past (whether at prior colleges, in high school, et cetera), people who never had to contend with the physiological issues I've had to deal with.
4. It is still competitive
Club sports still compete against other schools, and still have that sense of commitment that you need to play on a team, and you can still feel like you're a part of something bigger than yourself. For example, USA Rugby has divisions for collegiate rugby, with Division 1-A being the highest level of competitive play for college rugby in the U.S, 1-AA being the second highest, and Division III being the bottom division. Apparently, there was a Division IV from 2006 to 2011.
There is a perception I have noticed on the internet, as well as in media, that seems to go along the lines of "Div I NCAA or bust," where anything other than NCAA Div. I athletics is not competitive, or not worth the time. This is absurd, because it ignores that there are many levels of competitiveness. It also ignores that some sports that are considered club sports are not available as a Division I sport - like golf, or rugby. I will not go into a rant about the perception about club sports, as that is not the goal of this particular post, but it is a matter I do want to talk about at some point in the future.
Hopefully, this post has been adequate in giving a very bare bones breakdown of the different layers of college sports, as well as a look into my mindset when it comes to choosing the particular area of sports. If I wanted to shoot much higher, I probably could, but I fear it would have to come at a cost where I would have to seriously grind away, eating, sleeping, and breathing college work AND athletics - and I would have to do so in such a way where I would need to give up my social life, hobbies, and a lot of who I am. As a result, I chose for a mark that I feel is high enough to make a statement, without the need to sacrifice those aspects of myself, or risk becoming overwhelmed due to how my learning disabilities would factor into things. Irrespective of what level of college athletics I strive to play, my drive to do the best I can will always be strong. Hopefully, it will not be too long before I can actually demonstrate this drive on the field.
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