Yale University
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Yale University - Athletics - Athletics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Athletics

Quick Stats

Athletic Association
  • NAA
  • NCAA
Athletic Division NCAA Division I-AA
Athletic Conferences Football: Ivy Group
Basketball: Ivy Group
School Colors Yale blue and white
School Nickname Bulldogs, Elis, Yalies
Men Playing Varsity Sports 470 - 18%
Women Playing Varsity Sports 367 - 14%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

For a school with such a strong academic reputation, Yale has a pretty strong athletic program. The University offers options for every interest level: varsity sports for the athletically serious, club sports for the amateur, and IM's for just about anybody. Yale's varsity sports often do reasonably well and are usually comparable to other similar schools. There is also a prominant intermural culture in which the residential colleges compete against one another to win the Tyng Cup. The athletic facilities at Yale are second to none (Payne Whitney Gymnasium is the second largest gym in the world!) and are available to all students for exercise and fitness.

While not everybody participates in sports, practically everybody comes out for the Yale-Harvard football game, even when it's hosted in Boston. During this single weekend of school spirit and revelry, students rally behind Old Eli to show up Harvard and prove that not only does Yale play a great game, but she can also throw a great party.

Essentially, athletics are as important as all other extracurricular activities at Yale, including politics, music, drama, literary interests, and volunteering. Sports are in no way the central focus of the campus. That is the great thing about Yale—there are so many interests to pursue and they are all treated equally by the student body.

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Yale Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Athletics at Yale University

stephmock

Psychology '15

2.7
C+

Great Facilities, Poor Spirit

Yale is continuing to decline in its athletics. Our academic standards for athletes are higher than the other Ivy schools and this has resulted in a decline in top recruits and therefore poorer performance and not as much depth on teams. Along with losing season, is poor fan base and not much school spirit. However, the facilities are great.

May 16, 2012

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Athletics at Yale University

bulldogs422

Economics '12

1.2
D

Yale is not good at athletics.

We are good at a few preppy sports--squash, crew, etc. However, Yale is not really good at any of the main sports: Football, basketball, etc. Additionally, the administration does not really support athletics, so athletics are a rather small part of campus life. Jocks often hang out together, and rarely will you see anyone attend a football game except for Harvard-Yale.

May 11, 2012

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Athletics at Yale University

yaleguy117

Economics '14

2.7
C+

Nothing Special

Men's hockey is pretty big here (because it's like the only sport we're good at on a national level, go figure). Other than that, though, nobody really seems to care. Football game tailgates have a much higher attendance rate than the games do. Harvard - Yale football is probably the one game that the majority of the student body bothers to watch. School spirit is pretty weak.

Also, it's an ivy league school. You're not gonna find the caliber of athlete that you'll find at just about any non-ivy. The athletics in the ivy league (even though it's D1) are just weaker.

Yale's saving grace, however, is that the athletic facilities are fantastic.

Nov 14, 2010

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User rating for Yale University - Athletics is 3.5 out of 5 based on 22 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How popular are varsity sports on campus?

How popular are intramurals and club sports?

How would you describe the athletic facilities?

Facts

Men's Varsity Sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Fencing
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Ice hockey
  • Lacrosse
  • Other sports
  • Rowing
  • Sailing
  • Soccer
  • Squash
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
Women's Varsity Sports
  • Basketball
  • Fencing
  • Field hockey
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Ice hockey
  • Lacrosse
  • Rowing
  • Sailing
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Squash
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Track and field
  • Volleyball
Intramurals
  • Baseball
  • Basketball (men’s, women’s)
  • Billiards (coed)
  • Bowling (coed)
  • Cross country (men’s, women’s)
  • Field hockey
  • Football (coed, men's)
  • Golf (coed)
  • Ice hockey (coed)
  • Soccer (coed, men's, women's)
  • Softball (coed)
  • Squash (men’s, women’s)
  • Swimming (coed)
  • Tennis (coed)
  • Ultimate Frisbee (coed)
  • Volleyball (coed, men’s, women’s)
Club Sports
  • Archery
  • Badminton
  • Ballroom dance
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cheerleading
  • Cricket
  • Curling
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Field hockey
  • Figure skating
  • Fishing
  • Golf
  • Ice hockey
  • Jiu-jitsu, Brazilian
  • Kendo
  • Kickboxing (Muay Thai)
  • Kung Fu (Wing Chun)
  • Lacrosse
  • Pistol
  • Platform tennis
  • Polo
  • Powelifting
  • Roadrunning
  • Rugby
  • Shotokan
  • Skeet and trap
  • Skiing (alpine, nordic)
  • Soccer
  • Squash
  • Table tennis
  • Tae kwon do
  • Tennis
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
  • Wrestling
Athletic Fields & Facilities
  • Course at Yale and Maltby Lakes Recreational Area (cross country)
  • Coxe Cage (indoor track and field)
  • Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center (tennis)
  • DeWitt Family Field (softball)
  • Gilder Boathouse (crew)
  • Ingalls Rink (hockey)
  • Johnson Field (field hockey)
  • McNay Family Sailing Center (sailing)
  • Payne Whitney Gymnasium
  • Reese Stadium (lacrosse, soccer)
  • Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field (football)
  • Yale Field (baseball)

Most Popular Sports

Crew, football, and fencing

Most Overlooked Teams

Lacrosse, pistol shooting, women's rugby, water polo, women's fencing, ultimate frisbee, golf, basketball

School Spirit

Students at Yale are proud to be there and they share it! Eli pride extends beyond athletics into academics, facilities, and social life. Yale gear is popular all year around because everyone looks good in Bulldog Blue. Students are proud of the Yale name and tradition and are willing to defend it to the death against Harvard and Princeton (their major rivals). This is most apparent during the Harvard-Yale weekend. In preparation for this surge of school spirit, students buy shirts and sunglasses saying “Harvard sucks, and Princeton doesn’t matter,” and they party in the name of Eli. Alumni flock to campus and nearly the entire student body goes out for "The Game" to cheer the football team to victory (or defeat) in New Haven or Boston.

Getting Tickets

You usually don't need to purchase tickets in advance for any event, as tickets are almost always available on-site 1.5 hours before the game. The big exception is "The Game" between Harvard and Yale the weekend before Thanksgiving (tickets must be pre-ordered). Admission is generally inexpensive.

Best Place to Take a Walk

East Rock State Park; Lighthouse Point

Did You Know?
  • Edward Egan ('21) is the only athlete in the history of Olympic competition ever to win a gold medal in both the winter and summer games.
  • Yalies and Yale alumni have won a total of 104 medals during the Olympics, 54 of them gold.
  • Sarah Hughes ('09) won the gold medal in women's figure skating in 2002.
  • Yale has long history of fight songs (some written by Cole Porter!). Check out the Bulldog Medley at www.youtube.com/watch.

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Name
Rachel Glodo
Hometown
Winter Park, FL
Major
Music

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