Who is the student athlete? Focusing on positioning in the campus unrest period in Japan

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the process by which student athletes in Japan were socially classified during the period of campus unrest. To this end, a constructionist discourse analysis was conducted using newspaper and magazine articles, as well as materials published by the Japanese Ministry of Education. This analysis revealed two key factors in this social construction process: first, there was public concern regarding the thuggery exhibited by student athletes during the campus unrest period; second, there was public concern regarding the semi-professionalisation of student athletes during the subsequent university reforms. These factors engendered the perception of student athletes as thuggish and disinterested in their studies, which in turn negatively affected the activities and organisational structures of varsity teams. Eventually, this perception prompted student athletes to be dubbed ‘sport council types’ (taiikukai-kei), solidifying their social classification as a special category distinct from regular students.

Key words:

• Amateur Sports
• Student Athlete
• Taiikukai-kei
• Sports Recommendations
• Higher Education
• UNIVAS

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Japanese varsity teams engage in extra-curricular sports activities and have a long history of development through independent and autonomous student-centred management (Japan Sports Agency 2018). The participation of university authorities is limited and, unlike the NCAA, universities do not have departments for the overall management of varsity teams.

2 UNIVAS aims to develop ‘exemplary human resources’ and strengthen university brands and sporting achievements through the development and promotion of university sports departments (Japan Sports Agency 2018). To date, comprehensive and cross-cutting national-level sporting organizations have existed for junior and senior high schools in Japan, but not at university level. In this light, the establishment of UNIVAS is a revolutionary moment in the history of university sports in Japan.

3 In this study, the term ‘student athletes’ refers to athletes belonging to varsity teams in universities. In Japan, almost no varsity teams admit individuals who are not students of the relevant university and they are not, as a general rule, open to students of other universities; further, students are generally restricted to participation in one sport only, with almost no cases of students being members of multiple varsity teams.

4 Sports recommendation admissions are a method by which the student’s sports performance record during high school is evaluated and used for selection during the university admissions process.

5 In 2018, the population of 18-year-olds (18 being the age at which students usually enrol in university) fell to a record low of approximately 1.2 million (Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2018). Reflecting this trend, 210 (36.1 percent) independent universities fell short of their intake quota in 2018, suggesting that many have fallen into a business slump (Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan 2018). In a bid to improve their intake, many private universities are attempting to attract students from a particular area, such as sport or art.

6 University sports are not the property of student athletes or university authorities; but are supported by university officials (the student body and faculty) and local residents. Therefore, unless these people understand the significance and attractiveness of UNIVAS creation, UNIVAS efforts will not come to fruition. In connection with this, as one of its important goals for future sports measures, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2017) aims to build a domestic system for promoting university sports by utilising various resources possessed by university sports for ‘human resource production’, ‘economic revitalisation’, ‘regional contributions’, and so on. For this reason, it is expected that people involved in university sports will work together to promote university sports; it is expected that this will lead to the revitalisation of universities and local communities and to social development through sports.

7 In Japan, ‘campus unrest’ (daigaku funsō, lit., ‘university conflict’) is defined as ‘a situation in which university management, research, and other operations are hindered due to students’ occupation or barricading of university-managed facilities, abandonment of classes, or other irregular acts’ (House of Representatives 1969, 2). The causes and objectives of campus unrest in the period under study here were many and varied. Some involved the state of university education and student government, or changes in social structure or the subversion of state power. While universities in Japan experienced a loss of power as a result of campus unrest, this period also yielded increased reform activity in universities (Kusahara 2008)—though mostly not until the 1970s, as the period of campus unrest quietened down.

8 During a match in May 2018, a Nihon University American football player committed a dangerous tackle on an opponent, who sustained injury as a result. A public scandal ensued when it came to light that the player’s coach had instructed him to foul the opponent. The scandal led to a debate about the role of varsity teams in Japanese universities, with a slew of criticism levelled against the teams.

9 The ‘period of high economic growth’ (1955–1973) in Japan refers to the period of high real economic growth rate, 10% on average. During this period, Japan experienced rapid economic development and the rate of university entrance increased greatly.

10 Tokyo University of Education conducted the entrance exams only for the Faculty of Physical Education.

11 In many cases, a university’s sports council would be run by the varsity team representative.

12 For a long period, from the second half of the 19^th century right through to the present day, when Japanese society accepted modern sports, varsity teams have shouldered the responsibility for the development of Japanese athletes. In Japan, varsity teams are established in junior and senior high school and university, with diverse levels of competition from local through to national level. Athletes with superior sporting records may utilize the sports recommendation admission system to enter high school and university and continue with their sporting activities. Similarly, university varsity teams also constitute an important part of the foundation of Japanese international sports. In fact, 31.4% (112 of 357) of Japan’s athletes at the 1964 Olympics were student athletes, while 77.1% (270 people) were affiliated with universities (including graduates) (Japan Sports Association 1978). Given the importance of the university sports system to sport in Japan as a whole, the instability in the foundations of varsity team activities caused by campus unrest had a negative impact on the overall structure of athlete development in Japan.

13 A newspaper article search was performed via the following online databases: ‘Asahi Shimbun’ (Kikuzo II Visual) http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/DOMEST/db_about/dna/dna.html; ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ (Yomidasu Historical Museum) http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/DOMEST/db_about/yomiuri/yomidas.html; ‘Mainichi Shimbun’ (Maisaku) http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/DOMEST/db_about/maisaku/maisaku.html

14 For example, statements like ‘sports-council-type attacked student’ or ‘sports-council-type using violence’ were seen.