No. You don’t need to be an athlete to explore sports academically at Knox. While some students come from athletic backgrounds, the courses and self‑designed pathways are open to anyone interested in sports, physical activity, leadership, and learning in team‑based environments. Success in these classes is based on engagement, collaboration, and curiosity, not athletic participation.
Sports Studies
Study and understand sports from every angle.
Take courses in sports studies
Course Spotlight
The sports studies curriculum is taught by people who live sport every day: the athletic director, strength coach, and head coaches across multiple teams. Courses focus on understanding individual roles within groups, effective communication, ethical leadership, and collective problem‑solving—skills that are central to sport and highly transferable beyond it.
- SPST 238 Peace, Sport, and Policy
- SPST 288 Analytics in Athletics 1, 0.5
- SPST 255 Fundamentals of Coaching 0.5
A campus where everyone belongs in the game.
Knox offers access to Division III athletic facilities and learning spaces that reflect a collaborative, integrated approach to sport. Sports studies students have opportunities to learn in varsity‑level environments regardless of their participation in athletics, reinforcing the idea that sport on campus is a shared enterprise rather than a separate track. This access supports learning that is collaborative, team‑oriented, and reflective of how sport organizations operate in professional settings.
Athletics Facilities and Spaces
Knox boasts first‑rate sports facilities. The 48,000‑square‑foot T. Fleming Fieldhouse, built in 1992 and resurfaced in 2026, encloses a six‑lane, 200‑meter track and court space, along with three indoor tennis courts and cages for softball, baseball, and golf. In 2026, a new multi‑use court was added with space for three pickleball courts as well as futsal.
Memorial Gymnasium features a beautiful maple floor and the largest seating capacity in the Midwest Conference. The E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center offers state‑of‑the‑art strength and cardio equipment, with locker rooms and meeting rooms located nearby.
Outdoors, the baseball and softball teams play on two of the best fields of their kind in the region. The football team competes on Stisser Field at the Knosher Bowl, a natural‑grass bowl amphitheater with a synthetic turf surface that is widely regarded as one of the best and most distinctive small‑college stadiums. The Turner Track at Trevor Field complex includes an eight‑lane all‑weather track and field event sites, with Trevor Field also serving as practice space and a venue for campus events. All facilities are available for formal and informal fitness activities by students, faculty, and staff.
Student outcomes in sport‑related study.
Many students who study sports at Knox turn their passion for athletics into careers in coaching and sport leadership. Several now serve as head and assistant coaches right here on campus, bringing their experience full circle.
- Casey Hipp ’21 | Head Softball Coach, Knox College
- Annie Gerdes ’19 | Head Women’s Soccer Coach, Knox College
Sports Studies FAQs
You can pursue a variety of paths, including coaching, education, sport administration, youth and community sport, recreation, and graduate study. Sports studies pairs especially well with education and other interdisciplinary areas, helping students build skills in leadership, communication, and teamwork that apply both within sport and in broader professional settings.
Sports studies at Knox does not provide the coursework required for athletic training certification. However, students may have opportunities for student employment and applied experiences that allow them to work alongside athletic training staff and gain exposure to the field. These experiences can be valuable for students exploring athletic training or related health professions as a future path.
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Contact us to find out more about our comprehensive majors, minors, and programs.
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