Starting a course at a university is always an experience full of expectations, especially if this is your first time entering university life. This is because we all have a cultural repertoire full of films and series that create a common imagery of what this moment in life is like. There are always stories full of friends, parties and certainly some college team involved in the middle to go and compete in championships. It turns out that these expectations don't have to be just expectations, the athletic ones exist and provide all of this to students: making new friends, staying on top of events and developing in some sport.
They are truly a “hand in the wheel” for those who want to make the most of their university period and find it difficult to make new friends, or are going to live in a new city even for the course. The athletic ones are perfect for those who need a little help in getting familiar with the new environment. So, here's everything you need to know about these institutions and why you should check them out as soon as you start your first day at college.
What are college athletics?
To start well, first let's understand what an athletic is. Two of their main characteristics to understand and explain are that they are part of the university culture and are made by students for other students. Most of the rituals seen in colleges, such as freshmen, semester closing parties, among others, have athletics as one of the organizing entities.
It is also traditional that these are collectives formed only by students, since the objective of athletics is aimed precisely at them. Therefore, the entire structure is made up of the university students themselves, they occupy positions such as President, Vice-President, Treasurer and even work in the marketing departments.
Speaking about the structure of athletics, they can be quite complex, but very important to be known if the student wants to participate in one. In practice, each athletic is organized in its own way, but there are some sectors that tend to be common to all of them. Some of them (and the most obvious of being common) are the positions of President, Vice President, Director of Sports, Secretary and Treasurer, nothing different from what one would expect from a university collective.
However, there are other levels of organization that may surprise you, such as the marketing department, events department and even the product department (after all, where else could you buy your athletic clothing and flags?).
What do college athletics do?
Historically, the creation of these entities was precisely to promote greater integration among the university crowd, to allow freshmen to get along with each other, to meet more veterans and for classes, courses and years to mix. It wasn't long before athletics began to play an ever-increasing role in the college world. They not only became responsible for socializing events, but also became environments for students to exercise their skills, functioning as companies, some even have CNPJ.
Currently, university athletics are much more than just sports entities, they organize events, produce and sell themed products, create an image, plan and carry out championships and much more. Therefore, there is room for everyone on the faculty to find an opportunity related to their area in athletics and start gaining some experience.
There is also the social and community function of athletics. They play the role of mobilizing the university community to carry out solidarity actions, meaning extremely important support for various charities.
5 darling athletes in São Paulo
Now, enough talking about the concept of what an athletic is and let's go straight to the ones you will hear most about throughout your university life in São Paulo.
FGV's AAAGV
The Getúlio Vargas Academic Athletic Association was officially founded in 1987, when it became independent from the Getúlio Vargas Academic Directory, due to an increase in student interest in sports. Therefore, the oldest on this list.
They are responsible for organizing specific FGV events for students, such as GVjada, BotaFora and Giabolica. In addition to organizing, performing and participating in university games. The championships in which GVnianos participate are Economíadas (of which FGV was part of the creation), Integramix and TUSCA.
They chose the colors black and yellow to represent their love for the college and their mascot is an alligator, which is even referred to in the name of some events, such as Jacatenda, and in one of its solidarity actions, Amigo Jacaré. This is not FGV's only charity action, as it is accompanied by Trote Solidário, both promoted by athletics to use university solidarity to help institutions in São Paulo.
AAA Jesse Owens from Cásper Libero
Created in 1993, the Jesse Owens Academic Athletic Association came up with this name to honor the black American athlete who won 4 gold medals at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and created a profound impact on Hitler's supremacist agenda. Another important year for this athlete was 1995, when in that edition of JUCA, Cásper students chose the Birdman as their mascot.
Since we mentioned the University Games of Communication and Arts (JUCA), another university game in which Casperians always participate is the New University Sports (NDU). On all occasions, students always wear the colors red and white.
The athleticism of the birdman is always present in the organization of events such as Arriba Cásper and Cervejada dos Bixos. Cásper also has its own Trote Solidário and, despite being different entities, Homem-Pássaro always encourages students to join Cásper Solidária projects.
Pucão from PUC-SP
Pucão was born in 2001 from the opportunity created by the opening of a vacancy to participate in a new faculty at JUCA. To take advantage of this chance and start PUC's sporting career, PUC's Atlética de Comunicação was created, affectionately nicknamed PUCÃO, a nickname that was transferred to its teams such as Cachorro Louco, for soccer and futsal, and Rottweiler, for Rugby.
Wearing their navy blue and yellow, the most canine puquianos participate in JUCA as a university game, religiously organize a party warm-up on Fridays, called Vira-Lata, and also perform the traditional Solidarity Trot.
YYYY ESPM
Founded in 1991, the ESPM Academic Athletic Association, also known as Jacarito, is another of the oldest athletic associations, born out of the students' pain at not having a sports environment in college. Since then, they participate annually in JUCA and Economídia, promote their famous SleepOver and the great Singles Ball and organize the annual Solidarity Trot.
The athlete's nickname reveals who her mascot is, the alligator Jacarito, always represented by the colors blue and white.
USP Ecatlética
The Academic Athletic Association Lupe Cotrim is the formal name, in homage to the poet from São Paulo Lupe Cotrim, of the famous Ecatlética, born as an independent institution in 1990.
Ecatlética participates mainly in JUCA and BIFE, the latter being aimed at courses within USP itself. In addition to the games, USP students can still wear their traditional yellow and purple at FestECA, which takes place annually and is one of the biggest university events in São Paulo.
Recently, the directors of Ecatlética have attributed a benevolent character to FestECA by carrying out donation campaigns with guests. The idea started in 2012, with the donation of toys, and has been a success ever since.
Now you know the five most loved athletics in São Paulo! To learn more about college matters – such as college athletics – and student housing, visit the university website. Uliving. The company specializes in student housing and is the largest student housing network in Brazil.
