A Few College Research Paper Topics for Sports Fans

It is a matter of common sense that the best college research paper topics are those that students find to be the most interesting. Sports and athletics are a major area of interest among many college students, and it is a subject that is full of potentially good college research paper topics. Students who wish to write about a sports related topic might have some trouble narrowing their focus down to a specific topic though. Here are a few research paper topics for college students who wish to write about a sports related topic.

Sports Related Employment

There are many sub-topics that a student can research in the category of sports related employment. Students can research the various majors that one can choose that could lead to a career in sports. In addition to this, they can research statistics related to employment in sports related fields. Finally, they can select a specific individual (athletic trainer, coach, broadcaster, etc.) and research their career and background.

Steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs

This is a great topic for students who have an interest in chemistry, medicine, psychology, or politics and law, in addition to an interest in sports. Here is a sampling of college research paper topic ideas on the subject of steroids and performance enhancing drugs:

• Research the long term effects of steroids on retired athletes. Include data on suicides, dementia, and cancer.
• Study the involvement of congress in the professional baseball steroid scandal of the early 2000's. Was the congressional investigation in the best interests of the citizens of the country, or was it simply a politically manipulative waste of taxpayer money?
• Choose one of two thesis statements. 1. Athletes use performance enhancing drugs to gain an unfair advantage over their opponents. 2. Athletes us performance enhancing drugs because they are pressured by coaches, team owners, sponsor, and fans to perform, often in spite of being injured.
• Use the following writing prompt to begin a research paper: Does media glorification of unrealistic performance standard influence younger athletes to try performance enhancing drugs.
• Should performance enhancing drugs be banished, or should athletes be allowed to take them at their own risk as long as they disclose their use?
• If a professional athlete is found to have been using steroids or other illegal substances, should they face a life time ban from hall of fame consideration?

Bioengineering and Sports

A little more than a decade ago, an athlete with an artificial limb(s) could never perform at the same level of an athlete without disabilities. Now, disabled athletes are competing in main stream competitions. This is due in large part to bioengineering (the design and manufacturing of artificial limbs and organs).  Students who need college research paper topic ideas should consider the following:

• Research the design and manufacturing process of artificial limbs for athletes.
• Use the following question as a writing prompt: Has scientific progress made it possible for an athlete with an artificial limb to have an unfair advantage over his or her opponents?
• Is it possible for bioengineering to teach us more about the physiology of movement?

Sports and Culture

Competitive sports has a huge impact on modern culture. It influences education, advertising, television and movies, and even business. There are many ways in which a student can use this as inspiration as they think about research paper ideas for college. They can explore whether or not athletes are a privileged class in high schools and whether or not they receive preferential treatment. They can also write on the subject of the influence of sponsorships on athletes. Finally, the student can research title IX and the causes and effects related to that legislation.

Clearly, the field of sports flows over into a wide variety of other content fields of coursework in college. The students how is a sports enthusiast can use that enthusiasm to great advantage when choose college research paper topics.