After a recent conversation among friends regarding the current state of the sporting world, I found that many people have conflicting opinions on which they enjoy more — college sports or professional sports.

For me, the choice is easy. I thoroughly enjoy watching college sports as opposed to pro sports. Not to say that I dislike watching the pros, just that I find college games much more invigorating to watch. There’s something about the pride and pageantry of a big-time college football or basketball game that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The raucous crowds and the atmosphere of a college campus make for an unbelievable event to watch, and better yet, take part in. Watching thousands of students file into their respective sections of the crowd to watch their classmates take on a crosstown rival is exhilarating, to say the least, and the atmosphere truly is unique to itself.

Aside from the experience of a college game, I find that the athletes play with a certain swagger and a bit more passion than professional athletes. Maybe this is because college athletes aren’t paid for what they do (allegedly, but that’s another story). When all is said and done, they aren’t guaranteed a multi-million dollar paycheck like the pros are, so perhaps that is why I find that college athletes play with more intensity. Some would argue that professional salaries have the exact opposite effect, and that they are more inclined to play hard because they want to get paid more and more each year. But the way I see it is college athletes have so much more to play for.

As our conversation went on, a friend of mine brought up an interesting point. He noted that fans often think professional sports are less exciting and even boring, and the reason being that professional athletes are all so very close in talent to one another that it looks boring to an uneducated fan. Professional players are so close in skill level that there aren't a whole lot of exciting plays, whereas in college there are thrilling plays all the time because some players far outweigh their opponents in terms of talent. Although there are a few holes in this point of view, I thought it was a very interesting take. Back and forth the banter went, but I stood by my love of college athletics.

With college football season quickly approaching, and basketball soon to follow, I am extremely excited for the fall to watch my favorite schools go head-to-head and see which schools reign in collegiate athletics.