In announcing establishment of a football program within its National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I athletic program in 2012 or 2013, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) offered a rationale different from what many would expect (Perimutt, 2008). The UNCC chancellor noted that neither generating revenue nor growing enrollments motivated the decision to start football, recognizing the realities that few institutions operate athletics without institutional subsidies. On the same day Charlotte announced its football intentions, the "Chronicle of Higher Education" (2008) reported the influence of new athletics programs on Division III Adrian College. In this article, the author discusses how small colleges, such as Charlotte and Adrian, are using intercollegiate athletics strategically in positioning the institution and advancing broader institutional aspirations. In considering these strategies, the author suggests a categorization of "use" and conclude with an exploration of Division II and III institutions that recently added football programs, focusing on the uses of college sports at smaller institutions. (Contains 1 note.)