I imagine this will be an unpopular opinion, and I find it difficult to locate the precise words. Basically, the idea that big time athletics is a worthy endeavor for a university has always been a balancing act and a bit suspension of disbelief. I've always gone in for the rah rah for my old school routine. The fact that I'd occasionall…
I imagine this will be an unpopular opinion, and I find it difficult to locate the precise words. Basically, the idea that big time athletics is a worthy endeavor for a university has always been a balancing act and a bit suspension of disbelief. I've always gone in for the rah rah for my old school routine. The fact that I'd occasionally have a recognizable football or basketball star in one of my classes made it easy to feel like I was rooting for my classmates on the weekend.
I don't know if there's any clear tipping point. If so, we're probably well past it. In any event its quite clear that universities are contorting themselves to provide content for tv networks. Some schools make out quite well in that endeavor, and others do it at great cost. But for me the question of whether this is worthy of any institution of higher learning is quite clearly a "no."
I've been a big Bears fan for 30 years. Really I have. But all this nonsense makes it so easy to not care. So long Bears, its been mostly fun. Also, there are other problems in the world.
Oh, I think it's important that academe is not in a protective bubble and apart from gravity. Athletics are an important component to a balanced university environment. And how can we say, as a university, we pursue excellence, but athletic mediocrity is "okay"?
Honestly, intellectual snobs who hated P.E. will drive to kill sports programs at any university, if given the voice to do so. Intellectual bullying is no better than physical such. And what do you have without athletics? Cal Tech? Bubbles need to be burst every now and then.
I think athletics are an important part of the campus culture that attracts and retains students, but I understand where you (and others who share this opinion, including faculty) are coming from. The relentless pursuit of justification in the name of the almighty dollar has crossed into a new realm of destructive and selfish stupidity.
I imagine this will be an unpopular opinion, and I find it difficult to locate the precise words. Basically, the idea that big time athletics is a worthy endeavor for a university has always been a balancing act and a bit suspension of disbelief. I've always gone in for the rah rah for my old school routine. The fact that I'd occasionally have a recognizable football or basketball star in one of my classes made it easy to feel like I was rooting for my classmates on the weekend.
I don't know if there's any clear tipping point. If so, we're probably well past it. In any event its quite clear that universities are contorting themselves to provide content for tv networks. Some schools make out quite well in that endeavor, and others do it at great cost. But for me the question of whether this is worthy of any institution of higher learning is quite clearly a "no."
I've been a big Bears fan for 30 years. Really I have. But all this nonsense makes it so easy to not care. So long Bears, its been mostly fun. Also, there are other problems in the world.
Oh, I think it's important that academe is not in a protective bubble and apart from gravity. Athletics are an important component to a balanced university environment. And how can we say, as a university, we pursue excellence, but athletic mediocrity is "okay"?
Honestly, intellectual snobs who hated P.E. will drive to kill sports programs at any university, if given the voice to do so. Intellectual bullying is no better than physical such. And what do you have without athletics? Cal Tech? Bubbles need to be burst every now and then.
"Penny, Penny, Penny."
I think athletics are an important part of the campus culture that attracts and retains students, but I understand where you (and others who share this opinion, including faculty) are coming from. The relentless pursuit of justification in the name of the almighty dollar has crossed into a new realm of destructive and selfish stupidity.
Also fair question to ask if public universities should be subsidizing what amounts to a for-profit sports league?
I have no issue if everything was paid by tax money