Football Gone - Academics Saved - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 22, 2006

Football Gone - Academics Saved

Date: Feb 22, 2006

Just how is that positive?

A president who understood how to run a university was run out of town by alumni who joined forces with the politically correct crowd becuase he dared to speak an unpopular opinion -- Where are the cries of "academic freedom" for Summers? Some of you will get riled up over a USM press release but think Summers' departure is A-OK.

A university decides that its football program is not feasible financially or logistically. And that is somehow a statement about an academic triumph over athletics?

Date: Feb 22, 2006

I sometimes think that Angeline either suffers from multiple personality disorder or is simply mentally retarded. Some of the stuff that he/she posts has got to be satire. There's no way that's real.

Date: Feb 22, 2006

IMer on Campus wrote:

A university decides that its football program is not feasible financially or logistically. And that is somehow a statement about an academic triumph over athletics?

Songwriter Joel Mabus used to introduce his immor(t)al country song, "Hitler was a Vegetarian," by noting that "There are a lot of good reasons to be a vegetarian, but moral superiority isn't one of them." I don't know why, but that quote seems germane to this thread.

Institutions that abolish athletics are often very close to a fiscal point-of-no-return & simple survival is the question rather than "academic excellence."

Date: Feb 22, 2006

Well of course my thread title was (partly) satire. But the phrasing wasn't mine - did you see the title of the article or not get that far? Now is it positive that Summers resigned rather than suffer through a vote of no confidence or that a school abandons a highly costly money pit called football? I, personally, am not sure, but I am sure that some of those concerned with the quality of higher education will see it as positive. I just wanted to share the news.

Date: Feb 22, 2006

I think only revenue neutral sports should be subsidized with scholarships on a collegiate level. What I mean is that only sports like football , baseball,etc that produce enough income to pay for the awarded scholarships. All womens' sports and all non revenue mens' sports should be offered but without scholarships. The practice of giving scholarships to sports like womens' volleyball,mens' golf,etc. is one of the biggest scams ever pushed on society.

Date: Feb 22, 2006

If you are at Notre Dame, the Univ. of Michigan, etc. football brings in money to the university. That is not the case at schools like USM. Monies from tickets, ESPN, etc. does NOT balance the cost (think coaches salaries, trips to away games, etc. along with scholarships) for football. It is fine to have a football team, but to think that the sport makes money at schools like USM is erroneous. The concept that football makes lots of money and supports the other sports at USM is not correct.

Date: Feb 22, 2006

Getting rid of football for academic reasons makes sense. I think we should get rid of football at USM and put the money into PhD programs in areas where there is a gigantic surplus of applicants for jobs. Pood and Gandy should recommend this at the next Dean's gathering. Then the Eagle Talk folks can square of with COAL and COST.