"athletic Reforms A Waste Of Time"

[LongJim]

Pushing athletic reforms a waste of time, say leaders

'They know they're going to get run over - so why bother?'

By Bob Dart

COX WASHINGTON BUREAU

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

WASHINGTON ? At universities with big-time football and basketball programs, professors know better than to step in front of the freight train of commercialized sports, a law school dean told the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics on Monday.

"They know they're going to get run over" if they try to push athletic reforms, said Gary Roberts, dean of the Indiana University School of Law and a former faculty athletics representative at Tulane University. "So why bother?"

"At the end of the day, this is the entertainment industry and not the education business, and the faculty doesn't have much to say about it," Roberts declared at a Faculty Summit on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Indeed, a survey of faculty members at Division I-A universities found that 62 percent see intercollegiate athletics as "structurally separate" from the academic part of their university. Half believe decisions in the athletic department are made "with minimal regard for their university's academic mission," but rather "are driven by the entertainment industry."

The findings were presented at an all-day meeting of the Knight Commission. The commission is made up of college presidents, conference officials, former athletes and coaches and other members of the intercollegiate sports community, and has pushed through reforms in major college sports.

While these reformers are pushing for more faculty help, many professors want no part in attempting to oversee athletic departments, the poll indicated. Professors ranked intercollegiate athletics low among their priorities for faculty governance on campus.

Much of the faculty "is afraid this is a completely corrupt process and, if you get involved, you're going to get dirty," said Paul Haagen, a Duke University professor and co-director of the school's Center for Sports Law and Policy. Faculty members argue "the reality is that it just sucks time away from what I get paid to do ? research and teaching," said Scott Adler, an associate professor of political science at the University of Colorado.

[drex]

Finally, academia gets it. Intercollegiate athletics is advertising and entertainment for the university. If used correctly, intercollegiate athletics can afford the opportunity to attract future student, make alumni proud and attract corporate dollars to the school. The good news for the academicians is that the NCAA is forcing athletes to pursue degrees and maintain a better GPA than in past decades, etc.

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

'Minimal regard for the academic mission'? I don't think they do get it. The whole idea is to build up the university so that its academic pursuits can be deepened and expanded. That is the primary purpose of having athletics for the university. Of course, athletics wouldn't have a hope of achieving that purpose if it wasn't fun.

[Quoner]

Everyone gets an F in reading comprehension

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

Oh woe, please enlighten us.

[trud1966]

'Minimal regard for the academic mission'? I don't think they do get it. The whole idea is to build up the university so that its academic pursuits can be deepened and expanded. That is the primary purpose of having athletics for the university. Of course, athletics wouldn't have a hope of achieving that purpose if it wasn't fun.

Exactly. Have these people not considered the fundamental theory that collegiate sports/ ticket sales generates capital, which pays salaries, more importantly pays for scholarships, to be offered to student athletes who might not otherwise be able to attend a university and get an education? I realize the athletic dollars mostly get poured directly back into the athletic department, but for professors to take the stance that academia and athletics dont feed off of each other is nuts. If UNT football program were to really rise the way we all want it to over the next 4-5 years. the ENTIRE system would win.

Great Athletic Program=More popoularity=more exposure=more students=more capital=higher salaries=better/more faculty=stronger programs=MORE STUDENTS. etc etc That equation could be rearranged a thousand different ways, but you get the idea....So should the prof's...

[Eagle1855]

I dont think the profs are dogging athletics, rather they are saying getting more involved in that "structurally seperate" part of the university is a waste of their time.

While these reformers are pushing for more faculty help, many professors want no part in attempting to oversee athletic departments, the poll indicated. Professors ranked intercollegiate athletics low among their priorities for faculty governance on campus.

I tend to agree.

[meangreendork]

I dont think the profs are dogging athletics, rather they are saying getting more involved in that "structurally seperate" part of the university is a waste of their time.

I tend to agree.

I wouldn't do it either. Unless the program has some sort of real academic problem or has been pulling much needed funds away for stupid things, then I'd stay out of it. I'd be at all the games, but that's as far as it'd go with me.

[Quoner]

I dont think the profs are dogging athletics, rather they are saying getting more involved in that "structurally seperate" part of the university is a waste of their time.

I tend to agree.

B+

and I get a D for using an emoticon.