Football wins can help college's academic reputation

[Harry]

AUSTIN, Texas -- College football coaches might have more to worry about than the high expectations of their faithful fans.

A big season might help enhance their universities' academic reputations, too.

According to a working paper published this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research, winning on the field also increases donations, applications, academic reputation, in-state enrollment - and incoming test scores.

Now, keep in mind that the academic and enrollment benefits - while statistically significant - are modest at best, according to the study's authors.

"There are effects, but they're not so large you'd want to run a huge deficit on the team" to chase more victories, said Michael Anderson, an economist at the University of California-Berkeley and the author of the study. "You definitely still want the team to break even." Consider it a bonus for having a team that wins more than it loses, he said.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/06/4614124/football-wins-can-help-colleges.html#storylink=cpy

[oldguystudent]

True to a point, in that LSU would be pumping out semi-literate slack jaws without sports. But my kid gets into Cal Tech (pretty much zero wins at anything), Harvard (where football is without scholarships or bowls and rowing reigns supreme) and, say, Alabama, the SEC doesn't even crack runner up.

[DT 90]

Applications for in-coming freshmen at both TCU and Baylor are sky high this year. I personally know one kid who went from being a BIG TTU fan and was going to Lubbock who now is going to Baylor just because of BUs success in all sports this past year.

[drex]

While it is totally irrational, it is the world we live in.

[shaft]

I heard a rumor athletics is the window to a university

[gksmith]

It helps the bottom line. Football programs at some of the higher level schools pay for everything else because they take in so much.

[GrandGreen]

I am not sure that winning football increases academic reputation, but it does greatly increase the awareness of the school. It is in effect very expensive advertising. The irony is that schools like UT that are very good academically, field athletic teams were the vast majority of players would never be admitted to the school through normal channels. Hypocracy at it's best and I am not picking on UT because I expect their player standards are in line with the rest of the powers if not higher.

[MeanGreenTexan]

I wonder how much Boise St. academic standards changed over the years.

[tylermeangreen]

I wonder how much Boise St. academic standards changed over the years.

It is not so much the "standards" that change

but

the perception that the general public has of a university's academics as a result of a strong athletic program.

Not defending such - just suggesting that is what is.