<p>Kevin Dilks
University of Michigan</p>
<p>1.Do you think schools are heavily invested in the team’s success economically or emotionally?</p>
<p>Yes to both. One recent issue is that despite a 66 million dollar budget cut to Rutgers, their football team has gotten MORE funding while they are threatening to cut 6 other programs. Only 12 teams are capable of making a profit off of football, but they also get residual benefits of better nation-wide exposure. Lots of schools also have tons of pride in their sports programs because honestly they have little else to be proud of.</p>
<p>2.After a big win, do you feel especially prideful? Why?
Yes, as I think a lot of people live their dreams vicariously through their sports program, and in any case invest a lot of theirselves emotionally in the game. Happiest moment of my life was watching Michigan beat Colorado College 3-2 in overtime at Riverfront Coliseum for the NCAA hockey national championship in 1996.</p>
<p>3.Does your school’s athletic department carry a “win-at-all-cost” mentality? If so, explain why?
One of the strengths of Michigan's athletic program has been it's integrity. You can argue it started with Bo, he set the precedent. Coached a top program for decades, never a hint of a scandal. Always a fair man, truly committed to the principles of hard-work and equality. Those who stay will be champions. Bill Martin is also a highly respected figure. He never applied for the jobs of USOC head or Michigan Athletic Director, it was his peers who nominated him. He was interim AD for 6 months, and when that ended every single coach at Michigan signed a petition asking him to stay. He got the Athletic Department back on the right track, is fixing all of the leftover crap from the Fab Five, fixed US Olympic steroid problem, and as he said in a 2002 press conference, "Integrity is Michigan's top priority." Ignorant sportswriters last year would say that if Lloyd didn't have a good season he'd get axed, but they don't know how things run at Michigan. The only man Lloyd has to answer to is Bill Martin: and as long as Lloyd's running a clean, solid program, Bill is happy. Tressel may be a good coach, but other than possibly Miami he runs the most corrupt football program in the nation. He had his players at Youngstown State paid by boosters, has been doing the same thing at OSU to multiple players (including Troy Smith, who only sat out a game after getting caught), and has had a number of players wind up as felons.</p>
<ol>
<li>What is your biggest thing you love or hate about college football?
Biggest current hate is in the BCS and overall ranking system, and how they artificially inflate undefeated teams that don't play anybody good.</li>
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<p>5.How has the presence of a success football team altered the overall campus environment of your school and your college experience?
I think as a large school, it's good to have something like football to bring everybody together. </p>
<p>6.Does college football promote partying?
Kids will use anything as an excuse to get wasted. Football happens to be a very convenient one.</p>
<p>7.Are the athletes given special treatment at your school? If yes, why?
Yes. Personally assigned academic advisors, and a small army of other people tracking their progress. Their own academic center (where they're required to spend at least 10 hours a week). Computers in said facilities have computer programs that are meant to help dyslexic/learning disabled middle-high schoolers. Athletes can rent laptops for the weekends, apparently. Personal tutors.</p>
<p>8.Do you think that major corporations are a big part of college football? If yes, do you think they are trying to exploit colleges fans and play a too big of a role?
Major corporations definitely are too involved in the game, and will exploit anybody to make money. Noon kickoffs are best for local people attending the game. TV companies want later game times to increase ratings on the West Coast, even though this causes many problems due to having an excessive amount of tailgating time and they fact that it's dark when the games get out. The concept of a 12th game is solely to increase revenue at the expense of the athletes.</p>