RIP Harvard / Yale rivalry

Athletic Recruits
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<p>@etondad: Could you point me to the 18% of students who are recruited athletes?
According to [Harvard</a> Athletics Recruiting Central: Harvard Athletics - GoCrimson.com](<a href=“http://www.gocrimson.com/information/recruiting/index]Harvard”>Harvard University - Official Athletics Website), 20% of students participate in intercollegiate athletics; not all of them are recruited. My reasoning is that most seriously recruited athletes at Harvard received a LL at one time during the recruiting process, particularly when Harvard did not participate in early admission. At that time, there were 200 LL in an admit class of 1700 (as in previous years). [The</a> Three Hundred | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“The Three Hundred | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson”>The Three Hundred | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson) Also, it’s not so easy to decide who of the 20% participating in sports is a ‘recruited athlete,’ as this may range from a verbal commit in Sophomore/Junior year and LL in hand on Oct. 1 to student-athletes who are admitted from the waiting list late in May and are asked to defer.</p>

<p>My comment about majors, concentrations, whatever you want to call it, did not specifically address Harvard but rather was meant to point out that this is an issue to be considered for any school. In fact, there’s an article in the [UP</a> CLOSE | Students or athletes? | Yale Daily News](<a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/sep/23/sacrificing-academics-for-athletics/]UP”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/sep/23/sacrificing-academics-for-athletics/) .<br>
Here’s an older article specifically about Harvard, [Deconstructing</a> the Gov Jock | FM | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2004/10/14/deconstructing-the-gov-jock-with-the/]Deconstructing”>The Harvard Crimson) It’s obviously a mix of reasons why students study what they do, but the difficulty of combining athletics with premed or a science concentration is certainly evident. (And many of the LW women rowers most likely were not recruited.)</p>

<p>One last comment, similar to comments from athletes at Yale and Princeton (and yes, Harvard) that I know personally: “I quickly wanted to add that as a recruited athlete, I don’t really feel any stigma against me; most people don’t know I was recruited unless I tell them so.” [The</a> Three Hundred | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“The Three Hundred | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson”>The Three Hundred | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson)</p>

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<p>For all of you who have been participating in this particular topic forum, I highly recommend reading this. An excellent piece from an athlete’s personal view after 4 years at Yale. </p>

<p>“Dumb athlete” I think not - I hope my son leaves with such an informed perspective.</p>

<p>[JANES:</a> Four Years in Yale Athletics | Yale Daily News](<a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/apr/04/four-years-in-yale-athletics/]JANES:”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/apr/04/four-years-in-yale-athletics/)</p>

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<p>■■■■■■■■ Parent, thanks for the link. Ms. Janes makes a stirring, heartfelt case for Yale athletics. It continues to be painful and frustrating, though, to realize just how utterly indifferent the administration is to the well-articulated passion of so many. </p>

<p>Those who care will simply have to muster forces and find ‘work-arounds’ [I don’t know, maybe direct donations to individual sports? Will that work? Other ideas?] until more mature, farsighted leadership prevails. I appreciate the sentiment of one commenter:</p>

<p>“We feel that you will go far… and that Levin will become a dusty footnote in Yale’s annals. Bravo! You spoke up.”</p>

<p>By the way, I returned to my west coast digs yesterday after a weekend visit to campus, where I was treated to the unchanging eyesore of Payne Whitney gym shrouded in scaffolding and tarp. </p>

<p>Apparently it was hit by the administrative Taser, too.</p>

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<p>NW, great post. What the heck is the hold-up with the Payne Whitney, anyway? I was on campus last weekend and wondered if the delay is just another symptom of the low priority of athletics. In spite of the exterior mess, I went on what will probably be my last visit to the PW for a while. What an amazing monument to sport. I hope it’s not a tombstone.</p>

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<p>We too were on campus this past weekend. Do wish the Payne Whitney was finished.</p>

<p>Thanks for the recent article from the YDN IvyBoundParent.</p>

<p>Our student was just discussing how angry many students are with Levin…how HP and Stanford are equally successful with academics and athletics…</p>

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<p>It really has been a pleasure to tell the Yale Development people to take a hike. I find Levin insufferable in many ways-- and I’ll leave the funding of my former alma mater (now just where I went to college) to other people who feel happy about Levin. Go Crimson, Go Ephs!</p>

<p>I find this thread tedious. The Levin lovers versus the Levin haters-- if you want to love what that man has done to Yale, you are free to do so–I have decided to send to the recycling bin my letters from New Haven and have asked them to cease sending me the alumni magazine-- after all, I just can’t be bothered-- I guess I miswrote-- I am not a Levin hater-- I just don’t care about Levin or Yale any more. Bye.</p>