Should athletics be cut at some schools to cut costs?

Parent Cafe
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<p>How about best fit socially, academically, financially, and career wise. </p>

<p>Would not those be better criteria for young people to decide where they will attend college vs. where a particular college football or basketball program ranks?</p>

<p>If the above are indeed the better criteria then athletic programs are on down the list and should not be given such a high importance or prestige for having such influence when they clearly do not.</p>

<p>As college costs continue to spiral out of control how winning a college sports program is will matter less to students than does the cost/benefit ratio for their actual lives outside of college…</p>

<p>as it should be.</p>

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Why aren’t athletics a part of “social” fit?</p>

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<p>Musicprnt said: </p>

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<p>Can you cite a source for this? Thanks, I’d like to see all those major studies.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/sports/03cup.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/sports/03cup.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Well, there’s this.</p>

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<p>There are all sorts of schools with all sorts of different emphasis for all sorts of different kids.</p>

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<p>I guess they could be if one of your main goals in life is season ticket holder…</p>

<p>FTR, I LOVE sports. It’s one of my biggest addictions. I just would not place them at the top of my list for reasons to attend a college. Neither would my children because they know that sports are entertainment and a diversion from real life. Nothing more unless you make your living doing them.</p>

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<p>Wrong again. From the USAToday news article linked in post #9:</p>

<p>“Like most other schools in NCAA Division I, Radford relies on student fees to help support ever-expanding athletics budgets. Many schools, including Radford, do not itemize where those fees go for those who pay the tuition bills, USA TODAY found in an ongoing examination of college athletics finances. The amounts going to athletics are soaring, and account for as much as 23% of the required annual bill for in-state students.”</p>

<p>I dare say that reducing the fees paid by in-state students by 23% would certainly put it in financial reach of a lot more of them. The amounts some schools, and students though their fees, spend on college sports is not insignificant.</p>

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<p>And you are entitled to your opinion. Fortunately your kids will have that choice just like kids that choose UofM because of it’s football program. Those students have the academic horsepower to choose school with far less athletic traditions. But it’s presumptuous to assume that your opinion or your kids’ opinions will be the same as others or that their criteria for choosing one school over another will be the same criteria used by another family.</p>

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<p>Of the DOZENS of teenagers I know I think ZERO or close to that number chose their school based on the sports program. I think those immersed in the sporting experience tend to over emphasize the impact of both their benefit and their loss if they were absent.</p>

<p>We’ve been immersed for seven years and this past three months we have not been. The earth kept spinning and the sun kept rising.</p>

<p>In all honesty, we have all enjoyed the breather and it gave us a fresh perspective on just how important and out of whack the priority of sports had become to a family who really does not embrace it in the first place.</p>

<p>We spend every Sunday watching the NFL as is our tradition but none of us are making life choices based on our fandom.</p>

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<p>Coreur, I think ALL college and university budgets should be closely scrutinized “Customers” and employees and “investors” should demand a certain level of transparency whether the institutions are public or private. It’s up to the individual institutions to justify how they allocate their finances but it should not be obfuscated.</p>

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<p>I think those not immersed in the sporting experience tend to underemphasize the impact of both their benefit and their loss if they were absent. </p>

<p>So what? </p>

<p>You have your opnion and I have mine.</p>

<p>I also would have a tendency to emphasize the impact of the performing arts, as well as music and poetry and, in fact, good old fashioned friendship. And I’ve got more than one doctoral degree.</p>

<p>To each his own.</p>

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<p>More of a mixed bag with my boys friends. Some went off with athletic scholarships to obscure schools, some chose one school over another because of family athletic traditions (Notre Dame, Michigan State, Michigan type loyalties and legacies) , some never had the college’s athletics on their radar screen. Just a more diverse sampling of kids perhaps.</p>

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<p>They could be a factor but should not be the deciding factor for choosing a college. I have a hard time believing it is for most families.</p>

<p>If my student is coming to me and telling me he’s got an offer from a college that is financially, socially, academically, and career wise a great choice for him but he’s going to pass because _____ is ranked number ____ in ____ and has the best fans and would offer him the best rah-rah experience, I’m refusing to fund college and telling him if that is his priority then he can pay for it himself. I’m willing to bet many parents feel this way.</p>

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<p>And well you should.</p>

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<p>Marching/Pep band
Cheerleading
Usher at games
Sports Information
Game Management
Athletic Training
Student Coaching
Broadcasting
Journalism
Ticket Sales
Concessions
Merchandise
Equipment Managers</p>

<p>So there’s 13 off the top of my head. May have more later…</p>

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<p>It seems implicit in the NYT article on the University of Florida is that despite the big sports being able to cover the costs of the rest and even contributing to academics in the past two decades, that this may soon change. Spending on those other money-losing sports is ballooning while other academic programs are being cut, and some see this as unsustainable.</p>

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<p>How many of those are volunteer positions available to someone who is unable to make a team? Ushering, ticket sales, concessions.</p>

<p>The rest are pretty specific to the team, sport, or field of study.</p>

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<p>wildwood…I think, in general, spending at Universities is unsustainable. The cost of an education is way out of whack with inflation or earnings. It’s all basically funded on the backs of student borrowing.</p>

<p>I don’t think this is only applicable to sports. But, I’m sure sports and music and the performing arts will be the things that get cut, and I, for one, think this is incredibly unfortunate.</p>

<p>Others clearly disagree. </p>

<p>Which is also fine.</p>

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<p>poet, are you implying that you would approve of your student choosing a college based on winning sports program over the other attributes that would contribute to their college and career goals?</p>

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<p>Agree with the unfortunate nature of the cuts. Especially when compared to administrative salaries and marketing budgets. How much money is thrown away in snazzy brochures, post it pads, and key chains sent to students who will not attend your university?</p>

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<p>denise, my youngest is a recruited athlete.</p>

<p>My oldest, while majoring in a “hard” science and on a merit scholarship also recieved a scholarship for the performing arts.</p>

<p>I’m not sure I’m your target audience. But, I respect your opinion.</p>

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Nice strawman. In general, students aren’t going to be comparing two vastly disparate schools. Here’s another scenario for you:</p>

<p>School 1: Decent academics, workable financials, good career tracking
School 2: Decent academics, workable financials, good career tracking</p>

<p>School 2 has a really good hockey team and School 1 doesn’t have a hockey program at all. Is it so wrong to choose #2 at least partly based on the availability of a strong hockey program?</p>