<p>“FACT 1: The football and basketball programs at Maryland supply the programs, you prefer, with desperately needed funds.”</p>
<p>Is this true? In Washington, the athletic funds are essentially sequestered. No athletic funds are used as far as I am aware, for example, to fund student tuition, or faculty hiring (outside of athletics). </p>
<p>“Fact 3: Your argument is a zealot’s conundrum.”</p>
<p>I happen to favor both big time football and basketball programs, so you must be addressing someone else. In my state, there would be significantly fewer African-Americans attending the state universities without football and basketball scholarships making it possible, and while I may not be entirely satisfied with the academic rigor they are able to pursue (at least partially because of the massive time commitment big time sports requires), I’m also aware that athletes here graduate at a higher rate than those of the same race/ethnicity and economic class who are not athletes. </p>
<p>I don’t particular care one way or the other about the performance of the teams. I don’t think most of the players originally came from our state in any case, and they could just as well have been playing for the “opposition”. Why should I be rooting for one player from California playing against another player player from California just because they happen to have a “W” or an “O” on their uniforms?</p>
<p>But I do think it isn’t a good idea for athletic teams to be tone-deaf about what it going on at the rest of the university.</p>
<p>Here’s the question: should a school under budget pressure cut all intercollegiate sports? Football and basketball typically involve academic compromises and the risk of scandals. Other sports, without football and basketball to subsidize them, would be money drains that would be even harder to justify retaining.</p>
<p>"But it certainly sounds like you continue to have an axe to grind somewhere where California teams are concerned. "</p>
<p>I only have an “axe to grind” with unnecessary expenditures when I see the great UC system, which has for so many decades served the students of Calif so well, now struggle to avoid massive budget cutbacks, and have to resort to doubling the tuition costs in just a few years, reduce the number of Calif students eligible to enroll, and increase the number of full pay OOS students, all in order to bring in more $$ becasue of state cuts backs.
And at the same time, to encounter fans who think that their athletic programs should continue to operate as usual, and be exempt from budget cutbacks, because they are “profit centers” or because they help to build “spirit”, or because some rich alumni funds them, [not the University that they are associated with, but just the athletic program,] is just mind boggling. Tell me how having a pampered athletic team makes students who are struggling to come up with increased tuition payments feel good??
or as mini so succinctly stated just now-
"I do think it isn’t a good idea for athletic teams to be tone-deaf about what it going on at the rest of the university. "</p>
<p>Umm… you’re barking up the wrong tree. Call your California legislators and tell them to properly fund their universities! Why should a private donor have to support what is supposed to be done by the state? He should be able to spend his money whereever he wants and if that’s on luxury hotels for the football team so be it!</p>
<p>“Call your California legislators and tell them to properly fund their universities!”
Sure, no problem. Just print more money and let’s all pretend that there is no budget deficit.
right…
If Ill’s budget problems can be solved that way then I’m sure the Calif legislature would love to hear about it.</p>
<p>Just to add my two cents. My HYP alma mater’s men’s football team left campus and hunkered down at the nearby Holiday Inn every Friday before home games. Same reason of discipline, team unity, logisitics, etc. And this was Ivy League football!</p>
<p>I do have an issue with UCLA not providing anything for the band, maybe not hotel rooms, but one or two good meals would be appropriate. Doesn’t seem fair to me.</p>
<p>I would guess there is a UCLA band booster organization, and I would be surprised if UCLA band alum don’t make donations to its band. It could be simply that the band director has decided he does not want to fund meals out of his budget.</p>
<p>Yeah, UCLA doesn’t provide the band with those ugly sunglasses, either, lol. …My D tells me the USC band has ringers, some non-students, students from community colleges, etc, whereas ALL the members of the Solid Gold Bruin Marching band are students. They do get meal vouchers for band camp and their one road trip to Cal or Stanford.
Text the word"BAND" to 20222 to donate $10 to the UCLA Marching Band so they can eat next Thanksgiving!</p>
Wait, I thought the purpose of the hotel was to protect the players from pesky other students who might be partying.</p>
<p>But I will admit that some of the arguments here have softened my heart in favor of the poor, persecuted football players. They suffer so much for us!</p>
<p>lol, well Neuheisel is their Spartacus, but he’s having a rough time of it, and can’t even get his poor players a good night sleep in a “swanky” ($189/nt before discount) hotel without people like menloparkmom beating him down with her ALL CAPS.</p>
<p>I couldn’t personally care less whether the football teams of USC or UCLA or some other college stay in glitzy hotels or not, but I have to laugh at the above. The test of whether something is worth supporting in a college environment isn’t whether it brings money to campus. Have you heard of a little something called academics?</p>
<p>Just wow. Spartacus /slaves? Many football and basketball players(but not all) do indeed come from disadvantaged,poor backgrounds. My 6’6" son was the only white kid on his city high school basketball team. Teammates went on to college football(multi sport athletes)and basketball and one of his teammates is in the NFL. He does not begrudge this guy at all-just a better athlete all around. We gave rides to this guy and his friends over the years. Other guys went to HBCU’s in either football or basketball and are doing well. The kids and their families want what everyone wants-what is best for them and their kids and to be respected for their talents and to succeed. These kids work very hard to get the very few slots available on the best D1 teams. I’ve seen it firsthand.</p>
<p>I was at the USC/UCLA game on Saturday night. It was a miserable experience. There was vomit and shattered glass beer bottles on the ground throughout the area surrounding the stadium. There were students from both schools staggering around and puking in the bathrooms.</p>
<p>If you’d follow along, you’ll find that it was directly associated with a comment about how much money it costs. But I guess you’d prefer to have a one-sided argument instead…</p>
<p>“lol, well Neuheisel is their Spartacus, but he’s having a rough time of it, and can’t even get his poor players a good night sleep in a “swanky” ($189/nt before discount) hotel without people like menloparkmom beating him down with her ALL CAPS.” Bay #115</p>
<p>I don’t know if this has previously been mentioned, but Neuheisel (could there be more than one?) has a very shady history that includes a criminal act for which he was fired at one school - along with his immense salaries and perks.</p>