4 ms·

Because the university affiliation turns minor league football / basketball into national television and gets people to spend millions of dollars on tickets and

Because the university affiliation turns minor league football / basketball into national television and gets people to spend millions of dollars on tickets and merchandise. No one watches the NBA D-league, but they're happy to watch the Tar Heels play. Similarly, no one watches arena ball, but they're happy to fill the stadium and watch Oregon State lose every week. It also serves as extremely effective advertising for the university. The fact "Bama Bama Bama, Bama Bama Bama Bama, Bama Bama Bama" is a valid sentence on ESPN week in and week out adds up to weeks of coast-to-coast advertising for Alabama, and enrollment statistics reflect.

gbacon 9y ago
Roll Tide to that.
HarryHirsch 9y ago
But they are advertising the wrong thing. A university is supposed to engage in teaching and research, not sports. They can keep their Street Fighting Math and Integration Bee teams, but football needs to go, it gives the students and the public the wrong idea.
- muninn_ 9y ago
  I think people generally associate the success of the program to the quality of the institution overall, and the ability to participate in the community of the institution is a non-0 benefit. If you are comparing two institutions with similar academic quality - the quality of sports programs, on-campus recreation, student clubs, etc. are differentiating factors. Even Ivy League schools have sports programs - there is a benefit to it. Frankly, however, I think the ire towards sports programs is generally misplaced. I'm much more concerned with the withdrawal of funding of public institutions from state governments and the overabundance of administrative staff, regulators, and various student groups than sports. Another thing I find worth mentioning is that some of the same people complaining about paying "$40/month for a gym" are the same people who would not be in favor of a pick-and-choose tax scheme at the national or state government levels. Why can't I pick and choose to not support sports, recreation, women's programs, LGBT programs, university student activity funds for college republicans, etc.? Same reason I can't pick and choose to pay for welfare, road maintenance, or parks and recreation. Please keep in mind I am not against women's programs or LGBT programs or anything I mentioned, actually, but I want to point out that mental disconnect that people make. This is especially bad for state institutions.

gbacon 9y ago

Roll Tide to that.

HarryHirsch 9y ago

But they are advertising the wrong thing. A university is supposed to engage in teaching and research, not sports. They can keep their Street Fighting Math and Integration Bee teams, but football needs to go, it gives the students and the public the wrong idea.

muninn_ 9y ago
I think people generally associate the success of the program to the quality of the institution overall, and the ability to participate in the community of the institution is a non-0 benefit. If you are comparing two institutions with similar academic quality - the quality of sports programs, on-campus recreation, student clubs, etc. are differentiating factors. Even Ivy League schools have sports programs - there is a benefit to it. Frankly, however, I think the ire towards sports programs is generally misplaced. I'm much more concerned with the withdrawal of funding of public institutions from state governments and the overabundance of administrative staff, regulators, and various student groups than sports. Another thing I find worth mentioning is that some of the same people complaining about paying "$40/month for a gym" are the same people who would not be in favor of a pick-and-choose tax scheme at the national or state government levels. Why can't I pick and choose to not support sports, recreation, women's programs, LGBT programs, university student activity funds for college republicans, etc.? Same reason I can't pick and choose to pay for welfare, road maintenance, or parks and recreation. Please keep in mind I am not against women's programs or LGBT programs or anything I mentioned, actually, but I want to point out that mental disconnect that people make. This is especially bad for state institutions.