[Vision2020] Football
Ron Force
rforce@moscow.com
Mon, 23 Dec 2002 09:57:46 -0800
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The New York Times Magazine (free, but registration required) has an article
on the folly of big-time college football:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/22/magazine/22FOOTBALL.html?pagewanted=1&8hpi
st
Football Is a Sucker's Game
By MICHAEL SOKOLOVE
"...Football is the S.U.V. of the college campus: aggressively big,
resource-guzzling, lots and lots of fun and potentially destructive of
everything around it. Big-time teams award 85 scholarships and, with
walk-ons, field rosters of 100 or more players. (National Football League
teams make do with half that.) At the highest level, universities wage what
has been called an ''athletic arms race'' to see who can build the most
lavish facilities to attract the highest-quality players. Dollars are
directed from general funds and wrestled from donors, and what does not go
into cherry-wood lockers, plush carpets and million-dollar weight rooms ends
up in the pockets of coaches, the most exalted of whom now make upward of $2
million a year.
The current college sports landscape is meaner than ever, more overtly
commercial, more winner-take-all. And just as in the rest of the economy,
the gap between rich and poor is widening. College sports now consists of a
class of super-behemoths -- perhaps a dozen or so athletic departments with
budgets of $40 million and up -- and a much larger group of schools that
face the choice of spending themselves into oblivion or being embarrassed on
the field. (Which may happen in any case.)..."
********************************************
Ron Force rforce@moscow.com
Moscow Idaho USA
********************************************
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D730344817-23122002>The=20
New York Times Magazine (free, but registration required) has an article =
on the=20
folly of big-time college football:</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D730344817-23122002><A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/22/magazine/22FOOTBALL.html?pagewa=
nted=3D1&8hpist">http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/22/magazine/22FOOTBAL=
L.html?pagewanted=3D1&8hpist</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D730344817-23122002>
<H2>
<H2><FONT size=3D2>Football Is a Sucker's Game</FONT></H2>
<H2><FONT size=3D2><STRONG>By MICHAEL SOKOLOVE</STRONG><BR><BR></FONT>
<P><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D730344817-23122002>"...</SPAN>Football =
is the S.U.V.=20
of the college campus: aggressively big, resource-guzzling, lots and =
lots of fun=20
and potentially destructive of everything around it. Big-time teams =
award 85=20
scholarships and, with walk-ons, field rosters of 100 or more players. =
(National=20
Football League teams make do with half that.) At the highest level,=20
universities wage what has been called an ''athletic arms race'' to see =
who can=20
build the most lavish facilities to attract the highest-quality players. =
Dollars=20
are directed from general funds and wrestled from donors, and what does =
not go=20
into cherry-wood lockers, plush carpets and million-dollar weight rooms =
ends up=20
in the pockets of coaches, the most exalted of whom now make upward of =
$2=20
million a year. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3D2>The current college sports landscape is meaner than =
ever, more=20
overtly commercial, more winner-take-all. And just as in the rest of the =
economy, the gap between rich and poor is widening. College sports now =
consists=20
of a class of super-behemoths -- perhaps a dozen or so athletic =
departments with=20
budgets of $40 million and up -- and a much larger group of schools that =
face=20
the choice of spending themselves into oblivion or being embarrassed on =
the=20
field. (Which may happen in any case.)<SPAN=20
class=3D730344817-23122002>..."</SPAN></FONT></P></H2></H2>
<H2></SPAN></FONT><FONT=20
size=3D2>********************************************<BR>Ron=20
Force =
=20
<A href=3D"mailto:rforce@moscow.com">rforce@<SPAN=20
class=3D730344817-23122002>moscow.com</A></SPAN></FONT></H2>
<H2><SPAN class=3D730344817-23122002></SPAN><FONT =
size=3D2>Moscow <SPAN=20
class=3D730344817-23122002>Idaho=20
USA</SPAN><BR>********************************************<BR></FONT></H2=
></DIV>
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