Everybody knows the dice are loaded / Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed / Everybody knows the war is over / Everybody knows the good guys lost / Everybody knows the fight was fixed / The poor stay poor, the rich get rich / That’s how it goes, everybody knows” — Leonard Cohen
Yes, the University’s Athletic Department was wrong for scheduling the Civil War football game so close to Finals Week. Yes, that administrative decision, which the University Senate has rightfully criticized, will impinge upon the academics that make this campus respectable and are the reason (purportedly) that we’re all here.
But it’s not just the Civil War incident that should irk people. There are plenty of instances when athletics trump academics. It doesn’t matter what irks us, however, because in order to become a top-tier athletic program, that’s how it goes, as everybody knows.
The Emerald editorial board therefore approaches this subject with resignation. As we tell our tale, keep in mind that this is simply a generic story about the reality of how to get to the top.
Begin with a so-so athletic program, get a good coach, and then do whatever it takes to lure some above-average players. Using super-special perks, full-ride scholarships and a fully stocked players’ lounge (not just with free food and drink, but the best GTFs as tutors) is just the beginning.
Once some predilection toward winning is established, keep up the pressure. Use charming escorts to woo the young recruits, give those recruits cool rides in a Humvee and throw in more perks whenever needed. Sometimes a stadium needs expanding, and if a science museum stands in the way, prepare the bulldozer. Trouncing the little guys is acceptable as long as the goal is always in sight.
Holy cow, now a major network wants to televise the big games! And not just regional coverage, but nationwide. The game schedule will have to be rearranged, but that’s OK. National exposure will go a long way in luring future recruits, which further ensures the team’s rise to the top.
And all along the way, if money needs to be siphoned from academics to sustain the athletic program, well, that’s just what it takes, everybody knows.
In the meantime, academics suffer. Sure, some major donors might be excited by the lure of a big team, a potential future dynasty, and they might build some new buildings. On the other hand, some of the students, learning about the world thanks to pesky academia, might protest and make a donor real mad, and then the money’s gone.
And anyway, does big-donor money ensure adequate pay for professors? Apparently not. If your small-town university can’t pay decent salaries to professors, those in academia will find employment elsewhere. As a result, some departments at the school will have absolutely no professors of color. Students then lose out on the richness that a different heritage and different life experiences bring to the table. Mock awards could be given to these departments to raise awareness about the lack of diversity, but hey, the departments are trying; shouldn’t the awards really go to the administration that allows the cycle to continue?
There’s still more. While traveling to away games, athletes need tutors to keep their grades up. Never mind if some of these student-athletes aren’t actually learning enough to be well-rounded individuals when they don’t get drafted into the professional ranks. That’s not the deal that was made. The deal is, they focus on athletics, while the rest of their school schedule will be covered for them. In the meantime, other students, focusing on academics, land a plum internship at a prestigious organization. Can they arrange to take their finals earlier? Too often, no.
We shouldn’t be so upset by this story. Isn’t this just training for the real world, where celebrities and athletes get the big money even though they’re not doing the important work? Pay-Rod needs that $252 million, after all. Teachers? Let’s not pay them more, let’s just hold them more accountable.
We’re still in college, though. And here, the unfortunate part is, except for sports fans, everybody loses. Student-athletes who get shortchanged out of a real education lose. Other students, who are here to learn, lose. Less glamorous sports programs, such as lacrosse and softball, which need bake sales to raise funds, really lose. The college, as an institution of higher learning, loses. As an institution which runs minor leagues for the big sports franchises, of course, it wins big.
But maybe this fight isn’t a lost cause. Maybe at the University, the above scenarios don’t always come true. Maybe here, we do focus on producing fully developed citizens of the world. Apparently University President Dave Frohnmayer shares our concern. After all, in a recent letter to the editor, he wrote, “Our purpose is a higher one — to build community, to honor identity within community and to engage in thoughtful and respectful conversation.”
So what is our purpose here? Is it to support society’s misguided “sugar daddy” relationship with movie stars and baseball players? Or is our purpose a higher one? If you think we’re here to learn, get involved. Maybe we can turn the tide. After all, enough people fighting against a backwards system can produce change. History has shown that, everybody knows.