Beer and Circus (46 page)
Authors: Murray Sperber
19: College Sports MegaInc. versus Undergraduate Education
The college newspaper advertisement for Jimmy John's Sandwich Shops appeared in the
Indiana Daily Student,
10/2/98; students sent in their questions and answers, and the Jimmy John company published them as the main feature in their ads. In referencing the responses to the survey questions in this chapter, I have given the dates and circumstances of answers of over a sentence in length; however, to avoid totally cluttering these notes, I have not referenced the short responses. The Clemson senior male filled out a questionnaire and articulated his “strongly agree” position in a subsequent interview on campus, 4/15/99; the University of Maryland male in the
honors program filled out a questionnaire and made his comments, 2/16/99; the University of Kansas junior woman added the P.S. to her web survey form, 10/22/99; and the DePauw University student, a senior male, commented in a questionnaire and interview session on campus, 7/12/98. Reid Epstein, sports editor of the student newspaper, remarked on academics coming first at his school, 4/14/99. The freshman female at Kansas State commented on the jocks in a P.S. on her web survey, 12/22/99; and the UMass sophomore woman left her P.S. on the web survey form, 6/6/99. The cynical prediction from the FSU senior male appeared on the web survey, 12/1/99.
Indiana Daily Student,
10/2/98; students sent in their questions and answers, and the Jimmy John company published them as the main feature in their ads. In referencing the responses to the survey questions in this chapter, I have given the dates and circumstances of answers of over a sentence in length; however, to avoid totally cluttering these notes, I have not referenced the short responses. The Clemson senior male filled out a questionnaire and articulated his “strongly agree” position in a subsequent interview on campus, 4/15/99; the University of Maryland male in the
honors program filled out a questionnaire and made his comments, 2/16/99; the University of Kansas junior woman added the P.S. to her web survey form, 10/22/99; and the DePauw University student, a senior male, commented in a questionnaire and interview session on campus, 7/12/98. Reid Epstein, sports editor of the student newspaper, remarked on academics coming first at his school, 4/14/99. The freshman female at Kansas State commented on the jocks in a P.S. on her web survey, 12/22/99; and the UMass sophomore woman left her P.S. on the web survey form, 6/6/99. The cynical prediction from the FSU senior male appeared on the web survey, 12/1/99.
Gary Mihoces of
USA Today
quoted Kansas State president Jon Wefald on college sports as “the window,” 1/3/00, and that article applauded K State's rise to football fame, focusing on its carrying out the formula. Welch Suggs of the
Chronicle of Higher Education
spotlighted Kansas State, 10/15/99. Kevin Allen, an alumnus of the university, commented in an e-mail, 1/22/00; he knew about the beer-and-circus thesis of this book after “reading your conclusion to
Onward to Victory
and the preview for
Beer and Circus”
in it; he subsequently gave me permission to publish his comments, and I thank him. The K State sophomore male left his comments about JUCO transfers on the web survey form, 9/12/99; the sophomore female at that school wrote about architecture on her web survey form, 1/3/00. The 2000 edition of U.S. News ranked K State in the third tier of national universities.
USA Today
quoted Kansas State president Jon Wefald on college sports as “the window,” 1/3/00, and that article applauded K State's rise to football fame, focusing on its carrying out the formula. Welch Suggs of the
Chronicle of Higher Education
spotlighted Kansas State, 10/15/99. Kevin Allen, an alumnus of the university, commented in an e-mail, 1/22/00; he knew about the beer-and-circus thesis of this book after “reading your conclusion to
Onward to Victory
and the preview for
Beer and Circus”
in it; he subsequently gave me permission to publish his comments, and I thank him. The K State sophomore male left his comments about JUCO transfers on the web survey form, 9/12/99; the sophomore female at that school wrote about architecture on her web survey form, 1/3/00. The 2000 edition of U.S. News ranked K State in the third tier of national universities.
20: Who Loves the Jocks?
Edward “Moose” Krause commented on JUCO transfers in an interview, 8/9/91; for background information on this topic, see pp. 233â39 and 294â95 in
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.). James Naughton of the
Chronicle of Higher Education
wrote about the different admissions standards for athletes and regular students at various schools, including UNC-Chapel Hill, and also supplied excellent charts to illustrate his points. The 2000 edition of
U.S. News's
college issue put the Alabama (Tuscaloosa) acceptance rate at 94 percent. The Georgetown male junior filled out a questionnaire and did an interview on campus, 2/18/99; a Clemson senior male said, “I can't answer this question” during an interview after he filled out a questionnaire, 4/16/99.
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.). James Naughton of the
Chronicle of Higher Education
wrote about the different admissions standards for athletes and regular students at various schools, including UNC-Chapel Hill, and also supplied excellent charts to illustrate his points. The 2000 edition of
U.S. News's
college issue put the Alabama (Tuscaloosa) acceptance rate at 94 percent. The Georgetown male junior filled out a questionnaire and did an interview on campus, 2/18/99; a Clemson senior male said, “I can't answer this question” during an interview after he filled out a questionnaire, 4/16/99.
U Magazine
published the results of its survey, January/February 1997. I realize that by including Division III responsesâschoots without athletic scholarship athletes on campusâin my results, I weight the percentages; however, I wanted a comparison with the
U Magazine
results, and the latter included responses from students at Division III schools. Sports journalist Teri Bostian commented about the doublethink of regular undergraduates, 10/20/99. Georgetown University faculty member Ted Gup wrote about student attitudes toward a star athlete in his op-ed piece “Losses Surpass Victories, by Far, in Big-time College Sports,”
Chronicle of Higher Education,
12/18/98, A52; students at the school confirmed that they had seen Iverson with the Mercedes and the Rolex.
published the results of its survey, January/February 1997. I realize that by including Division III responsesâschoots without athletic scholarship athletes on campusâin my results, I weight the percentages; however, I wanted a comparison with the
U Magazine
results, and the latter included responses from students at Division III schools. Sports journalist Teri Bostian commented about the doublethink of regular undergraduates, 10/20/99. Georgetown University faculty member Ted Gup wrote about student attitudes toward a star athlete in his op-ed piece “Losses Surpass Victories, by Far, in Big-time College Sports,”
Chronicle of Higher Education,
12/18/98, A52; students at the school confirmed that they had seen Iverson with the Mercedes and the Rolex.
The Tulane female tennis player filled out a questionnaire and did an interview on campus, 6/7/98; the Boston College football player put his comments on the web survey, 8/8/99, as did the University of Texas, Austin, female distance runner, 11/14/99. The media covered Robert Smith's problems at Ohio State in detail; among the more comprehensive articles were Scott M. Reid's story in the
Atlanta Constitution,
12/29/92, and Rock Bozich's in the
Louisville Courier-Journal,
9/4/92. The Robert Smith case was exceptionalânot many athletic scholarship winners want to be doctors or architects or anything else involving long lab or studio sessions.
Sports Illustrated
put Andy Katzenmoyer on the cover, 8/27/98, and Austin Murphy wrote about his case in detail. The
Insider's Guide
(op. cit.) said about Ohio State at this time, “If you sign up for four classes, you're lucky if you get into two of them if you don't have priority schedulingâwhich goes [only] to athletes and honors students,” 1998 edition. Katzenmoyer told Larry Guest of the
Orlando Sentinel
that he regarded football “as a job,” 8/17/98; and he explained to Tim May of the
Columbus Dispatch
how he learned the “Ohio State defensive system,” 5/4/99. HBO's “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” took one of the few in-depth looks at the Katzenmoyer case, probing the question of athletes' vocationalism and the context of the OSU incident; the show aired 10/20/98.
Atlanta Constitution,
12/29/92, and Rock Bozich's in the
Louisville Courier-Journal,
9/4/92. The Robert Smith case was exceptionalânot many athletic scholarship winners want to be doctors or architects or anything else involving long lab or studio sessions.
Sports Illustrated
put Andy Katzenmoyer on the cover, 8/27/98, and Austin Murphy wrote about his case in detail. The
Insider's Guide
(op. cit.) said about Ohio State at this time, “If you sign up for four classes, you're lucky if you get into two of them if you don't have priority schedulingâwhich goes [only] to athletes and honors students,” 1998 edition. Katzenmoyer told Larry Guest of the
Orlando Sentinel
that he regarded football “as a job,” 8/17/98; and he explained to Tim May of the
Columbus Dispatch
how he learned the “Ohio State defensive system,” 5/4/99. HBO's “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” took one of the few in-depth looks at the Katzenmoyer case, probing the question of athletes' vocationalism and the context of the OSU incident; the show aired 10/20/98.
Syracuse University professor David H. Bennett told Jim Naughton of the
Chronicle of Higher Education
about the “innumerable âguts' on every campus,” 7/12/96.
Chronicle of Higher Education
about the “innumerable âguts' on every campus,” 7/12/96.
21: The New 3 R's
Jeffrey Turner wrote his comments in a letter to the editor of
Sports Illustrated,
6/2/97; he worked with many schools, including Washington State University. Richard W. Moll quoted David Smith of Syracuse University in his article “The Scramble to Get the New Class: Is the Dean of Admissions Now Outside the Academy?” in
Change
magazine, March/April 1994, pp. 11â17. Anne Matthews (op. cit.) discusses “outsourcing admissions” and “bounty hunters,” p. 33; Alice C. Cox wrote an excellent article on the ethics of the new college recruiting procedures, “Admission Recruiting and Selection: Some Ethical Concerns,” in the anthology,
Ethics and Higher Education
(op. cit.), pp. 84â102.
Sports Illustrated,
6/2/97; he worked with many schools, including Washington State University. Richard W. Moll quoted David Smith of Syracuse University in his article “The Scramble to Get the New Class: Is the Dean of Admissions Now Outside the Academy?” in
Change
magazine, March/April 1994, pp. 11â17. Anne Matthews (op. cit.) discusses “outsourcing admissions” and “bounty hunters,” p. 33; Alice C. Cox wrote an excellent article on the ethics of the new college recruiting procedures, “Admission Recruiting and Selection: Some Ethical Concerns,” in the anthology,
Ethics and Higher Education
(op. cit.), pp. 84â102.
U.S. News
discussed the “pressure to win” on admissions officials in its 1994 edition. Jack Carey of
USA Today
quoted Texas Christian University athletic director Eric Hyman, 10/12/99; the
Insider's Guide
for 2000 gives the statistics on TCU's in-state percentage of undergraduates; the numbers on Rice are in
U.S. News's
college issue for 2000. TCU was with SMU and Rice in the old Southwest Conference until that group disintegrated in the early 1990s; then the three schools joined the WAC.
discussed the “pressure to win” on admissions officials in its 1994 edition. Jack Carey of
USA Today
quoted Texas Christian University athletic director Eric Hyman, 10/12/99; the
Insider's Guide
for 2000 gives the statistics on TCU's in-state percentage of undergraduates; the numbers on Rice are in
U.S. News's
college issue for 2000. TCU was with SMU and Rice in the old Southwest Conference until that group disintegrated in the early 1990s; then the three schools joined the WAC.
The interview with the University of Kentucky professor took place on campus in Lexington, 5/14/96; he asked to speak off the record because “Administrators here get angry and vengeful toward any faculty member who speaks the truth about this place's jock school image.” The NCAA has studied the dropout rate for athletes, particularly freshmen, and one of its committees actually considered making freshmen ineligibleâbut the idea died in the summer of 1999. Patty Pensa of the
Columbus
(Ohio)
Dispatch
wrote about this, 7/4/99; later that month, Vahe Gregorian of the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
probed the reasons for the high freshmen athlete dropout rate and discussed “de-recruiting”âwhat occurs when recruited athletes encounter the reality of big-time college sports, and their problems in dealing with the “de-recruiting” process, 9/10/99. Some coaches also “fire” athletic scholarship holders, see the note in the chapter 2 notes about Tommy Tubberville, the football coach at Auburn.
Columbus
(Ohio)
Dispatch
wrote about this, 7/4/99; later that month, Vahe Gregorian of the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
probed the reasons for the high freshmen athlete dropout rate and discussed “de-recruiting”âwhat occurs when recruited athletes encounter the reality of big-time college sports, and their problems in dealing with the “de-recruiting” process, 9/10/99. Some coaches also “fire” athletic scholarship holders, see the note in the chapter 2 notes about Tommy Tubberville, the football coach at Auburn.
The
U.S. News
college issue for 2000 discussed “Vanishing freshmenâone in four does not return for sophomore year,” and how Division III schools have much higher retention rates, including for athletes, than do Big-time U's. The 1998 edition of that magazine quoted Alison Albrecht, the discus thrower at Ohio Wesleyan, about “the Division III philosophy.”
U.S. News
college issue for 2000 discussed “Vanishing freshmenâone in four does not return for sophomore year,” and how Division III schools have much higher retention rates, including for athletes, than do Big-time U's. The 1998 edition of that magazine quoted Alison Albrecht, the discus thrower at Ohio Wesleyan, about “the Division III philosophy.”
College Sports Inc
. (op. cit.) discussed alumni and booster donations, and the research into this topic, pp. 70â81; Andrew Zimbalist in
Unpaid Professionals
(op. cit.) updated this information, pp. 248â49. University of Notre Dame vice president Richard W. Conklin wrote his comments in his article, “The Role of Public Relations,” in
The President and Fund Raising
, edited by James L. Fisher and Gary H. Quehl (New York, 1989), pp. 91â101. For a discussion of the history and role of the “Notre Dame Family” in alumni support for the university, see
Onward to Victory
(op. cit.), pp. 255â265. All the references to the “Alumni Giving” rankings in
U.S. News'
annual college issue are to the 2000 edition. The University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) alum asked to speak off the record because members of her family currently work for the university.
. (op. cit.) discussed alumni and booster donations, and the research into this topic, pp. 70â81; Andrew Zimbalist in
Unpaid Professionals
(op. cit.) updated this information, pp. 248â49. University of Notre Dame vice president Richard W. Conklin wrote his comments in his article, “The Role of Public Relations,” in
The President and Fund Raising
, edited by James L. Fisher and Gary H. Quehl (New York, 1989), pp. 91â101. For a discussion of the history and role of the “Notre Dame Family” in alumni support for the university, see
Onward to Victory
(op. cit.), pp. 255â265. All the references to the “Alumni Giving” rankings in
U.S. News'
annual college issue are to the 2000 edition. The University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) alum asked to speak off the record because members of her family currently work for the university.
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.) explained “priority seating,” pp. 32â34, 67â69. In the 1990s, the IRS occasionally challenged this tax scam but always backed off; the most recent challenge occurred in 1999, when it questioned a claim by an lowa State fan to write off his luxury box in the Iowa State football stadium as a donation to higher education; see Kent Pulliam's article in the
Kansas City Star,
5/10/99. In speaking with “development officers” at various schools while doing research for this book, I found that most complained that athletic department fund-raisers competed with them for money from the same alums. But not one of these fund-raisers would go on record with complaints, explaining: “In development [fund-raising], we really stress teamwork, and we're supposed to he on the same team as the athletic department people.” I believe that universities would be better served if they discussed this conflict openly. Doug Lederman of the
Chronicle of Higher Education
probed Southern Methodist University's post-scandal years, 11/25/92; the good news is that alumni donations increased significantly after university administrators convinced alums that they had control of the athletic department and the scandals would not recur.
(op. cit.) explained “priority seating,” pp. 32â34, 67â69. In the 1990s, the IRS occasionally challenged this tax scam but always backed off; the most recent challenge occurred in 1999, when it questioned a claim by an lowa State fan to write off his luxury box in the Iowa State football stadium as a donation to higher education; see Kent Pulliam's article in the
Kansas City Star,
5/10/99. In speaking with “development officers” at various schools while doing research for this book, I found that most complained that athletic department fund-raisers competed with them for money from the same alums. But not one of these fund-raisers would go on record with complaints, explaining: “In development [fund-raising], we really stress teamwork, and we're supposed to he on the same team as the athletic department people.” I believe that universities would be better served if they discussed this conflict openly. Doug Lederman of the
Chronicle of Higher Education
probed Southern Methodist University's post-scandal years, 11/25/92; the good news is that alumni donations increased significantly after university administrators convinced alums that they had control of the athletic department and the scandals would not recur.
Onward to Victory
(op. cit.) discussed the Ivy League decision to pull out of big-time
intercollegiate athletics, pp. 363â64, 373-74; John Thelin in
Cultivation of Ivy
(Cambridge, Mass., 1976) focused on it, pp. 30â35. John R. Gerdy in his article, “Hold That Line,” in
Trusteeship
magazine warned about the coming problems in intercollegiate athletics, September/ October 1998, pp. 18-22. Incidents of trustees participating in the corruption of college sports occur regularly;
USA Today
discussed how a trustee at Dayton University had violated NCAA rules with under-the-table loans to a basketball recruit, 5/10/99 (no author given).
(op. cit.) discussed the Ivy League decision to pull out of big-time
intercollegiate athletics, pp. 363â64, 373-74; John Thelin in
Cultivation of Ivy
(Cambridge, Mass., 1976) focused on it, pp. 30â35. John R. Gerdy in his article, “Hold That Line,” in
Trusteeship
magazine warned about the coming problems in intercollegiate athletics, September/ October 1998, pp. 18-22. Incidents of trustees participating in the corruption of college sports occur regularly;
USA Today
discussed how a trustee at Dayton University had violated NCAA rules with under-the-table loans to a basketball recruit, 5/10/99 (no author given).
The president of Emory University, William M. Chace, summed up alumni giving with his comment: “Alumni donors to Emory, among the most generous in American higher education, obviously never consider our college sports program when making contributions. If anything, they are pleased that we clearly emphasize academics over athletics, and intramurals over intercollegiate athletics” (interview on campus, 4/14/99).
Â
Conclusion: What Should Happen versus What Probably Will Happen
Patrick Welsh wrote his comments in
USA Today
, 1/19/99; a regular contributor to that newspaper, he also wrote a very good article on the high percentage of high school students who have limited preparation and motivation for college work, 12/18/97. Christopher Lucas in Crisis (op. cit.) gave the percentage of entering freshmen unprepared for college work, pp. 204â5. The Boyer Commission report,
Reinventing Undergraduate Education
(op. cit.), discussed entering freshmen unprepared for college and their need for remediation on p. 20; “Construct an Inquiry-based Freshmen Year” on that page and the previous one; “Build on the Freshmen Foundation,” and “Long-term Mentorship,” pp. 21â22; and “Culminate with a Capstone Experience,” pp. 27â28.
Patrick Welsh wrote his comments in
USA Today
, 1/19/99; a regular contributor to that newspaper, he also wrote a very good article on the high percentage of high school students who have limited preparation and motivation for college work, 12/18/97. Christopher Lucas in Crisis (op. cit.) gave the percentage of entering freshmen unprepared for college work, pp. 204â5. The Boyer Commission report,
Reinventing Undergraduate Education
(op. cit.), discussed entering freshmen unprepared for college and their need for remediation on p. 20; “Construct an Inquiry-based Freshmen Year” on that page and the previous one; “Build on the Freshmen Foundation,” and “Long-term Mentorship,” pp. 21â22; and “Culminate with a Capstone Experience,” pp. 27â28.
Alexander Astin's comments on the GRE are in
What Matters in College?
(op. cit.), p. 199; I proposed the GRE for exiting seniors, particularly athletes, in a
New York Times
op-ed piece, 1/9/95. William Atchley's comments came in an interview (op. cit.); Gordon C. Winston wrote about “
positional good
” for
Change
magazine (op. cit.); and John Chambers, the head of Cisco Systems, offered his comments to Thomas L. Friedman of the
New York Times,
11/17/99.
What Matters in College?
(op. cit.), p. 199; I proposed the GRE for exiting seniors, particularly athletes, in a
New York Times
op-ed piece, 1/9/95. William Atchley's comments came in an interview (op. cit.); Gordon C. Winston wrote about “
positional good
” for
Change
magazine (op. cit.); and John Chambers, the head of Cisco Systems, offered his comments to Thomas L. Friedman of the
New York Times,
11/17/99.
Edward “Moose” Krause commented on athletic scholarships in an interview (op. cit.); he added that at Notre Dame, “athletic scholarships have always been controlled and paid out by the Main Building ⦠[specifically] by the Financial Aid Office.” In
Onward to Victory
(op. cit.), see the index entry under “NCAA, athletic scholarship controversy” for the history of athletic scholarships; pp. 363-64 and pp. 373-74 for the Ivy League refusal to give them; and p. 228 for Bill Stern's quote on athletic scholarships.
USA Today
quoted NCAA official Bill Saum on “Amateurism deregulation,” 3/1/00 (no reporter given); Mark Asher, one of the best reporters on college sports, wrote about Cedric Dempsey's ideas for stipends to athletes, 11/20/99; Mike McGraw, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, focused on the NCAA's billions and possible payments to athletes,
Kansas City Star,
11/6/97âthis article was part of that paper's brilliant series on the inner workings of the association. The
Chronicle of Higher Education
discussed the NCAA's settlement of the assistant coaches' judicial triumph, 4/30/99 (no author given). Emory University broke into
U.S. News'
Top Ten of national universities in 1998.
Onward to Victory
(op. cit.), see the index entry under “NCAA, athletic scholarship controversy” for the history of athletic scholarships; pp. 363-64 and pp. 373-74 for the Ivy League refusal to give them; and p. 228 for Bill Stern's quote on athletic scholarships.
USA Today
quoted NCAA official Bill Saum on “Amateurism deregulation,” 3/1/00 (no reporter given); Mark Asher, one of the best reporters on college sports, wrote about Cedric Dempsey's ideas for stipends to athletes, 11/20/99; Mike McGraw, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, focused on the NCAA's billions and possible payments to athletes,
Kansas City Star,
11/6/97âthis article was part of that paper's brilliant series on the inner workings of the association. The
Chronicle of Higher Education
discussed the NCAA's settlement of the assistant coaches' judicial triumph, 4/30/99 (no author given). Emory University broke into
U.S. News'
Top Ten of national universities in 1998.
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