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To: Michael M who wrote (2568)	3/14/2002 12:45:09 AM
From: jcky	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

< Strong support of athletics is clearly in the academic interests of universities. > But is it in the students' best interest? There are other ways to pander money from alumni rather than from an athletic program. And maybe there should be a separate degree for certain athletes who can't even balance a check book. If there are degrees for the arts and sciences, why can't there be a degree for athletics. What's the point of granting a BS or BA for someone participating in athletics if they can't even read or write? It cheapens the whole process for the students who earned their degrees. And can the former athletic students sue their alma mater, on the basis of negligence, for conferring them a degree of higher learning if they still fail the basic R's of life: reading, writing and arithmetic? And you're right. Some of these universities couldn't give a hoot about educating their athletes. But making the NCAA tournament counts for something. On a side note, I see that you are an actuary. Isn't the entire insurance industry based upon discriminatory pricing practices derived from statistics on factors such as age, sex, occupation, smoking or drinking behavior, etc. ? Imagine what would happen to me if I said that I would sell a product to you at a higher price only because you were male, old, rich and prone to bad habits.

To: Michael M who wrote (2568)	3/16/2002 7:33:14 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

You've also got to know what those programs cost. Those huge stadiums and gyms don't come cheap. Do they actually make money or cost money? And I keep getting stuck o the idea that universities are academic institutions. That they were brought into into existence to train the mind, not get brutes to knock down other brutes. How about we separate the two functions? The NFL, AFL, NL, AL, etc. can finance the training grounds for their raw material and universities can build classrooms and labs. I think you'll even have a better chance at getting workers comp for those injuries. A company isn't exemp from that just because an injured janitor was still in training. What, you think an accountant, doctor, or engineer doesn't understand the value of the institution that gave him his career?