Anna Smoak
I remember when I was ten I gave my mom a list of colleges and asked her to pick one. Among others on that list were Georgia Tech and MIT. She then proceeded to ask me, "At which of these schools would I rather attend a football game?". Of course she was only kidding, and many other factors went into my final college decision. But the glory of having nationally ranked teams in multiple sports is a "plus" to many incoming college freshmen. So while it is important to focus on competing academics, bolstering the athletic program can be an effective way for some universities to compete for top incoming students.
In Division I schools, the actual athletes aren't as big a piece of an assistance to university prestige as is the attraction of sports throughout the nation. As Bob Kustra, the President of Boise State, proclaims in his welcome: "The success of the football program has provided a window to the university" But in Division III athletics, bringing in athletes is important for both, bringing in students to pay tuition, and increasing the diversity of the schools. For Wheaton college in Massachusettes the latter was the case. "For a campus that has only about 16 percent minority students, Geller said athletics recruiting has attracted a more diverse population of applicants." Also, LaGrange school in Georgia used a large donation from an alum to begin a football programming, thus receiving 109 students that had to pay tuition. So they spent money, but in the long run this small college was able to increase its revenue.
It is important not to sacrifice education for athletics, but colleges can improve their academics through athletics. Increasing the standings of their athletic programs just might give some colleges the edge they need to recruit the higher quality student. Not to sound cocky, but I like to think I am the living proof.
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