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Bob Turkovich
09-02-2010, 8:44 AM
This weekend kicks off the 2010 college football season. Just as I have for 40 of the last 42 years, I will be in attendence in the Big House in Ann Arbor cheering on my beloved Wolverines. This game is significant in that it is a re-dedication of the stadium which has completed a dramatic renovation. After 2 years of reduced seating due to the construction, the Big House returns to its normal position as the largest college football stadium in the country - capacity 109,901.

But what is more important is this:

http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/from-never-to-walking-brock-mealer-will-lead-michigan-football-team-onto-field-saturday/

There won't be a dry eye in the Big House.

Go Brock and ....GO BLUE!

Joe Chritz
09-02-2010, 9:57 AM
While not a huge football fan for a number of reasons I would watch a hundred college games before any pros.

Mealer's story is a good one and something lots of people should pay attention to. I don't believe in no win scenarios. The drive to survive and thrive was instilled in him long ago. Giving up was likely never an option.

Wish I could be there.

Joe

Zach England
09-02-2010, 10:12 AM
Just got my tickets for Texas-Nebraska!

Jamie Buxton
09-02-2010, 10:20 AM
I'll tell you what's wrong with college football, and college basketball for that matter. Universities should focus on education, not entertainment. Pro football and pro basketball should be running their own minor leagues, just like pro baseball does. Universities should not be paying coaches millions of dollars, but rather putting that money into professors. University presidents should keep their jobs or not depending on the education they provide, not whether the football team wins. Sports are important, and are an appropriate part of a university. But when the tail wags the dog, the tail should go.

Bob Turkovich
09-02-2010, 11:07 AM
I'll tell you what's wrong with college football, and college basketball for that matter. Universities should focus on education, not entertainment. Pro football and pro basketball should be running their own minor leagues, just like pro baseball does. Universities should not be paying coaches millions of dollars, but rather putting that money into professors. University presidents should keep their jobs or not depending on the education they provide, not whether the football team wins. Sports are important, and are an appropriate part of a university. But when the tail wags the dog, the tail should go.

Jamie,

We could have multiple threads on what's wrong with college athletics. My point is that there is some good coming out of it as well. Brock Mealer was given a less than 1% chance of being able to get out of a wheelchair and now he's walking under his own power.

For the record, Michigan's athletic department has been self-supporting for at least the past 5 years - in fact, they've been running a surplus. 16% of the AD's operating budget goes to provide tuition and room & board to the student athletes, some of whom would not be able to attend without it. Another 2% goes back to the non-athlete student financial aid fund. (Unfortunately, they are only one of a few universities that do so. There is a NCAA-led Knight commission trying to address that.)

As far as professors are concerned, is your concern that there should be more of them or that they should get compensated better (they're kind of related...)? I have had the opportunity to socialize with a few in past couple of years and they are certainly doing much better in today's economy than most.

Jason Roehl
09-02-2010, 11:20 AM
Bob, the problem is that even if an AD is self-sufficient, some percentage of those funds come from donors that might otherwise donate to education-related monetary needs.

As much as I like watching college football and basketball, I can't help but think the players should get paid, as they are just about as close to being the major leagues without actually having direct pro team affiliations.

David Weaver
09-02-2010, 11:28 AM
I'll tell you what's wrong with college football, and college basketball for that matter. Universities should focus on education, not entertainment. Pro football and pro basketball should be running their own minor leagues, just like pro baseball does. Universities should not be paying coaches millions of dollars, but rather putting that money into professors. University presidents should keep their jobs or not depending on the education they provide, not whether the football team wins. Sports are important, and are an appropriate part of a university. But when the tail wags the dog, the tail should go.

This theory is all fine and good, but there is no shortage of college professors, even at the highest levels, and where I went to school, the sports actually brought money into the school. If it didn't, schools wouldn't clamor around for all of the different conference affiliations, etc.

I doubt that sports have much of a negative effect on the quality of education at any institution. If they are academically poor, it isn't because their teams are good. If that were the case, schools like Michigan, Cal and Stanford would have terrible athletics and schools like appalachian state would have the best athletics. It just isn't the case.

I do agree, though, that there is something wrong with the setup. The schools and the conferences are making millions of dollars of *profit* above and beyond the cost of running the athletics, and the kids who are there are not allowed anything in terms of a living stipend even though in some sports, they spend 2000 hours a year dedicated to their sport. The NFL or NBA benefits in player development, the school gets tons of money and the kids are left to live like they're paupers, especially if they never make any team. I think that's wrong, and the whole setup of insisting that the kids pretend to be amateurs while the conference officials get fat pockets on their efforts is ridiculous.

John Pratt
09-02-2010, 11:43 AM
Mealer's story is definitely an inspirational one. We need more stories like this one. I can't agree on the Michigan enthusiasm though. GO HAWKEYES!!!

As far as the ADs at universities go. It is a Cash Cow that they cannot ignore. While athletics do sometimes detract from the education, they do bring in more money and students to the university. Some money obviously gets donated only to the sports programs, but it also leads to money donations to the university as a whole which goes in the general education fund.

Compensation for coaches is another issue altogether, especially at state universities where tax dollars are used to pay their salaries. Last time I checked, the highest paid Government employee in the state of Iowa was the Football coach at the University of Iowa. Of course that won't stop me from rooting for my Alma Mater. (is that wrong?)

With regards to the pay of professors. I don't see why they shouldn't be compensated commensurate with the level of education provided. I do have a problem with the level of compensation they receive if they are not actually teaching the classes. I had several professors that I only met or saw twice during the course of instruction. If we are going to pay them to teach, they should actually teach. We should not be getting our education from graduate students who in turn got there education from other graduate students.



If any of these comments go to far with regards to the rules of the forum, Moderators please edit as necessary.

Ken Fitzgerald
09-02-2010, 11:56 AM
I really don't think this thread was started by the OP to discuss the morality of college football, college sports or the salaries of coaches or ADs.

It was started I'm sure to celebrate and demonstrate the courage and strength of man when determination and faith are applied in unmeasurable amounts.

With all the gains the human race has made in science, medicine, math etc., we still have no explanation for some events that happen in this life.

I'm not a Wolverine fan but I'd pay to watch that young man lead this team onto the field.

David Weaver
09-02-2010, 11:58 AM
I'm not a Wolverine fan

Good man! :D

Zach England
09-02-2010, 12:34 PM
Big Ten folks had better watch out next year.

David Weaver
09-02-2010, 12:44 PM
For who, Ohio State? (I did not read the article link, so apologies if this is supposed to be only a serious thread).

I always heard OSU fans were the worst visitors, but when I was in college, we had the most trouble with UM visiting fans (most fights in the bars, etc).

Things have probably changed a bunch since then, and maybe I just missed crossing paths with the bad OSU fans.

I remember sitting in the ER one night because a girl I was dating had a medical issues (real medical issues, not a drinking issue). It was the night after a UM game, and the ER had a bunch of people in it in UM sweaters with busted lips, etc, and they were talking about the scuffles they got in and moaning about getting in trouble with the police! All fairly young guys who looked like they were just maybe having too good of a time and taking the game way too seriously.

Zach England
09-02-2010, 12:54 PM
No. For Nebraska.

Bob Turkovich
09-02-2010, 1:17 PM
For who, Ohio State? (I did not read the article link, so apologies if this is supposed to be only a serious thread).

I always heard OSU fans were the worst visitors, but when I was in college, we had the most trouble with UM visiting fans (most fights in the bars, etc).

Things have probably changed a bunch since then, and maybe I just missed crossing paths with the bad OSU fans.

I remember sitting in the ER one night because a girl I was dating had a medical issues (real medical issues, not a drinking issue). It was the night after a UM game, and the ER had a bunch of people in it in UM sweaters with busted lips, etc, and they were talking about the scuffles they got in and moaning about getting in trouble with the police! All fairly young guys who looked like they were just maybe having too good of a time and taking the game way too seriously.


Well, if you would have read the article before commenting.....the Mealer family is from Ohio -lifelong OSU fans. Brock was a student at OSU at the time of the accident and has continued his graduate studies at OSU while receiving treatment at UM.

That's part of the story.....people can transcend college rivalries.

David Weaver
09-02-2010, 1:33 PM
Very nice. That said, any time I see UM written, I think "lost 9 times in a row...hate those guys!"

or:

Lloyd Carr has us wired to get our plays.

I'm beginning to think Iowa is our new UM, though. OSU may be, too.

It rankles my alumni, but I think where I went to school, we have to get used to being a second-tier big ten school who can beat the big boys only on our one-in-ten or two-in-ten years.

We had a similar story about a player, who came out onto the field similarly after it looked like he may never walk again, but he didn't go elsewhere for treatment.

Good luck to your guys this year, and enjoy the game.

Joe Chritz
09-02-2010, 4:38 PM
I remember sitting in the ER one night because a girl I was dating had a medical issues (real medical issues, not a drinking issue). It was the night after a UM game, and the ER had a bunch of people in it in UM sweaters with busted lips, etc, and they were talking about the scuffles they got in and moaning about getting in trouble with the police! All fairly young guys who looked like they were just maybe having too good of a time and taking the game way too seriously.

I live and work in a college town. Not even a Big Ten college and we would call an ER full of injuries from fights Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Even 1/2 of 1% of a small crowd of 20000 leaves 100 people to be stupid and either get hurt or arrested (or both).

Ken is right (again). This was more about one person refusing to give up than about college or college athletics.

Joe

David Weaver
09-02-2010, 5:16 PM
I live and work in a college town. Not even a Big Ten college and we would call an ER full of injuries from fights Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Even 1/2 of 1% of a small crowd of 20000 leaves 100 people to be stupid and either get hurt or arrested (or both).

Ken is right (again). This was more about one person refusing to give up than about college or college athletics.

Joe

I'm sure that it could've been anyone, and I'm sure there have been guys with red shirts there, too, more than once.

The worst for us was pitt games. Not because of what went on after the games, but because of what goes on during the games. Last pitt game in pittsburgh had pitt fans throwing bottles at penn state fans in large numbers during the game. Not one or two, but more like a melee.

I think they feel like there's still a rivalry, but that feeling certainly goes only one way, we had a lot bigger things (guys in blue and guys in red) to worry about in terms of rivalries.

I hear a lot of colleges are really clamping down on any alcohol consumption around their stadiums. When I was in school, open container in public was illegal except at the football stadium, which was legally in a different township (where open container was encouraged :p).

Generally the crowd at those games was pretty tame, though, or rather very tame, to the point that there wasn't really much crowd noise.