WITH EVERY new school year, an integral part of life at the University arrives: a new football season. Many students focus intently on the performance of the team and its prospects in the Bowl season. With new grand chief Al Groh, the University especially will scrutinize the team for NFL quality improvements. As the buzz increases around town, so will the unfortunate criticism from parts of the community about the emphasis on athletics at the University. Athletics, however, is a part of student life as important as the most distinguished professors that the University boasts.
Our student athletes best demonstrate many of the qualities outlined in the original Jeffersonian ideals for the University. More and more, our peers and administrators put a premium on success in the occupational field that students ultimately pursue. Former University quarterback Aaron Brooks is a great example of a successful professional football player who went on to play quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He followed in the steps of Wahoos before him that have made it to the top of their profession. He sets an example for all who come after him.
Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson envisioned a well-rounded student as someone smart and articulate, but also active and fit. Most of our student athletes put the student body to shame concerning the overall condition of their bodies. Being a college athlete is a process of conditioning the body to do certain activities in an exceptional way, therefore performing at a competitive level with others with the same goal. An athletically oriented student is exacting the same process with his or her body as an academically oriented student is with his or her mind.
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An added bonus is that certain athletes, sought out from all over the country, bring abilities to the classroom exceeding those of the average University student. The time demanded to perform well in the classroom as well as on the field is unparalleled by that of any other extra-curricular activity at this school. Discipline is the key ingredient to keeping the grueling schedule that athletes face. For instance, football players' schedules include two-hour daily practices, and 12 games in all. Like other students, they must also balance papers, tests and a social calendar that is integral to enjoying life at the University.
Another quality that athletes generally possess is a good work ethic. Pure athletic ability seldom carries anyone to success in Division I athletics. Generally, some natural talent is combined with much hard work and endurance. Timely attendance to practices and games train a student to complete tasks with diligence even after college. Some students, on the other hand, go through four years at the University without any improvement on work ethic or punctuality.
Much of the argument against emphasis on athletics relies on criticism of the University's budget allocation toward the athletic department, and the tendency for charitable donations to concentrate largely on sports facilities and programs. For instance, a $20 million anonymous donation to the athletic department was announced this summer that will fund a new basketball arena. When collegiate sports make news, the eyes of the nation are turned toward our school.
The economic aspect of college athletics is an entirely separate issue. To complain about the the monetary support University athletics receives equates with rejecting the free market as it applies to sporting events. The economic success of the athletic department is a self-perpetuating mechanism ultimately fueled by the fans' appreciation of the talents and skills of our athletes. Trying to put a limit on the revenues generated by sports, or the private decisions of individuals contributing to the athletic program, is tampering with a basic liberty to participate in a free market.
Upset critics can make one of two responses to the success and attention given to the University's athletic program. They can fight it, complaining and struggling against the economic juggernaut that sometimes drives college athletics. Alternatively, they can congratulate our student athletes for their hard work, diligence and adherence to the principles upon which our University was founded. An argument against the athletic program is one that denies the accolade that many of our hardest working students deserve.
The athletic program's contribution does not end with the local community and nationwide fans. Its greatest impact lies with the impression it leaves on the students. Evidence of the great power our athletic program has is the many donations it receives from alumni. They joyfully reflect on their time here as a result of their experiences at football and basketball games rooting for the home team. The University experience is priceless as a result of experiences shared either as an athlete or cheering them on.
(Matt West's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mwest@cavalierdaily.com.)
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