had I not played football, and therefore
not have been forced to marshal my time
to the utmost, I would not have made the
society “early” or perhaps at all. Simply
put, we should either abolish football or
compete in it at the highest level. Wisely,
we have finally settled upon the latter
course; a course of continued mediocrity
was bound to do nothing but harm to
the University as a whole.
We have virtually always competed in
men’s basketball (and other sports) at the
highest level. Why in the name of logic
should football be different? Our long
and unparalleled success in men’s basketball (and the concomitant payment of
those coaches’ compensation at the highest levels) has made Carolina known in
virtually every corner of the world and in
a positive light. Has anyone ever cogently
argued that our men’s basketball team has
detracted from our academic standing?
Our women’s soccer team has had success
that will never be remotely duplicated at
any level. Has our standing in the academic community suffered on account of
our women’s singular dominance? Per-
haps more analogous, did the academic
excellence of Yale and Princeton go by
the wayside while those institutions dominated college football in the 1880s and
1890s and beyond? Those who argue that
football denigrates the University’s academic mission are simply tilting at a straw
man of their own illogical construction.
Moreover, only a very small portion of
Coach Davis’ compensation comes from
the University proper, and even that small
portion is recovered many times over in
the revenues generated by the football
program, which revenues also fund many
other of the University’s programs. On
that note, the next professor who attracts
60,000 students weekly, who in turn pay
a substantial annual stipend for the right
to pay a further $50 per week for admission to the class, will have my full
endorsement for a compensation package
equal to those in the athletic sector. With
all due respect to Mr. Friday, the proper
view to be had is that of apples to apples,
not apples to oranges.
J. Neil Robinson ’ 80 (AB, ’ 83 JD)
Waxhaw
■ ■ ■
In a word, the bonus to Coach Davis
after one year is premature. There are
other words I could use, like stupid, illogical and irresponsible. But it is enough to
say my donations to education have gone
and will continue to go to our local
school district, and this farce reinforces my
decision. Further, I’ve watched football
programs across the country buying out
remaining years of coaches they’ve fired,
or, as in the pathetic case of the University of Colorado down the road, spending
gobs of money defending themselves in
court for football players running amok.
Never once have I heard a sports
announcer tout the Carolina football program as a model. Yet every time the Tar
Heels take to the basketball court, they
are praised along with UCLA and Indiana
as models for both exceptional play and
high academic graduation rates.
Sign me,
Disgusted in Colorado
Bill Ellis ’ 64
