(02-20-2018 02:46 PM)monarx Wrote: (02-20-2018 02:24 PM)GhentFan Wrote: (02-20-2018 12:43 PM)ODU2K1 Wrote: (02-20-2018 12:28 PM)monarx Wrote: I still think part of the answer is to simply add the athletics fees to the online students and give them a subscription to Monarch Media or CUSA.tv. They get as much as anyone from the increased recognition the sports program brings to ODU. Sports are not simply a campus recreational opportunity, or campus life activity, its a huge part of building awareness, school pride and PR.
This. A 1,000 times this.
I am 100% against that. I read the studies some of you posted last year about sports "increasing the value of a degree" I also shared studies that said the exact opposite.
Truth is, ODU is known regionally. You think the Bahamas bowl, NIT runner ups etc.. are the reason why people choose ODU, or choose to hire it's graduates?
If every school is throwing money at sports to "increase the value".. then the end effect is nobody wins.
Since it's the Alumni that benefit the most from the sports, why not make all sporting events 100% reliant on donations and ticket sales?
Do you think the reason GMU and VCU have managed to put a little separation between themselves and ODU is because all of a sudden their academics got much better? Not at all. They gained national awareness through their sports programs. The buzz created by their sports made them more attractive places to go to school in the minds of high school students. More accepted students equals more selectivity. More selectivity increases desirability and rankings. Greater selectivity means a higher caliber (or at least testing) incoming student and since people like to go to school with their friends sometimes, even more higher caliber incoming students. That also increases rankings. And often, if you have a more capable incoming student they will be more talented graduates as well, which also increases the reputation of the school. And the better the reputation of the alma mater, the better the name looks on a person's resume. Which gives graduates of a better known school a leg up in the job market, which is why most people go to college to begin with. So I say with much conviction that sports success can improve the perception of a school and its graduates. Which is why athletic success benefits all students (on campus and online) and alumni alike.
Did you choose ODU because of it's BB program? Unless you were a player I strongly believe that would have been a mistake.
It the sports programs at MIT, University of Chicago, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon... that made these colleges what they are right?
As I mentioned before, I've read the studies you've all posted, and I shared ones that conflict with those conclusions during this discussion last year and the year before. How much do you think CNU's rapid rise has been a result of their sports programs? I'd likely wager it was very slim if at all.
If simply having a sports program are the make or break then I'm guessing you are very familiar with schools like Ferrum College,Limestone College, St. Olaf College, Minot State, and Yeshiva University.
No?
I'm sure you've heard of all these football champs though:
Saint Francis, Marian, Carroll, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Linfield, Mount Union, Northwest Missouri, Valdosta State, Grand Valley State,..
Even going to Div FCS asked my wife if she's ever heard of North Dakota State.. and it was a big nope.
The only reason I know of Mount Union, is that I have family that went to St. Thomas.
Sports spending has gotten out of control, very few programs could survive on their own. Perhaps college sports should only exist at the club level.
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MTSU planning big practice facility upgrades
