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NYTimes "As Costs of Sports Rise, Students Balk at Fees"
John Strohsacker, Photographer
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 1:46 PM on 05.31.09 |
->> If every incoming student were told how much of their tuition/fees go towards sports programs and given the option of saving that money instead of paying it out I think you'd see a heck of a lot of college sports programs de-funded.
College sports are a luxury. These are not luxurious times. |
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Keith Kountz, Photographer, Assistant
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Fresno | CA | USA | Posted: 1:01 PM on 06.02.09 |
->> The students at Fresno State are being screwed in this situation. There are being forced to pay money that is going to fund two programs (swim & dive team and also Lacrosse) that don't even bring in any more money to the school, in fact they lose money!!!! All this to be compliant to a BS title IX!! Despite the fee increase for the athletic department they still have to take a 25% or more cut.
Here's an Idea for the school: Start getting money for the use of your photos. Also stop giving away Ipod's, and game tickets.
Follow this board for more info:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=33208 |
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Dirk Dewachter, Photographer
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Playa Del Rey | CA | USA | Posted: 4:13 PM on 06.02.09 |
->> This is interesting as I had a conversation with a cif commissioner who insinuated that as club sports grow in the United States, that eventually the schools will migrate to the european education model where you only have P.E. and no organized sports in high schools at least.
Being from European descent and having grown up in that environment, we had no organized sports in high school or college and our class schedule consisted of 36 to 40 periods of 50 minutes each. Imagine that, one goes to school to learn and not to play sports.
I can only imagine the financial drain of multiple sport programs on the budget of high schools, colleges and universities. But then, image projection, school reputation and deeply rooted rivalries may fight that transition. |
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Darren Whitley, Photographer
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Maryville | MO | USA | Posted: 4:25 PM on 06.02.09 |
| ->> The cost of health care for student athletes is a significant burden for an athletic department. |
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Eli Lucero, Photographer
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Logan | UT | USA | Posted: 6:39 PM on 06.02.09 |
->> Ironically students at Utah State University, which is in the WAC like Fresno St., recently voted to increase its athletic fees from $113 to $243 per year. The sad part is that the football team is one of the worst in D-1.
Keith in your comment you said: "They are being forced to pay money that is going to fund two programs (swim & dive team and also Lacrosse) that don't even bring in any more money to the school, in fact they lose money!!!!"
I don't know about Fresno St. for sure but I would guess that almost all the sports lose money. Here at Utah State men's basketball makes a profit and maybe football does, but that's it. Every other sport can't cover their costs. |
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John Germ, Photographer
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Wadsworth | Oh | USA | Posted: 9:07 PM on 06.02.09 |
->> "Imagine that, one goes to school to learn and not to play sports."
Dirk - I understand what you're saying. And I agree in many cases sports becomes an obsession. However, there is a lot to be 'learned' by being part of a sports team at a competitive level: teamwork, the idea of losing, picking yourself up and preparing for the next obstacle, facing a superior opponent, etc. etc. Sports programs can teach students a lot that the classroom cannot. So when organized sports go away, students really do lose out. Don't get me wrong - I am a huge proponent of the notion that playing on a HS sports team is a priviledge and not a right - and high academic standards should be enforced. Sadly, I've seen how those standards are bent for the superstar HS athletes. But, that in and of itself, is a very important life lesson for the other student athletes. Life isn't always fair and learning to deal and cope with that unfairness is an important life skill. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 10:08 PM on 06.02.09 |
->> Dirk I really couldn't disagree more with the prediction of the demise of hs sports. Just look around, in my general area many of the schools have over the last few years spent MILLIONS on new facilities. Field turf, $90K concession stands, high school gyms that begin to rival "small" D1 college facilities. Down south hs football is hard to distinguish from a ncaa event. THOSE stadiums hold greater seating capacity than many or most D2 or D3 schools.
Whether from booster clubs or from developing new revenue streams, high school and college sports are here to stay. |
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Bruce Twitchell, Photographer
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Coeur d'Alene | ID | USA | Posted: 12:01 AM on 06.03.09 |
->> John,
Everything that you state athletics teach, CAN be taught in the classroom.
For me, I don't so much have an issue with the sports, I have an issue with the funding of sports while they slash teacher pay, course offerings, as well as classroom budgets while still funding extra-curricular activities.
While in college I had issues with my money going towards sports. Schools are academic institutions, not athletic institutions. What percentage of athletes go onto play professionally? A very small percentage. If any other program at a college had that low of professional placement, it would be done away with and replaced with something else. |
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Matthew Sauk, Photographer
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Sandy | UT | United States | Posted: 12:22 AM on 06.03.09 |
->> Eli,
We were not always bad :) It has been 12 years though since they have had a winning season though. |
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Matthew Sauk, Photographer
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Sandy | UT | United States | Posted: 12:23 AM on 06.03.09 |
->> Damn,
I just realized it has been 12 years since I stopped playing in college! Man where has the time gone.. |
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Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
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Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 12:30 AM on 06.03.09 |
| ->> Bruce, what percentage of journalism majors will work professionally? And if they do get jobs out of college, what are the odds they will spend at least 10 years working in journalism? Are journalism schools cutting back? |
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Bruce Twitchell, Photographer
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Coeur d'Alene | ID | USA | Posted: 12:51 AM on 06.03.09 |
->> Paul,
I don't have the number on journalism majors but I would bet that it is more than 1%.
"1% of college athletes go on to play at the professional level."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1003/p13s02-legn.html
(I know this article is a little dated but I bet the numbers are not too different now)
As far as the 10 years factor, not sure how that comes into play. I would ask your question about any major. The average person will have 5 different careers in their life-
http://eclips.cornell.edu/themes.do?id=54&clipID=11036&tab=TabClipPage
Figure working time is approx. 50 years- from age 20-70 this is 10 years per career, so any major is likely to move on after 10 years.
But when only 1% of college athletes actually make their goal, that is horrible placement numbers. |
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Ross LaDue, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Ames | IA | USA | Posted: 1:53 AM on 06.03.09 |
->> As a recent college graduate I can safely speak for many students and say that NCAA sports contributes a lot to the student environment.
If my college wouldn't have had a Div 1 sports program then it would have been a lot more boring in my town.
College sports may cost a lot, but they can also contribute a lot to the recruitment for undergrads. And their tuition pays for a bigger portion of the academics than the athletics.
Also think about how much college athletics contributes to the payroll of photographers, especially ones who shoot sports..... |
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John Germ, Photographer
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Wadsworth | Oh | USA | Posted: 9:26 AM on 06.03.09 |
->> Bruce,
Sorry but I disagree that it can all be taught in the classroom. There is a physical aspect that is difficult to teach - the physical preparation / conditioning / etc. Gym classes are a very poor substitute. It's also very difficult to have class projects where you work in a team environment for an entire semester. I was an average HS athlete - certainly not a top performer - but I learned at least as much through sports as I did in the classroom as far as life lessons. I do agree with the pay to play concept in HS though - at least to help offset costs.
And, I will also say, HS sports can have a very positive impact on the community. The city I live in has a very successful girls Basketball and Wrestling program. In addition to an average football program. The games / matches are well attended and provide a great benefit to the community spirit.
Some times it's about more than money. After all, how many students will become professional singers, professional musicians or professional artists. But music and arts are still important programs in my opinion. And it's likely those programs are not self-funded. |
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Michael Fischer, Photographer
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Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 1:07 PM on 06.03.09 |
->> Of course NCAA athletics add to the quality of life in a university, but the point is, at what cost?
With limited resources, administrators are forced to make tough decisions. At what point do they either 1) increase the amount students pay (as well as ticket prices to the public), re-allocate dollars from education and put it into athletics ( makes you wonder what the objective of the instition really is) or cut the program.
The big picture is this: If we're going to compete in a global economy, we need highly educated people to do so. Your football team's success won't help when you're competing with a business based in China.
I think Jim and Dirk are both on the right path. Ross, you may have noticed that the University of Northern Iowa, after giving the baseball program one last chance to raise $1Million, killed the program 2 weeks ago. A local kid who I photographed many times is looking for a new place to play.He had a baseball scholarship.
Or if he's smart, he's just decided to worry about how to compete in the world economy and focus on his studies. When athletics becomes the most important thing to a university or college, they have walked away from their original mission of higher education. |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 5:13 PM on 06.03.09 |
->> "All this to be compliant to a BS title IX!!"
Darn those women and their spurious demands for equality... |
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