So there is this article this “commentary” in the Star Tribune, Jay Weiner: It's time for 'U' to drop the ball. Weiner is an advocate of shutting down the Gopher football team using a 1939 decision by the University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins to pull the plug on their team.
I know quite a few academics at the U of M who believe that big time sports should not be as important as they are. A few are upset about coach’s salaries and athletic department budgets.
Most of them still follow the teams and cheer on their school.
Weiner uses these statistics:
Chicago is ranked ninth among all universities in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report; Minnesota is ranked 67th. Chicago, a private school, has an endowment of more than $4 billion, 13th largest in the nation. Alums still seem to be giving.
If I wanted to spend any more time on this I would start with this, comparing Chicago to Minnesota is like comparing red apples and watermelon. Both share a color and a member of the fruit family and that is about it.
Maybe Weiner could spend some time analyzing the endowments of traditional football schools and recent powerhouses. I am sure he would see that more dollars come in when the ala mater teams are doing well.
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