Friday, October 9, 2009
The mutually beneficial relationship between athletics and academics in the public university setting is something worth cherishing.
Kansas has a storied sports history, of course, and many other notable universities have garnered national media attention because of great achievements in athletics.
But some students may feel inclined to bemoan a supposed unequal share of limelight between their university’s athletics and academic accomplishments, I believe national attention from one aspect highlights the other.
When researching schools with high academic prestige attached, I tend to find one thing in common: a sports narrative overpowered by academics. For example, the University of California-Berkeley is my dream law school and it occurred to me that I forgot what the school mascot was. After reintroducing this fact to my brain, I further discovered that the Cal Bears have a strong contender for the Heisman trophy in junior Jahvid Best. Furthermore, Berkeley has three swimmers on the 2009 U.S. national swim team, a feat only accomplished by placing in the top six times at one of four qualifying swim events.
I suppose all this information surprised me because all I ever read about in articles and newspapers concerning Berkeley is politics or medicine. Of course I think the discoveries and advancements made at schools like Stanford and MIT are wonderful, but I often feel that the student experience during those four or five years is different than those at places like Kansas or Oklahoma.
Originally I came to Kansas because it was the only school to offer a degree in atmospheric science in the state. I soon came into contact with a school rich in tradition. The chants, the tailgating, the camping for tickets, the list could go on and on. I can’t imagine having the same experience if I pursued my initial desire of attending Rice in Texas for its pre-med program.
Another benefit for universities with successful athletic programs is the possibility of endowment for academics, perhaps something like the little $40 million gift Kansas Athletics promised to the University. This is a clear example of a relationship functioning at its best. Gestures like these are great for university morale because it reaffirms the fact that learning, research and growth are paramount and every facet of the university seeks to cultivate these three components.
So even though I’m not the biggest Kansas football or basketball disciple by any means, I appreciate the culture and life that has grown from the noteworthy effort of these and other sports. Because of this national attention, people will research Kansas and will find out that it’s no coincidence that a school with a national title in basketball also has high national rankings for its law school, study abroad program and journalism school writing competitions among many other things.
— Edited by Megan Morriss
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Comments
uofk03 (anonymous) says...
Spot on, Mr. Williams. They DO compliment each other and we're lucky here at KU to have such a successful athletics department.
October 9, 2009 at 4:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hendrix321 (anonymous) says...
Great editorial. While I think that at times, the pendulum does swing too hard in one direction, it's definitely not an either-or proposition. As critical as I have been of the current state of the KU Athletics Department in some of my comments, it's because I want the best for the entire university and athletics department, and I want to be celebrating on Mass Street on an April Monday evening as much as anybody.
October 9, 2009 at 9:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )