<p>Yeah… no athletic scholarships in the Ivies…that’s their story and they are sticking to it. Bottom line: Universities are businesses that need to keep federal grants and corporate grants and, in the case of elite schools especially ALUMNI DOLLARS coming in. It is the only way to feed the beast. Sports brings in the Alumni dollars. </p>
<p>I know it is quaint to think of these schools (not just Harvard, but the whole cadre of top-100 schools in the U.S.) as noble institutions, and of course they do great things because they allow great people to cluster. But at the end of the day, it is the balance sheet that rules their decisions. This is not cynicism, but simple reality.</p>