<p>Almost all my replies on this thread have been directed at kassos ( the OP) and D3 schools but since we have moved to big time college sports , I think y’all are missing part of the big picture at the big programs. </p>
<p>UT and A+M and Tech football (actually all sports) isn’t just for the current students or alums. It’s for the voters and taxpayers of the state who support it as well as everything else on campus. Local news everywhere leads their sports stories with their local colleges exploits. That’s not for the students , the players , or the alums- its for the fans. Many Aggies have never set foot in a classroom in College Station, nor have their children but they bleed maroon and white, follow every story, watch every snippet on recruiting. </p>
<p>Every newspaper in Texas over a certain size has a Top 100 Recruits list that they update weekly with whose in on what kid. </p>
<p>For publics, it provides great entertainment to the taxpaying masses and that ain’t all bad. </p>
<p>For the private schools, the few that can compete, it gives something back to their community in the way of entertainment and in that way helps them be a better neighbor and better received. Not just that rich kids place that the locals feel has nothing to do with their lives. And every once in a while a local kid will make the team and great good will can come from that. Don’t kid yourself. They look to put a couple home town kids on the team for this reason. </p>
<p>I think you have a good point about the large number of “subway alumni” for most state schools. I doubt more than half of the fans at the average Wisconsin game ever went to the school.</p>
I think at some colleges more students would elect to keep or pump up the varsity programs and at some others the students would elect not to. </p>
<p>At UCSD, a large public U, students have in the past elected to not have their fees increased so as to expand the varsity program (any expansion would cost money). Most of the students going there know up front it’s not the place to go if you want the rah-rah of a football team. That rah-rah has a real cost. </p>
<p>At UCLA, USC, etc. I’m sure there are plenty of students for whom having a strong football (and basketball) program made a difference in their choice of college to attend. </p>
<p>So, I know people who chose a college specifically because that college did ‘not’ invest in recruited sports teams and others who chose a college specifically because of the sports teams. </p>
<p>The best bet is to have a variety of colleges for people to choose from - those with strong recruited sports programs and those without. Luckily we have this in our great country.</p>
<p>I agree Curm that the number of diehard fans who never had any connections to the school they support is unbelievable. When we first moved to NC, I quickly learned that you could not assume that someone was an alumni or had a child attending just because you saw bumper stickers on the cars, logos on all their casual clothing and little flags in their front yards. It seems everyone in NC selects UNC, Duke, Wake or NC State as their favorite team and celebrates or cries along with the teams.</p>
<p>When I graduated from college, I moved to Louisville to be with my brand-new husband. On the first day of my job, the question throughout the day was are you a UK fan or a U of L fan? Of course they were talking about college basketball.</p>
<p>Personally, I could care less about watching or participating in college sports. It’s not my thing. However, my H was a D1 gymnast, my B was a D3 pitcher, and my D is a D3 distance runner. My uncle (like so many of his fellow ND alumni) is a die-hard Fighting Irish fan and goes back to South Bend from San Diego for nearly every home football game.</p>
<p>College sports are a great way to maintain alumni interest (and thus alumni $$$).</p>
<p>Yes it would/will be interesting to track Boise State’s application numbers, especially out of state applications which typically are revenue enhancers for state schools. Wile the UVa’s, Michigan’s, and UCLA might not have much trouble attracking out of staters yout second tier state schools do. Those out of state students can be especially good for the local economy because a few of them will hang around after graduation.</p>