After being a fan of Pitt sports since 1955 plus being an alumnus, a lot of changes have happened to the University, collegiate athletics, and conferences, In general, I believe that Pitt, Syracuse, and BC are on the cusp of deciding that they cannot and do not wish to be the semi-pro stepchild of professional sports.
How much does athletics add to the bottom line for universities in building facilities (yes, I know the old Woody Hayes saying about his team building OSU), hiring top professors, and doing valuable research? Frankly, not very much as the General Fund has augmented the athletic programs.
Certainly most people really do enjoy rooting for their favorite team or college. Nothing wrong with that and it is a healthy activity for students and fans. But, reality has to hit the road that even with the proposed settlement, various sports will be cut or dwindled. Conferences will be The Big TWO and the beggars at the table. Even the ACC changed their Departure Policy and will give more money to Florida State, Clemson, and probably half the conferences before Pitt, Syracuse, or BC. That decision rests on viewership of each ACC team's games over a five year period. The ACC is becoming uncomfortable and perhaps vulnerable now.
I definitely understand dislike of what I am writing but reality is how the university looks at things. Pitt has had some great periods in football and even basketball, but the reality again is that those times were not decades or generations. When you start to consider paying players $250,000+ per year, then you are buying ever changing rosters and depreciating the value of what a university is as a primary function for society.
A little insight, EJ can back up knowing me and his father as well. We used to be a close student body before playing athletics became a full time job. We would gather in the Tuck Shop, flirt with sorority sisters, etc. This group included Paul Martha, Marty Schottenheimer, Rick Leeson, and almost all the football and basketball players. We had a hell of a lot of fun and enjoyed the athletics while being proud to be a far higher ranked school than Farmers University aka Penn State. Pitt was a private university and its chancellor was spending freely to make Pitt an Ivy League School. Well, that changed and Pitt became State Related and then budgets were scrutinized more so than previously. Pitt never had a faculty or administration that was favoring athletics over academics. Nor should we!
There is the huge financial mistake of Victory Heights. There is absolutely no viable space or reason to build a new "Pitt Stadium." Plus, the mistake of the Trimester System destroyed much of what other universities enjoy, a sense of Class of XXXX. Is it any wonder that alumni donations do not match those of other similar sized universities?
How much does athletics add to the bottom line for universities in building facilities (yes, I know the old Woody Hayes saying about his team building OSU), hiring top professors, and doing valuable research? Frankly, not very much as the General Fund has augmented the athletic programs.
Certainly most people really do enjoy rooting for their favorite team or college. Nothing wrong with that and it is a healthy activity for students and fans. But, reality has to hit the road that even with the proposed settlement, various sports will be cut or dwindled. Conferences will be The Big TWO and the beggars at the table. Even the ACC changed their Departure Policy and will give more money to Florida State, Clemson, and probably half the conferences before Pitt, Syracuse, or BC. That decision rests on viewership of each ACC team's games over a five year period. The ACC is becoming uncomfortable and perhaps vulnerable now.
I definitely understand dislike of what I am writing but reality is how the university looks at things. Pitt has had some great periods in football and even basketball, but the reality again is that those times were not decades or generations. When you start to consider paying players $250,000+ per year, then you are buying ever changing rosters and depreciating the value of what a university is as a primary function for society.
A little insight, EJ can back up knowing me and his father as well. We used to be a close student body before playing athletics became a full time job. We would gather in the Tuck Shop, flirt with sorority sisters, etc. This group included Paul Martha, Marty Schottenheimer, Rick Leeson, and almost all the football and basketball players. We had a hell of a lot of fun and enjoyed the athletics while being proud to be a far higher ranked school than Farmers University aka Penn State. Pitt was a private university and its chancellor was spending freely to make Pitt an Ivy League School. Well, that changed and Pitt became State Related and then budgets were scrutinized more so than previously. Pitt never had a faculty or administration that was favoring athletics over academics. Nor should we!
There is the huge financial mistake of Victory Heights. There is absolutely no viable space or reason to build a new "Pitt Stadium." Plus, the mistake of the Trimester System destroyed much of what other universities enjoy, a sense of Class of XXXX. Is it any wonder that alumni donations do not match those of other similar sized universities?
