Cooperstein Tonight

[PK]

You Go Girl!!!

[ACHall]

We should look at Kansas State as an example to follow, and hire Larry Eustachy as a coach.

[Hoop Fan]

SMU cannot change the way "the game" is played. In fact, SMU is not even in position to really influence the direction of college athletics. Maybe Duke is, but they don't seem to be changing the world and stopping the Florida States of their own conference from making a mockery of academics. What it comes down to is do you want to survive and participate at the highest level or not? The rest is academic, literally and figuratively.

[DiamondM]

My reference to business was tongue in cheek. I agree that some additional majors that might appeal to athletes would be nice, but not just because they might appeal to athletes. To suggest that athletes as a group can't handle certain majors/classes or are interested in only certain majors/classes is insulting and patronizing, imo. There are some existing academic niches, perhaps not enough, that some of our athletes have already found. Adding a new department, with new faculty, etc. is not just a matter of waving a magic wand. And it certainly is no panacea. If you could name 5 recruits that were interested in coming to SMU but ended up saying, "I would have come to SMU over X school except X school has a kinesiology major and SMU doesn't," I would be surprised.

[Greenwich Pony]

Much as it kills me to admit it, since I am one of those who believes that SMU should aspire (and is eventually capable of joining) to the very top-tiers of academia, we should have a sports administration program, period. Virtually every other D-1 school has it or an equivilient, even those schools we regard so highly. Even Ivy League schools have majors that seem to be "athlete friendly" (by comparison). It is part of the reality of athletics today. Furthermore, such a major is a logical extension of the management-oriented appraoch SMU has taken in the arts and engineering schools. I don't think it should be "clapping for credit," but at some point we have to be reasonable.

The trick is not to let the inmates run the assylum. At SMU, we try to do the right thing by our recruits. One of the strengths of the school is the personal attention we give to all undergrads. If we give the same attention to kids in the Sports Management program, we shouldn't have the problems of the past, nor will we run what has become essentially a prison work-release program that you see at some big state schools.

[Hoop Fan]

Panacea? Maybe not, but again why does TCU offer what they do? And maybe it is insulting and patronizing to suggest athletes seek easier majors. Some do, some don't. But you are trying to argue a much larger social and cultural issue by going there. If you want to change the world, you can't be a martyr and fall on your sword. That is what SMU has done basically.

[Ikus]

There might be something to Dooby's Fix Football First theory. After all, I don't think TCU even dreamed of upgrading its basketball facilities (and aren't they building a new football practice facility, too?) until the damn lizards strung together some 10-win football seasons that, although those wins didn't come against national powers, got their alums all fired up (and willing to open their checkbooks).