Last week we began to explain the power of sports. We understand that this topic is so broad and important that an entire book can be dedicated to it. So this week we decided to explain how the power of sports directly affects Howard University (HU) and colleges across the country.
It can be hard to understand the power of sports on a collegiate level because at HU athletics takes a back seat to almost everything. But at almost all other schools the school revolves around athletics.
At Ohio State University the students there spend the majority of Saturday's either at the game or tailgating for the game and then, of course, partying afterwards. There are a couple major reasons for this, the first being that the athletic teams at OSU are outstanding and then also because these sports brings in millions of dollars to the school. This revenue stream correlates with the facilities that the school has, sports and academic alike.
According to figures released from the U.S. Department of Education's Equity in Athletics during the 2008-2009 school year the University of Texas' football program turned a $65 million profit. The University of Georgia racked in $45 million, and the University of Florida brought in a $43 million profit. Imagine how different Howard University would be if our athletic programs turned half of those profits.
Simply put, with the exception of Ivy League schools, the schools with better athletics tend to look better. The money that football and basketball teams bring in allows the schools to build state of the art research facilities and buildings that make the school far more attractive. Not to mention great sports programs bring more television exposure to those schools, which in turn attracts the best and the brightest students from across the country. All in all, it means more money.
We are more than sure that HU President Dr. Sidney Ribeau understands the power of sports. In 2001 while he was President of Bowling Green University Urban Meyer was hired as head football coach. Meyer has excelled everywhere he has coached since. He has won two national championships and has the highest winning percentage of any Division I college coach.
There should be a better transition here. Something that draws the connection between Ribeau's experience and our athletic situation at Howard. It needs to make sense why you chose to mention this.
Howard University has the unique opportunity to be able to recruit nationally using a completely different formula than most major programs. It has a brand that allows the school to distinguish itself from many other schools because it is the top HBCU with the best academic curriculum, who also competes on the Division I level. Why not use the power that our school has in the African-American community to support athletics and at least try and compete on national level?
Our athletic department has begun to try to turn things around. Bison alum and Indianapolis Colts safety Antoine Bethea recently donated $25,000 of a pledge to give $100,000. Banners have gone up on the side of Burr Gymnasium and on the side of Cramton Auditorium behind Greene Stadium to try to foster more school spirit. The biggest news is that a committee has begun a national search for an Athletic Director. Hopefully this search will bring a great leader and a visionary who's willing to change things like Dr. Ribeau.
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