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Why College Football Should Be Banned
The Wall Street Journal ^ | May 4, 2012 | Buzz Bissinger

Posted on 05/05/2012 6:28:24 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican

In more than 20 years I've spent studying the issue, I have yet to hear a convincing argument that college football has anything do with what is presumably the primary purpose of higher education: academics.

That's because college football has no academic purpose. Which is why it needs to be banned. A radical solution, yes. But necessary in today's times.

Football only provides the thickest layer of distraction in an atmosphere in which colleges and universities these days are all about distraction, nursing an obsession with the social well-being of students as opposed to the obsession that they are there for the vital and single purpose of learning as much as they can to compete in the brutal realities of the global economy.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: liberalagenda; nancybissinger; rushwasright
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To: MinorityRepublican

More foolishness. I like college football, don’t care for pro-football and think both are over celebrated and in their own way both are over paid.

I still don’t think either should be banned though. If they are not necessary they will go away because demand will fall to nothing.

College tuition keeps going up because the number who don’t pay a dime keeps going up subsidized by the number who do pay and the free access to cheap money by people foolish enough to borrow it.


21 posted on 05/05/2012 7:02:51 AM PDT by Sequoyah101
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To: MinorityRepublican

Here’s an idea: Let’s keep football, and banish liberalism from campuses. Now, wouldn’t THAT be beneficial to society?


22 posted on 05/05/2012 7:13:39 AM PDT by rlmorel ("The safest road to Hell is the gradual one." Screwtape (C.S. Lewis))
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To: MinorityRepublican

Funny coincidence...just Thursday this week, Rush predicted that the nannies would try to begin banning professional football because of head injuries and later suicides, whether linked or not. He said this would happen “maybe not in our lifetimes.”

Kudos, Rush, your first prediction was right on. But your timing on your second was off by a few decades!


23 posted on 05/05/2012 7:15:00 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: MinorityRepublican

If college were not heavily subsidized by the taxpayer and if a college degree were not made into a required certificate for so many jobs not really needing a college degree, who would care?

Some schools would run Div. 1 (semi-pro) programs because they were, all things considered, money-makers. (This includes fund-raising, and recruitment and retention of tuition-paying students, in addition to ticket sales, broadcasting rights and ancillary revenue).

Other schools would run Div. 3 (more like amateur) programs. Basically because, for them, it helps with recruitment and retention of students.

Other schools would avoid intercollegiate sports altogether, and focus on offering low cost education. Think urban commuter schools, and schools that cater to “non-traditional” students.

Cost at a for-profit school like Strayer is often half that at a not-for-profit. Intercollegiate athletics is part of the difference. But so are many other things. Because of taxpayer subsidies and creeping credentialism, the cost of college is a very real problem.


24 posted on 05/05/2012 7:15:49 AM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: MinorityRepublican

My opinion? I’m glad you asked! ;-)

I think any college athlete - football included - should be paid maybe the amount varying from sport to sport but for any sport all would be paid the same.

I don’t know about all sports but I do know that any number of college football players can be taken out (and suffer from) injuries suffered during their college career even though they likely will never go pro.

Colleges make millions on their football/basketball programs - give the guys a little something - above board and well-deserved. IMHO. ;-)


25 posted on 05/05/2012 7:16:48 AM PDT by Tunehead54 (Nothing funny here ;-)
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To: HerrBlucher
Because my name is Buzz Bissinger and I was teased a lot by the school jocks?

Snort...how did you guess?

26 posted on 05/05/2012 7:17:22 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

Comment #28 Removed by Moderator

To: ProtectOurFreedom

FUBUZZ!! College football rocks. The pros should be eliminated.


29 posted on 05/05/2012 7:21:04 AM PDT by goseminoles
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To: MinorityRepublican

at least football generates income...the rest of academia is funded by inflated tuition and taxpayer money.


30 posted on 05/05/2012 7:21:49 AM PDT by Scotswife
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Now there’s a picture of a guy who got a “swirly” every day in 8th grade from the football team.


31 posted on 05/05/2012 7:23:46 AM PDT by henkster (Wanted: Politicians willing to say "No" to people. No experience required.)
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To: proudpapa
BWHAHAHAHA. Truth is, it’s all about the $$$.

I attended college in three decades: 70's 80's and 90's and I am here to tell you it is ALL about money now.

The tuitions have sky rocketed.

Incredibly high Lab fees and sometimes lab fees for courses with no actual lab exercises.

And particularly creepy is charging OUTLANDISH amounts for books written by the Professor of the class you are required to take, printed by the University Press, and sold ONLY at the University Book store.

32 posted on 05/05/2012 7:25:44 AM PDT by Mikey_1962 (Obama: The Affirmative Action President.)
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To: henkster

That’s as much as you know about him? I had no idea who he was or what he did, then I read the article to make sure I didn’t say something stupid.


33 posted on 05/05/2012 7:32:49 AM PDT by jiggyboy (Ten percent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: MinorityRepublican

I am going to ask you MR... you put this article on last night. Why today? Do you have an issue with football or do you just find the article interesting?


34 posted on 05/05/2012 7:33:47 AM PDT by momtothree
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To: ghannonf18
A quality education includes mind, body and soul.

According to whom? I'm not hiring anyone because of their soul. Or their body (unless I'm running a warehouse or a whorehouse). I'm hiring them for what they KNOW!

In short a football player is more likely to be a republican!

Can you back that up with any statistics?

Football works on the mind and soul.

Hogwash. Football works on the most primal of instincts: greed. And while I have no problem with greed as a form of capitalism, I don't believe we should be training these ... performers ... in the same place we're educating people for something useful.

I don't object to football -- or any other sport. I object to them being tied -- completely irrationally -- to the academic environment. Get them off campuses and make legitimate businesses out of them. That's all they are anyway.

35 posted on 05/05/2012 7:37:18 AM PDT by IronJack (=)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Collegiate sports teach discipline, sportsmanship, competition, how to win and lose, no matter how good you are, you can still lose; not all winners are better; how to plan, how to take orders, how to work in a team, consequences of public humiliation, humility, consequential statistics, and the list goes on and on.


36 posted on 05/05/2012 7:37:23 AM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: jiggyboy

Too late, you already did.


37 posted on 05/05/2012 7:38:35 AM PDT by beandog (All Aboard the Choo Choo Train to Crazy Town)
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To: MinorityRepublican

I think banning college football goes a bit too far. However, they should probably eliminate any physical contact, get rid of those bulky uniforms and certainly there is no need for keeping score. This only causes the losing team to be psychologically disappointed.


38 posted on 05/05/2012 7:42:56 AM PDT by jsh3180
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To: MinorityRepublican

So who is to enforce this banning? Will this entail a new Federal agency dedicated to making sure no colleges, public or private have football teams or any sports for that matter? Will this include the West Point and Naval Academy football programs too?


39 posted on 05/05/2012 7:59:04 AM PDT by MD Expat in PA
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To: MinorityRepublican
I personally detest what NCAA Division I football has become. It is utterly corrupt. Why has no one here on this thread mentioned the Penn State debacle? Football at Penn State became sacrosanct to the point where heinous crimes were covered up. And it even corrupts our service academies-- I am still bitter about Navy redshirting Napoleon McCallum.

All that said, this knuckleheaded busybody misses a fine point about small government. As much as I abhor how NCAA Div. I is now a de facto farm club system for the NFL (and I love the NFL!!!), I don't think that's it's the government's place to tell colleges how to run their sports programs. I just want to smack Michael Wilbon and other sports journalists who actually want Congress to intervene in how the BCS is run. We can't get the Senate to pass a freakin' budget-- to hell with tinkering with the BCS.

40 posted on 05/05/2012 8:02:00 AM PDT by Lysandru
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