[Da Coyote]

I’m old enough to remember when the term “academic” meant there was a good chance that the owner had intelligence.

[Verginius Rufus]

"Academic" can also refer to something of theoretical interest, not tied to something immediately practical.

It can also refer to Plato's school of philosophy...so it could be offensive to Peripatetics, Stoics, Epicureans, or Cynics.