Rutgers: The State Athletic Association

A university is an institution of higher learning and students theoretically attend one to learn stuff. You know, academic stuff.

Rutgers is theoretically a university. It has recently fielded some winning sports teams and consequently increased the amount of money it has been pouring into its athletic programs, contending that successful sports programs bring more students to the school.

Okay. So what they are saying is that out there is a budding physicist thinking, “Wow, the Rutgers football team is doing really well. I think I should put that school high on the list of colleges I want to attend. And look at all the money and perks their coaches are getting. Just imagine the caliber of their professors!”

A future doctor is watching the women’s basketball team win and saying, “Mom, Dad, let’s go look at Rutgers pre-med program! If they are supporting their coaches to the tune of $2 million a year each just think what they must be paying their professors!”

And I can only imagine that future artists - writers, photographers, painters, poets, sculptors – are watching the winning teams and feeling so inspired that they are moving Rutgers up to the top of their college lists.

Right.

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Unfortunately we all know this “athletics before academics” attitude doesn’t start at the university level.

This being a Hillsborough blog lets take it down to the high school level. There are many many residents who can tell you how many professional football players Hillsborough High School has produced; some even know them by name and current team affiliation.

Ask if they know how many physicists or doctors the school has produced and you get a blank look. How many artists or teachers? Any profession or career not sports-related? Blank, blank, and blank.

And this isn’t even Texas.