[BostonCard]

The older I get, the less interested I am in sports at the periphery, and I suppose I don't really care whether Stanford keeps or drops the 11 sports, outside of men's volleyball.  I still think an extensive athletics program is good for any university, for reasons I've detailed in prior posts.  More to the point, Stanford is really alone at the top, both academically and athletically, and Stanford's extensive athletics program -- in part -- separates it from other schools.  The student that dislikes or doesn't care about athletics -- doesn't really matter.  Students aren't forced to attend games, and an athlete on the Stanford campus is just another person in the student population.  But collectively, it's part of what makes Stanford unique.  I just don't like seeing Stanford voluntarily eliminate that part of which makes it unique.


Incidentally, Stanford had a bowling team at one time.  My grandfather (Stanford, '42) played on it.

I largely agree with you.  I think athletics are a net positive for Stanford and I think the combination of elite academics and elite athletics is something that is pretty unique to Stanford.  The question is one of marginal benefit; does the 34th sport, especially one that might not be nationally competitive (say, field hockey) as critical to Stanford's status as a school with elite athletics?  Or does winning an obscure national title (as we did with synchronized swimming) make that much of a difference into the perception?

Mostly, I think it's the act of cutting sports and the accompanying bad publicity that has had the biggest impact on the school's national reputation.  In that sense, it is the perception of the change more than the absolute level that's important.  Or, put another way, if we didn't already have men's volleyball, wrestling, sailing, field hockey, etc. teams, would there be a large group arguing for their establishment, or is it more like bowling and rifle,  sports that exist, but not at Stanford, and nobody would be pushing for their inclusion as varsity sports.

BC

[BostonCard]

The older I get, the less interested I am in sports at the periphery, and I suppose I don't really care whether Stanford keeps or drops the 11 sports, outside of men's volleyball.  I still think an extensive athletics program is good for any university, for reasons I've detailed in prior posts.  More to the point, Stanford is really alone at the top, both academically and athletically, and Stanford's extensive athletics program -- in part -- separates it from other schools.  The student that dislikes or doesn't care about athletics -- doesn't really matter.  Students aren't forced to attend games, and an athlete on the Stanford campus is just another person in the student population.  But collectively, it's part of what makes Stanford unique.  I just don't like seeing Stanford voluntarily eliminate that part of which makes it unique.


Incidentally, Stanford had a bowling team at one time.  My grandfather (Stanford, '42) played on it.

I largely agree with you.  I think athletics are a net positive for Stanford and I think the combination of elite academics and elite athletics is something that is pretty unique to Stanford.  The question is one of marginal benefit; does the 34th sport, especially one that might not be nationally competitive (say, field hockey) as critical to Stanford's status as a school with elite athletics?  Or does winning an obscure national title (as we did with synchronized swimming) make that much of a difference into the perception?

Mostly, I think it's the act of cutting sports and the accompanying bad publicity that has had the biggest impact on the school's national reputation.  In that sense, it is the perception of the change more than the absolute level that's important.  Or, put another way, if we didn't already have men's volleyball, wrestling, sailing, field hockey, etc. teams, would there be a large group arguing for their establishment, or is it more like bowling and rifle,  sports that exist, but not at Stanford, and nobody would be pushing for their inclusion as varsity sports.

BC