"Nobody ever died for dear old Rutgers" Send your child to college to improve his mind, let him play football to destroy his brain. CTE, the gladiators' sport's biggest blind spot, won't go away. B1G money may fog the issue, but tackle football must end. To quote Phil Silvers again; "We're not gonna win today."
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Let's not forget that college football was born at Rutgers. That ought to count for something.
Glad you mentioned Purdue in your article. As a Purdue graduate I would be very happy to see the university drop athletics in favor of academics. I would suggest reading a Purdue graduates take on this, Murray Sperber's book "Beer and Circus," on how big time athletics is crippling higher education.
So the basic argument is that we should ignore the punishment that these young men endure, because their job is to make money for the university and the conference?
A win-win for everybody except the athletes, the other students, the faculty, the alums whose memories of Rutgers are just as fond without any Big Ten connection.
I can remember when Rutgers even played 'light weight football'. Those teams were for kids that weighed 150 lbs. or less. It was a step up from flag football, but well below the serious athletes on the regular football team. But it reflected a participatory vision of being a student athlete. It broadened the meaning of college athletics and was for the fun and competition, not the money. Today's Rutgers is a far cry from those values and that's a loss, not a win.
A win-win for everybody except the athletes, the other students, the faculty, the alums whose memories of Rutgers are just as fond without any Big Ten connection.
I can remember when Rutgers even played 'light weight football'. Those teams were for kids that weighed 150 lbs. or less. It was a step up from flag football, but well below the serious athletes on the regular football team. But it reflected a participatory vision of being a student athlete. It broadened the meaning of college athletics and was for the fun and competition, not the money. Today's Rutgers is a far cry from those values and that's a loss, not a win.
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Rutgers is a NJ embarrassment bigger than Chris Christie, Mike Rice, Julie Herrman, et al. Put together. They can't play in the Ivy League let alone Big Ten.
I'm a graduate of Rutgers College 1982, the birthplace of college football in 1869 when they played Princeton. I was there for the last games they played against Princeton, both home and away. That helped mark their entry to big time football. I also saw RU play Alabama at the Meadowlands in 1980. Rutgers played Alabama tough losing 17-13. I got to see Bear Bryant. And Bear Bryant, the man in the houndstooth hat, was quoted as saying "We won the game, but Rutgers beat us." I saw Dan Marino play too.
What does this have to do with the B1G? I'll tell you. The year after they entered the B1G, Rutgers received an unprecedented number of applications for admissions. They will attract more students outside of NJ and their profile will improve.
That's just how it is these days. Why fight it? Rutgers is The State University of New Jersey and as such has faced monetary cuts from the state for years now. Sports grows the reputation of the school in ways other than academics. I really don't see anything wrong with that. Eventually, sports will pay for themselves and academics will receive more from tuition, research grants and more and more students who want to attend a great university.
My son just graduated from The Ohio State University. I attended games at the Shoe. It was an extraordinary experience, and my son received an excellent education. The pride the people of Ohio have in both their state and the Buckeyes is amazing. Why shouldn't Rutgers and NJ have that to? RU!
What does this have to do with the B1G? I'll tell you. The year after they entered the B1G, Rutgers received an unprecedented number of applications for admissions. They will attract more students outside of NJ and their profile will improve.
That's just how it is these days. Why fight it? Rutgers is The State University of New Jersey and as such has faced monetary cuts from the state for years now. Sports grows the reputation of the school in ways other than academics. I really don't see anything wrong with that. Eventually, sports will pay for themselves and academics will receive more from tuition, research grants and more and more students who want to attend a great university.
My son just graduated from The Ohio State University. I attended games at the Shoe. It was an extraordinary experience, and my son received an excellent education. The pride the people of Ohio have in both their state and the Buckeyes is amazing. Why shouldn't Rutgers and NJ have that to? RU!
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This, as much of college sports, is about the folly of pretension and the ascendence of money over sanity. It is as true, perhaps more, on the academic side of many benighted institutional nowheres as it is in athletic department. Every former college is now a "university"; every department that struggles to scrape together enough marginally qualified students for its bachelor's degree program demands a master's degree program; &c; ad nauseum.
A dose of reality: the Western European country with likely the best-educated public is Germany - which sends about 40% of its citizenry to post-secondary education and in which there is no "collegiate athletics". The corresponding data in the US: 72% of us go to "college" and every tiny two-horse "college" has a fifty-man football squad.
A dose of reality: the Western European country with likely the best-educated public is Germany - which sends about 40% of its citizenry to post-secondary education and in which there is no "collegiate athletics". The corresponding data in the US: 72% of us go to "college" and every tiny two-horse "college" has a fifty-man football squad.
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To Times Readers and Rutgers Alumni:
This Big Ten thing reminds me of the Marx Brothers film where Groucho is president of Huxley College and goes recruiting football players. "Whatever it is...I'm against it!" The pendulum swings, but for this alumnus it has swung too far away from the academic mission of Rutgers.
Submitted by Roger Latzgo, RC 1971, MGSA '76, www.rogerlatzgo.com
This Big Ten thing reminds me of the Marx Brothers film where Groucho is president of Huxley College and goes recruiting football players. "Whatever it is...I'm against it!" The pendulum swings, but for this alumnus it has swung too far away from the academic mission of Rutgers.
Submitted by Roger Latzgo, RC 1971, MGSA '76, www.rogerlatzgo.com
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And, not incidentally, how many schools can be admitted to a conference called the "Big 10" before you can no longer call it the "Big 10"?
Last week Purdue lost to Maryland 50-7. Why don't people mention that score? And yes Rutgers won 8 games the first year in conference. The problem was Kyle Flood was a terrible coach and talent level went down. Chris Ash right now has a top 25 class and recruiting is improved. Ash needs a little time before people are throwing in the towel. Their is a young QB who has yet really played yet.
Worth noting full member B1G teams are paid $32.5 million in revenue sharing. Rutgers cut a terrible deal and for it's first seven years (three more to go) the payout is $10.5 million. Rutgers couldn't afford a celebrity coach like a Harbaugh, or all the extra assistants, recruiting assistants, etc.... They have to do more with a lot less. I expect them to be more competitive starting in 2019 when league revenue will be distributed equally among all conference members and the pay out will be north of $50 million.
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My big question is whether the move to the Big Ten helps Rutgers' EDUCATIONAL mission. If the extra bucks go into science buildings, quality teachers, etc., that's one thing. But if they go primarily to hire high priced coaches...well. Not sure right now if it helps recruit quality students who want to be proud of their sports teams. 78-0. Ugh.
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IF TV CUSTOMERS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM THE NOW-COMMON DELIVERY SYSTEMS OF SATELLITE OR CABLE, WILL RUTGERS/MARYLAND BE THIS VALUABLE IN TEN YEARS?
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Perhaps consider lowering the [already] low bar for football scholarship "student" athletes: will it move toward reducing the number of them committing sexual assaults?
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Feeling shunned in CT. Why did the Big 10 pick Rutgers over UConn?
UConn has twice as many men's basketball championships as the entire Big Ten Conference over the last 17 years. 4-2.
Women's Basketball. Nothing to be argued here.
Hockey. Division 1 men's and women's programs
Lacrosse. I'm sure UConn could afford Division 1 if they were allowed in.
New York market. I would argue UConn draws more fans in NYC than Rutgers. Add in some Boston as an added bonus.
This would create 4 teams on or near the east coast. Allowing development of rivalries due to close proximity.
UConn's football program is far from stellar but did play in the Fiesta Bowl a couple years ago.
The UConn vs. Rutgers football rivalry was growing.
I am afraid if a major conference does not come calling for UConn we will be in a slow decline in all sports. I know that college is about academics but UConn is a lot harder to get into ever since we were put on the national athletic map with great basketball teams.
UConn has twice as many men's basketball championships as the entire Big Ten Conference over the last 17 years. 4-2.
Women's Basketball. Nothing to be argued here.
Hockey. Division 1 men's and women's programs
Lacrosse. I'm sure UConn could afford Division 1 if they were allowed in.
New York market. I would argue UConn draws more fans in NYC than Rutgers. Add in some Boston as an added bonus.
This would create 4 teams on or near the east coast. Allowing development of rivalries due to close proximity.
UConn's football program is far from stellar but did play in the Fiesta Bowl a couple years ago.
The UConn vs. Rutgers football rivalry was growing.
I am afraid if a major conference does not come calling for UConn we will be in a slow decline in all sports. I know that college is about academics but UConn is a lot harder to get into ever since we were put on the national athletic map with great basketball teams.
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It's my understanding that Boston College fought like crazy to keep UConn out of the ACC. Again a question of money and market. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if BC doesn't review it's association with the ACC, as it's football and basketball programs are a disaster.
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Be patient friend, I'm sure the Big 10 expansion is coming your way.
I can tell by your comments that you are concerned about UConn's potential slow death in the American Athletic Conference, but there does not seem to be any reasonable possibility that the Big Ten would ever select UConn.
First off, with the fall of the original Big East, UConn has virtually no access to the New York media market. It is silly to suggest that there is any argument that UConn has a larger share of the New York market than Rutgers. The television ratings tell the story in this regard, and that story does not favor UConn. The same cannot be said about UConn. Plain and simple, if UConn had any substantial fan presence in either New York or Boston for that matter, it would have likely been invited into the ACC - years before Rutgers and Maryland were brought into the Big Ten.
Second, you have brought up the fact that UConn has strong men's and women's basketball programs and plays hockey (for which the Big Ten has had a conference for just two or so seasons) as a basis for inclusion in the Big Ten. However, with the support of the Hartford market only, why would the Big Ten consider UConn? If the Big Ten were so impressed by basketball, why wouldn't it consider Kansas, or if football continues to be it's great pursuit, what about Colorado? The Hartford media market just isn't enough.
I continue to believe that the Big 12 is UConn's best shot. Until then, UConn will be stuck with playing teams Memphis, Houston, UCF, East Carolina, Tulane, and USF.
First off, with the fall of the original Big East, UConn has virtually no access to the New York media market. It is silly to suggest that there is any argument that UConn has a larger share of the New York market than Rutgers. The television ratings tell the story in this regard, and that story does not favor UConn. The same cannot be said about UConn. Plain and simple, if UConn had any substantial fan presence in either New York or Boston for that matter, it would have likely been invited into the ACC - years before Rutgers and Maryland were brought into the Big Ten.
Second, you have brought up the fact that UConn has strong men's and women's basketball programs and plays hockey (for which the Big Ten has had a conference for just two or so seasons) as a basis for inclusion in the Big Ten. However, with the support of the Hartford market only, why would the Big Ten consider UConn? If the Big Ten were so impressed by basketball, why wouldn't it consider Kansas, or if football continues to be it's great pursuit, what about Colorado? The Hartford media market just isn't enough.
I continue to believe that the Big 12 is UConn's best shot. Until then, UConn will be stuck with playing teams Memphis, Houston, UCF, East Carolina, Tulane, and USF.
How does it make sense to humiliate everyone associated with Rutgers once a week? No sports lover enjoys watching a team lose by 70+ points. Obviously this once venerable institution is now being run for the benefit of a few dim-witted former jocks who collect paychecks for bad coaching or incompetent administration. This once proud alumnus has tuned out.
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Rutgers has been trying very hard for a very long time to become a football powerhouse. It has not been very successful, but neither has it sacrificed it's integrity. The school has moved quickly to suspend or fire players and coaches who have violated school rules. Academic standards have been maintained. Will it ever regain the glory years when quarterback Ozzie Nelson (yeah that Ozzie) led the team to victory? Let us hope,
Schools in the Big 10 have had bad records. I went to Wisconsin in the sixties where we lost 21 games in a row. The first time I saw them win was 2000 in the Rose Bowl. Look at them now! Give Rutgers a chance. Things will change.
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Good article, for which I thank Marc. It might be worth considering the Patriots have had a number of very good players come out of the Rutgers program in recent years--admittedly, most under a different head coach.
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UConn would have been a smarter choice for the Big 10 than Rutgers. Its football program struggles as much as Rutgers but its basketball programs would compete (and quite frankly dominate) in the Big 10 conference. Academically UConn its a superior school and is just as likely to deliver the NYC (and Boston) market. NYC doesn't give a hoot about football anyway. Its all about the hoops.
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HAHA right. UConn isn't even in the AAU, RU has a superior history and winning record against UConn, nevermind a fanbase twice (at least) the size.
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I disagree about your statement about UCONN. The move was not about basketball, it was about money and gaining access to New York City. first, look at the highest rated college football games played on television. Many would be surprised, most have been Rutgers games. Also, I live in Manhattan and can tell you , when schools like Michigan play at Rutgers, they stay in Manhattan hotels (mostly in the Times Sqare area) , spend a weekend in the city and then take a less then 1 hour ride out to Rutgers for the game. In a sense, New York is a BIG city now, and most of the BIG10 teams have huge alumni networks here, so they make an entire weekend out of it. UConn is a great institution. but you could not stay n Manhattan to go to a UConn Game, it is just too far. So you would have to stay in Hartford. Not to criticize Hartofrd, but if you are trying to add a city for your conference, stay in , enjoy etc, which do you want to add? Hartford?
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"And then there is the money." Isn't all about money? How does the song go, "Nobody dies for dear Old Rutgers"? It's simlpy amazing that these slick guys on ESPN babble about football,football and more football. Rutgers and schools like Rutgers should return to their roots in sports and in education. Hey whatever happy to the "potted Ivy league"?
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The author reports: " In Rutgers’s first year in the conference, the Big Ten Network added eight million homes in the New York City area."
Okay, that may be so, but Rutgers' addition may have had little to do with it, as the Big Ten Network, rather, expanded or altered cable packages. Were these 8 million homes now paid subscribers to the BTN, or simply new subscribers to some cable package?
Since Rutgers' stadium is only 52,454-- and sellouts are rare (and most frequently occurring when fans of the visiting team attend), it is awfully hard to imagine one can extrapolate from that meager number to 8 million.
Okay, that may be so, but Rutgers' addition may have had little to do with it, as the Big Ten Network, rather, expanded or altered cable packages. Were these 8 million homes now paid subscribers to the BTN, or simply new subscribers to some cable package?
Since Rutgers' stadium is only 52,454-- and sellouts are rare (and most frequently occurring when fans of the visiting team attend), it is awfully hard to imagine one can extrapolate from that meager number to 8 million.
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Don't know the impact of Rutgers on those 8 million additional subscribers. Even if you want to discount that impact , the Big Ten receives more money in carriage fees from NYC area cable systems because Rutgers is in the NYC area DMA. And it put the BTN on basic cable on NYC area cable systems. So Rutgers has brought real tangible benefits to the Big Ten through its addition.
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disgusting that money drives college sports. Tradition is dead, thanks to these selfish gold-diggers, many of the oldest college rivalries and conferences are gone or ruined and Rutgers will pretend to be apart of New York while they forever sit in the pit of despair in athletes of the Big 10. Let's let the media corps drive the bus in every decision, pretty soon ESPN will promote betting...oh wait.
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Rob it also was tradition to take an overnight stage coach between Rutgers and Princeton back in the 1880s. It was a great tradition. But it was economically more favorable to take an automobile once they came into being. Things change my friend, and yes, money drives those changes
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Follow the money , right ! Never more evident than this ill-suited school joining the Big 10 , with full knowledge that it will always be the athletic doormat and "off week " for other conference members.
Same goes for Maryland...just not quite as pathetic.
Same goes for Maryland...just not quite as pathetic.
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Your comment is void of facts.
First, while Rutgers and Maryland have obviously not played particularly well during their first two Big Ten seasons (2014 and 2015), Rutgers and Maryland still have more Big Ten wins (4 and 5 respectively) during that same period than both Purdue (2) and Indiana (3). No one is calling on Purdue or Indiana (nor would anyone ever) to leave the Big Ten. In fact, during the 2014 season, both Rutgers and Maryland finished 8-5 and 7-6 respectively and made bowl games.
Second, you have argued that Maryland is "just not quite as pathetic" as Rutgers. However, while Maryland has clearly started off better than Rutgers this season, Rutgers had an overall better record (4-8) than Maryland (3-9) during the 2015 season. Both obviously struggled in 2015, but since joining the league in 2014, Rutgers and Maryland have combined to beat teams like Michigan, Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana.
Your cynical comment does not appear to take any of this into account.
First, while Rutgers and Maryland have obviously not played particularly well during their first two Big Ten seasons (2014 and 2015), Rutgers and Maryland still have more Big Ten wins (4 and 5 respectively) during that same period than both Purdue (2) and Indiana (3). No one is calling on Purdue or Indiana (nor would anyone ever) to leave the Big Ten. In fact, during the 2014 season, both Rutgers and Maryland finished 8-5 and 7-6 respectively and made bowl games.
Second, you have argued that Maryland is "just not quite as pathetic" as Rutgers. However, while Maryland has clearly started off better than Rutgers this season, Rutgers had an overall better record (4-8) than Maryland (3-9) during the 2015 season. Both obviously struggled in 2015, but since joining the league in 2014, Rutgers and Maryland have combined to beat teams like Michigan, Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana.
Your cynical comment does not appear to take any of this into account.
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Money is not the university's problem; but, unfortunately, it will always be the students problem. And, will that revenue keep Rutgers competitive and make it a better university? We'll see.
Money is not the university's problem? What hole in the ground have you been living in for the past decade?
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Why should I, as a fan, care if the Big Ten makes more money? Where does that money go? To lower ticket prices? (Nope) To support the academics of the schools (Nope) To pay these athletes a salary commensurate with the hundreds of millions they generate? (Nope).
The extra money goes to the coaches -- now Harbaugh, Meyer, Dantoni, Ferentz etc -- can make $6 million/year instead of $5 million; their assistants can each make a few more 000s; their weight rooms can be 300,00 square ft instead of 200,000; their toilets can be gold plated instead of silver.
The recruiting angle is the only one that makes sense for Rutgers, but that suggests B1G elite programs can't recruit in states that are not in their conference. While I'm sure it makes it a bit easier, OSU, Michigan, etc seem to get plenty of top kids from TX, CA, FL -- places where there are no B1G schools. I am sure if Rutgers was not in the B1G, plenty of NJ kids would still be lining up to play in front of 100,000 people every home game.
As a B1G fan, adding Rutgers stinks. Even when/if their football team returns to its usual mediocrity, it will still stink that UM, OSU has to play them every year and schools like Wisconsin and Iowa regularly rotate off for 4 years at a time. The only salvation is as cord-cutting increases, that Cablevision money will decrease, and the dumb "more money" argument will start to fall away.
The extra money goes to the coaches -- now Harbaugh, Meyer, Dantoni, Ferentz etc -- can make $6 million/year instead of $5 million; their assistants can each make a few more 000s; their weight rooms can be 300,00 square ft instead of 200,000; their toilets can be gold plated instead of silver.
The recruiting angle is the only one that makes sense for Rutgers, but that suggests B1G elite programs can't recruit in states that are not in their conference. While I'm sure it makes it a bit easier, OSU, Michigan, etc seem to get plenty of top kids from TX, CA, FL -- places where there are no B1G schools. I am sure if Rutgers was not in the B1G, plenty of NJ kids would still be lining up to play in front of 100,000 people every home game.
As a B1G fan, adding Rutgers stinks. Even when/if their football team returns to its usual mediocrity, it will still stink that UM, OSU has to play them every year and schools like Wisconsin and Iowa regularly rotate off for 4 years at a time. The only salvation is as cord-cutting increases, that Cablevision money will decrease, and the dumb "more money" argument will start to fall away.
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We agree, I think, that players need to be compensated for their efforts in revenue generating college sports.
That said, good coaches are expensive, yes, but good coaches build or rebuild strong programs. Look at Harbaugh pulling off a turnaround at UofM as a stellar example, but there are many good examples this year in the B1G.
And generally speaking, football and basketball money does tend to trickle out of the money making programs and into the other sports programs and university facilities so it's not a total wash for the athletically inclined students.
In my own experience, a good football program is, if nothing else, one more reason to stay connected with old friends, without which I'd probably be less inclined to keep in touch every fall. I'd miss it, if for no other reason than that, if our program were to fall out of favor with the football gods. So, in some ways, at least some alumni are also vested in a good program and a good program costs money.
The opportunity cost of adding Rutgers to a traditional B1G team's schedule has historically been a Mac 10 or worse school, so Rutgers is a wash. I believe they have a chance to grow into something more, akin to a Northwestern, Purdue, or Indiana, where they do occasionally challenge the blue bloods.
As far as East/West parity goes, it's completely debatable which is stronger and that's why we have a conference championship at the end of the season.
That said, good coaches are expensive, yes, but good coaches build or rebuild strong programs. Look at Harbaugh pulling off a turnaround at UofM as a stellar example, but there are many good examples this year in the B1G.
And generally speaking, football and basketball money does tend to trickle out of the money making programs and into the other sports programs and university facilities so it's not a total wash for the athletically inclined students.
In my own experience, a good football program is, if nothing else, one more reason to stay connected with old friends, without which I'd probably be less inclined to keep in touch every fall. I'd miss it, if for no other reason than that, if our program were to fall out of favor with the football gods. So, in some ways, at least some alumni are also vested in a good program and a good program costs money.
The opportunity cost of adding Rutgers to a traditional B1G team's schedule has historically been a Mac 10 or worse school, so Rutgers is a wash. I believe they have a chance to grow into something more, akin to a Northwestern, Purdue, or Indiana, where they do occasionally challenge the blue bloods.
As far as East/West parity goes, it's completely debatable which is stronger and that's why we have a conference championship at the end of the season.
1
As a member of the Class of '66 at RU, it bothers me that athletics and football, in particular, has taken such a grand stand in New Brunswick. Saturday football in the 1960’s was entertainment and a break from education. Now it seems that education is a break from sports.
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It looks that way on the sports pages, I suppose, sure. But most students at B1G schools see the games on six or twelve Saturday's, depending if they buy tickets sophomore year.
Look at the alumni (and their donations) if you want to explain big time college football.
Look at the alumni (and their donations) if you want to explain big time college football.