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Beer and Circus : How Big-time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education

Thread ID: 17031 | Posts: 19 | Started: 2005-02-28

Faust [OP]

2005-02-28 03:52 | User Profile

(From [URL=http://www.originaldissent.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16938]Off to College[/URL] thread - Okie)

by Murray Sperber

[QUOTE]Beer and Circus : How Big-time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education by Murray Sperber "The 1960s marked a low point for the collegiate subculture on American campuses; numerous fraternities and sororities down-sized or closed their doors as some of..."[URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0805068112/ref=sib_fs_top/102-1423855-5692118?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S014&checkSum=211l4KUlS9WVg8n767NfD3CAgryJI0Dnu%2BobFq4rKuA%3D#reader-link]More[/URL]

Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly A stunning outline of the contemporary educational landscape, Sperber's book provides a stark analysis of academia's abandonment of its undergraduate students. Alluding to the ancient Roman practice of placating people with cheap bread and ostentatious spectacles, Sperber argues that an ever-growing number of state universities lure undergraduates to their schools with halcyon images of booze-filled parties and prominent sports programs while abandoning their commitment to the students' education. Administrators use the students' sorely needed tuition dollars to fund sports, build research facilities and hire world-class faculty members, who give the school prestige but scarcely give their legions of undergraduate charges the time of day. With an eye fastened on the dangerous phenomenon of binge drinking, Sperber (College Sports Inc.) backs his assertions with responses to a questionnaire he circulated to students across the country, interviews with professors and administrators and frequent citations from sociological studies. Sperber methodically attempts to persuade readers that at the largest universities, where the majority of young Americans attain their undergraduate degrees, "the party scene connected to big-time sports events replaces meaningful undergraduate education." Though he admits his work deals mainly with anecdotal rather than scientific proof, the wealth of evidence Sperber amasses to support his convictions makes for a striking, sobering read. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal Sperber, an academic who has written extensively on college sports and their role in American culture (Onward to Victory: The Crises That Shaped College Sports), examines the impact of intercollegiate athletics on undergraduate education, particularly at large public research universities with high-profile football and men's basketball teams playing at the top National College Athletics Association level. Using questionnaires and interviews with students, faculty, and administrators in all parts of the country, he makes a strong case that many schools, because of their emphasis on research and graduate programs, no longer give a majority of their undergraduates a meaningful education. Instead, they substitute "beer and circus"Dthe party scene surrounding college sportsDto keep their students content and distracted while bringing in tuition. Sperber uses concrete examples to make his case and concludes by offering a plan to remedy the situation, considering both what should happen and what will more likely happen. Essential reading for current and future university students as well as parents, educators, and policy makers, this is recommended for both academic and public libraries.DLeroy Hommerding, Fort Myers Beach P.L. Dist., FL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist Sperber, an English professor at Indiana University and a longtime critic of major college-sports, offers a carefully researched examination of the substandard education received by undergraduates at many large universities. Although the book's subtitle suggests that the focus is on the deleterious effect of college athletics on educational quality, much of Sperber's attack is directed at more general failings: the pressure on tenured staff to do research; the lack of contact between professors and undergrads; the reliance on teaching assistants and part-time staff. In fact, the weakest part of the book is Sperber's attempt to establish a direct relationship between the presence of big-time athletics on campus and the poor education received by most undergraduates. The reader finishes the book convinced that athletics harms athletes, but that university education is in plenty of trouble with or without sports on campus. Sperber often shows up as a talking head on news shows, so expect his latest screed to generate controversy and demand. Wes Lukowsky Copyright ÃÂ© American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews Though not late-breaking news, here is an extremely dispiriting portrait of undergraduate life being reduced to a support unit for the athletic department, from long-time critic of the university sport scene Sperber (Onward to Victory, 1998, etc.).Following the money trail, many large state and private universities have put their emphasis on postgraduate research and thumbed their noses at undergraduate education. But since they need those tuition dollars, Sperber convincingly argues, they now entice students into their hallowed halls by promising them a darn good time-more often than not hinging on a hot sports scene liberally soaked in booze (especially when all you have to offer freshmen academically are lecture courses with 1,500 students being taught by a teaching assistant). From interviews and questionnaires and a culling of the literature, Sperber delineates a grotesque "beer and circus" culture, where binge drinking is fueled by corporate encouragement and if you can't be a hero on the field or court, maybe you can achieve renown through alcohol poisoning. Here is a world where the coach has more prestige and power than the university president. Witness Sperber's school, Indiana University: there's Bobby Knight, and there's whatsizname. ESPN has more attentive disciples than any Nobel-winning professor, but then the Nobel-winning professor doesn't teach anyway. If the sports teams cheat in recruiting and mock amateurism, then you might as well cheat in the classroom (even when grades are inflated because the need is there to show you've taught something). Sperber takes fraternities and sororities apart with a relish, not just as anti-intellectual, but as self-destructive liquor-centrals. Sperber's recommendations are sound-nix athletic scholarships, trim enrollment for smaller classes, accent teaching, separate out pure research, demand minimum levels of achievement-but a revolution away.A student nicely summed up Sperber's well-framed argument: college has become "a four-year party-one long tailgater-with an $18,000 annual cover charge." And you thought Dobie Gillis was bad. -- Copyright ÃÂ© 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review "It is hard to read Sperber's book without having a sinking feeling about the future of American culture. He has managed to document our national decline in painstaking detail, and the result is an admirable, timely and profoundly disturbing work." --The New York Times Book Review

"The case [Sperber] marshalls against these places--'schools' scarcely seems the right word--is overwhelming, a devastating condemnation of 'higher education' in America." -- Washington Post Book World

"'Beer and Circus' does a terrific job of illustrating how collegiate sports has shielded the decline in education from public scrutiny. . . .[I]t is a powerful and important book."--The Chicago Tribune

The Washington Post Book World "A devastating condemnation of 'higher education' in America."

About the Author Murray Sperber is a regular media commentator on college sports. A professor of English and American studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, his previous books include College Sports, Inc.; Onward to Victory: The Crises That Shaped College Sports; and Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football.

Product Description: In this fascinating book, Sperber uses original research culled from students, faculty, and administrators around the country, to argue that what universities offer instead of a meaningful undergraduate education is a meager and dangerous substitute: the party scene surrounding college sports that Sperber calls "beer and circus" and which serves to keep the students happy while tuition dollars keep rolling in. He explodes cherished myths about college sports, showing, for instance, that contrary to popular belief the money coming in to universities from sports programs never makes it to academic departments.

Sperber's profound re-evaluation of college sports and higher education comes straight out of today's headlines and opens our eyes to a generation of students deprived of the education they deserve.

Murray Sperber has been acknowledged for years as the country's leading authority on college sports and their role in American culture. In the wake of Indiana University's decision to fire head basketball coach Bobby Knight last year, Sperber was in constant demand across the country--on television, radio, and print media--to comment on the profound and tragic impact of big-time intercollegiate athletics on higher education.

[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805068112/[/url] [/QUOTE]

Okiereddust

2005-03-01 05:21 | User Profile

[QUOTE=Faust]Beer and Circus : How Big-time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education

by Murray Sperber

Yeah, this sounded interesting.

[QUOTE][B]Alluding to the ancient Roman practice of placating people with cheap bread and ostentatious spectacles[/B], Sperber argues that an ever-growing number of state universities lure undergraduates to their schools with halcyon images of booze-filled parties and prominent sports programs while abandoning their commitment to the students' education.[/QUOTE]

I wonder if he ever explicitely gives credit to Spengler for his Spengelerian motif.

Faust

2005-03-01 05:39 | User Profile

Okiereddust,

Thanks for reply. Well I can not say I read the whole book. But I did look it more than once at the library. I think he may have given credit to Spengler, but I am not sure. Maybe I will bring it home and post my thoughts on the book in detail.

The worst crime of the cultural marxist was the Coed dorm, this book also covers that subject too. As I said before I think putting the focus of the book on "Big-time College Sports" may not have been the best way to cover this subject.

[QUOTE] Yeah, this sounded interesting.

Alluding to the ancient Roman practice of placating people with cheap bread and ostentatious spectacles, Sperber argues that an ever-growing number of state universities lure undergraduates to their schools with halcyon images of booze-filled parties and prominent sports programs while abandoning their commitment to the students' education.

I wonder if he ever explicitely gives credit to Spengler for his Spengelerian motif.[/QUOTE]

I liked this part of one of the reviews: [QUOTE]A student nicely summed up Sperber's well-framed argument: college has become "a four-year party-one long tailgater-with an $18,000 annual cover charge."[/QUOTE]

Okiereddust

2005-03-01 06:12 | User Profile

[QUOTE=Faust]Okiereddust,

I am no sure I would put decline of America collages primarily on sports, but the book covers a much wider number of topics than the title might make one think. I thought the book had some good information in it. [/QUOTE]Well yes, I think sports are more the symptom than the disease. To blame sports makes no more sense than to blame the gladiators for the decline and fall of the Roman empire.

As with the "circuses" in the Roman empire, sports serve sort of a surragate function for the expression of democracy. The academic processes of a university are an opaque nest of corruption riddled with politics and marxist intrigue. Sports, as David Reisman said, by contrast serve as the one venue in our educational system where real ability is allowed to compete fairly.

Okiereddust

2005-03-01 06:28 | User Profile

The section on fraternaties and sororities is interesting too. Once more though I think this is more of a symptom than disease.

The simple fact is, if on modern campuses so much attention is devoted to "beer and circuses" instead of academics, it is because the Marxist academic fare on most campuses is so monotonous the collegiate "emperors" realize the need of the people for relief. In thisregard I'd say obviously alcohol serves pretty much the same function as it did in the (quite similar in other respects also) Soviet Union.

Oklahomaman

2005-03-01 13:25 | User Profile

Yeah, the title is taylored for sensationalism which is forgivable in our culture, but beyond that I think he's only attacking the symptoms rather than the disease itself. Does anyone else notice that all the party goers at college are the liberal arts/humanities majors? More difficult subjects and majors tend to weed out these types early on.

The truth is that a lot of majors offered are really social clubs or job-training with a 20,000 a year price tag. Take Human Resources Management or Business Communications degrees for instance. A lot of these kids are in for a shock when they find out that their diplomas aren't worth the paper they're printed on when they get out to the real world.

Okiereddust

2005-03-01 17:46 | User Profile

[QUOTE=Oklahomaman]Yeah, the title is taylored for sensationalism which is forgivable in our culture,

Actually I thought it was quite clever, bringing in the old Roman motif, [quote=Oklahomaman] but beyond that I think he's only attacking the symptoms rather than the disease itself. I'll have to read the book to see actually what he says about the symptoms. In a mass consumption book though, most people are going to be mainly interested in the lurid, salacious details anyway. This isn't a journal article or even a Chronicles of Higher Ed piece he's writing
[quote=Oklahomaman]Does anyone else notice that all the party goers at college are the liberal arts/humanities majors? More difficult subjects and majors tend to weed out these types early on.

The truth is that a lot of majors offered are really social clubs or job-training with a 20,000 a year price tag. Take Human Resources Management or Business Communications degrees for instance.

Oh sure, that's been the joke about these degree's from time immemorium. Business types are hard partying good-timers, while techie types are geekie nerds.

[quote=Oklahomaman]A lot of these kids are in for a shock when they find out that their diplomas aren't worth the paper they're printed on when they get out to the real world.[/QUOTE]True, a lot of these kids are. But that's the same way nowaday's a lot of people with tough tech degrees like computer science or computer engineering are finding out, thanks to the massive importation of foreigners in these fields.

Fundamentally I think the difference between the "soft-humanities" and "hard-sciences" type degrees sort of breaks down along the lines of what MacDonald noted was the split between Jewish and Asian cognitive skills.

[QUOTE]On the other end of the IQ--reproductive strategy distribution, immigrants from East Asian countries are out-competing whites, especially of the lower-middle and working classes, in gaining admission to universities and in prestigious, high-income jobs. The long term result will be that the entire white population (not including Jews) is likely to suffer a social status decline as these new immigrants become more numerous. (Jews are unlikely to suffer a decline in social status not only because their mean IQ is well above that of the East Asians but, more importantly, also because Jewish IQ is highly skewed toward excelling in verbal skills. The high IQ of East Asians is skewed toward performance IQ, which makes them powerful competitors in engineering and technology. See PTSDA, [Ch. 7] and Lynn [1987]. Jews and East Asians are thus likely to occupy different ecological niches in contemporary societies.) Lower-middle-class Caucasians, more than any other group, are expected to lose out. [B]If present trends continue, in the long run the United States will be dominated by an Asian technocratic elite and a Jewish business, professional, and media elite.[/B] -Kevin MacDonald, [I]Culture of Critique[/I], last chapter [/QUOTE] So basically these days to train in a soft-humanities field is to train in becoming, what seems to me, apprentice jew or jew-characteristics - i.e. skill at in-group/out-group maneuvering, verbal skills, moral depravity - the whole managerial ethos. (Shrub incidentaly of course epitimizes this sort of degenerate) Previously an excess of those "partying" interested in such "easy" fields such culture would have resulted in a shortage of those with more substantative degrees, but with the Asian influx in this country there is plenty of manpower in this area, and falling salaries. To succeed in a technical field these days, most people, except for the exceptionally brilliant, are finding they have to move in a "softer" application of their field anyway. I.e, computer programming grads accepting positions as customer technical representatives, etc.

mwdallas

2005-03-01 18:59 | User Profile

[QUOTE]Well yes, I think sports are more the symptom than the disease. To blame sports makes no more sense than to blame the gladiators for the decline and fall of the Roman empire.[/QUOTE] Moreover, college football is a genuine organic expression of gentile group allegiances, and it is not surprising that the government has worked assiduously to asphyxiate college athletic departments through the selective use of "Title IX".

College football is quite different from for-profit, Jew-run professional sports leagues.

Kievsky

2005-03-01 19:22 | User Profile

[B]So basically these days to train in a soft-humanities field is to train in becoming, what seems to me, apprentice jew or jew-characteristics - i.e. skill at in-group/out-group maneuvering, verbal skills, moral depravity - the whole managerial ethos.[/B]

Well put, sir! I did one semester in the dorms, and it was quite gross. I was much happier living off campus in a bad part of town, where I could take a six pack up onto the fire escape/roof and watch the New London bicycle police arrest pimps and crack dealers, in between reading Dostoevsky and art history and advanced Russian grammar.

Back then I wanted to do nothing but study literature, history, foreign languages, "master the texts" etc., and be a professor. But it was not to be.

The vast majority of people in college don't belong there. Only a fraction of the people who attend college, should attend college. But there's a lot of things wrong. I think that colleges are going to have a lot fewer students in the coming years because of high tuition and America going broke and in debt, and the fact that a college education isn't worth anything anyway.

It will be nice to see all those rotten Marxist "professors" get thrown out onto the street to have to work for a living.

Rob

mwdallas

2005-03-01 21:18 | User Profile

[QUOTE]Sperber argues that an ever-growing number of state universities lure undergraduates to their schools with halcyon images of booze-filled parties.... [/QUOTE] "Halcyon" is hardly the word.

Oklahomaman

2005-03-01 22:21 | User Profile

True, a lot of these kids are. But that's the same way nowaday's a lot of people with tough tech degrees like computer science or computer engineering are finding out, thanks to the massive importation of foreigners in these fields.

If we confine the discussion to job prosepects today, most graduates are in trouble and heartache. But, you must admit a lot of these degrees from such programs like were never marketable outside the university professional establishment from the sounding bell. At least at one time, there were jobs in computer science. MBA's are a dime a dozen and it been that way since the 50's.

Fundamentally I think the difference between the "soft-humanities" and "hard-sciences" type degrees sort of breaks down along the lines of what MacDonald noted was the split between Jewish and Asian cognitive skills.

Judging from what I've seen, East Asians typically gravitate toward applied mathmatics (i.e. engineering and computer science) oriented fields and not hard sciences like physics or biology [I]per se[/I]. I don't see Asians even attending much less dominating medical or veternary schools. There's a lot of territory MacDonald left uncovered.

So basically these days to train in a soft-humanities field is to train in becoming, what seems to me, apprentice jew or jew-characteristics - i.e. skill at in-group/out-group maneuvering, verbal skills, moral depravity - the whole managerial ethos. (Shrub incidentaly of course epitimizes this sort of degenerate)

True. Take psychiatry for instance. Jews pretty much abandoned psychiatry when the field moved from soft skills laden talk therapy models like psychoanalysis toward hard biology with the advent of drugs like the phenothiazines and more scientific approaches to psychotherapy like CBT. Even modern psychiatry's most ardent opponents are Jewish psychoanalyists, like Szasz.

Okiereddust

2005-03-01 22:42 | User Profile

[QUOTE=Kievsky]Back then I wanted to do nothing but study literature, history, foreign languages, "master the texts" etc., and be a professor. But it was not to be. You think that's what professors really do? :lol: It's more about schmoozing with your collegues at the Faculty club my friend. Sort of like a slightly more grown up version of greek life. Maybe why profs generally don't dice greeks anymore.

[QUOTE]The vast majority of people in college don't belong there. Only a fraction of the people who attend college, should attend college. But there's a lot of things wrong. I think that colleges are going to have a lot fewer students in the coming years because of high tuition and America going broke and in debt, and the fact that a college education isn't worth anything anyway.[/QUOTE]Yes - "but you've got to go to college to get a good job" Haven't you read this umptysquat times? And also of course the old blue collar jobs are drying up.

To a lot of people partying, even at 18G's a year, still sounds a lot better than working at the local gas station or getting shot at in Iraq.

[QUOTE]It will be nice to see all those rotten Marxist "professors" get thrown out onto the street to have to work for a living.[/QUOTE]:lol: The scum will be the last types thrown out probably.

Faust

2005-03-01 22:43 | User Profile

Oklahomaman

[QUOTE]Ã¢â¬ÅDoes anyone else notice that all the party goers at college are the liberal arts/humanities majors?Ã¢â¬Â [/QUOTE]

I do not think that this is true. I always thought Education, Business, and Communications degrees were some of the worst jokes around. I will also point out one can be a Soulless degenerate and good student at the same time. A person can be a beer drinking fornicator and still get their class work done.

I recall Bank of America did a study that showed that their employees with liberal arts degrees were more productive than their employees with Business degrees.

Kievsky,

Me too. It was the most upsetting experience of my life. [QUOTE]Back then I wanted to do nothing but study literature, history, foreign languages, "master the texts" etc., and be a professor. But it was not to be.[/QUOTE]

Okiereddust

2005-03-01 22:52 | User Profile

[QUOTE=Oklahomaman]If we confine the discussion to job prosepects today, most graduates are in trouble and heartache. But, you must admit a lot of these degrees from such programs like were never marketable outside the university professional establishment from the sounding bell. At least at one time, there were jobs in computer science. MBA's are a dime a dozen and it been that way since the 50's. So its the old debate between having a "has-been" degree and a "never-was" degree? At least the "never-was" degree is easier. Explains why they're whining again how S&E enrollment is down.

Judging from what I've seen, East Asians typically gravitate toward applied mathmatics (i.e. engineering and computer science) oriented fields and not hard sciences like physics or biology [I]per se[/I]. I don't see Asians even attending much less dominating medical or veternary schools. There's a lot of territory MacDonald left uncovered. Yes, there is some variation. Among sciences I think biology has the highest prop of American citizens. But I think that's just cause so many people use it for pre-med. (And of course citizens still have a big advantage getting into highly competitive professional schools like Med and Vet school.)

Faust

2005-03-01 23:35 | User Profile

I think the whole idea behind the way college are run today is to make you into a Marxist or failing that a Soulless degenerate.

More on higher education [url]http://www.originaldissent.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17058[/url]

CornCod

2005-03-02 04:59 | User Profile

There is nothing wrong with sports per se, but on the modern high school and college campus there is just too much emphasis on varsity sports. The American male is much too obsessed with spectator sports. It would be better if we got young men off their buttocks and into intramural athletics.

The sports cult in the US consists of men sitting in stadiums (or worse) sitting on a couch and watching the idiot box and engaging in idol worship of pro and college "stars." Frankly, I think the whole thing is rendolent of homo-eroticism.

A bunch of hippies in Germany during the sixties started something called the volkssports movement, which has come to the US in a modest way. It is a non-competitive sports movement which rewards athletes for levels of participation rather than competition. I participated in an eight kilometer walk last year with one of these groups and won a little pin. I had a great time and wasn't stressed out over "winning" and "losing" issues. I am no fan of the hippies, but those German hippies had a good idea.

Okiereddust

2005-03-02 05:17 | User Profile

[QUOTE=CornCod]There is nothing wrong with sports per se, but on the modern high school and college campus there is just too much emphasis on varsity sports. The American male is much too obsessed with spectator sports. It would be better if we got young men off their buttocks and into intramural athletics. [/QUOTE]Well participation originally was the main reason for creating sports in colleges in the first place. It came from the English upper class custom that schools should breed "manliness" not just scholasticism. Europeans find American college's sports programs odd.

It's sort of odd how spectacle replaced partipation, but that seems to really be a broader phenomenon in colleges than just athletics.

truth

2005-03-02 07:53 | User Profile

[QUOTE=Oklahomaman]Judging from what I've seen, East Asians typically gravitate toward applied mathmatics (i.e. engineering and computer science) oriented fields and not hard sciences like physics or biology [I]per se[/I]. I don't see Asians even attending much less dominating medical or veternary schools. There's a lot of territory MacDonald left uncovered. [/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.hms.harvard.edu/orma/enrollment.html[/url]

White: 45% Asians: 24.8%

The same is true for every other medical school. On the west coast Asians are the majority at several UCs.

Oklahomaman

2005-03-02 13:18 | User Profile

[QUOTE=truth] The same is true for every other medical school. On the west coast Asians are the majority at several UCs.[/QUOTE]

Harvard is hardly representative of med schools in general.