Q’s & A’s with Leading Sports Activists: William Dowling
By League of Fans On March 27, 2012

A League of Fans Special Feature

William Dowling

William C. Dowling is University Distinguished Professor of English and American Literature at Rutgers University. He specializes in 18th century English literature, literature of the early American Republic, and literary theory. He is the author of Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University. He recently won the 2012 Robert Maynard Hutchins Award, which is given annually by The Drake Group to someone who has shown courage in standing up for academic integrity in the face of commercialized sport. Dr. Dowling was honored for his protection of academic priority and ongoing efforts to move Rutgers to a participatory model of intercollegiate athletics. At Rutgers, he was instrumental in creating the “Rutgers 1000,” a consortium of faculty, staff, alumni, students, and others designed to encourage Rutgers to leave the NCAA Division I-A level of competition. Prior to his time at Rutgers, Dowling was a professor at the University of New Mexico.

See link for complete article/interview.


http://leagueoffans.org/2012/03/27/qs-as...m-dowling/

He only likes double digit inflation for professor salaries.

(04-10-2012 07:04 AM)goodknightfl Wrote:  He only likes double digit inflation for professor salaries.

You might want to read this article. College professors aren't exactly raking in huge pay increases every year.

Good old Dowling. He should stick to what he's good at... being a professor. He is a very good one but he's obsessed with athletics.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

How many years in a row has he made this same position known now, brista?

I read the whole thing. Wow, what an elitist. In his perfect world, there would be no Alabamas, Florida or Ohio States. Only colleges with a "true" educational purpose, and participatory sports with no scholarships.

I understand his viewpoint, but I think it is unrealistic. He claims that turning into a "football factory" runs all kids who are serious about education to other institutions. He even goes so far as to say that states with universities like that owe it to their in-state kids to send them out of state to get a real education, if they so choose. That is ridiculous, not to mention costly.

Geez, that guy is disconnected from reality. These days, with the economy as it is, ALL universities, both private and public, are strapped for funds. Big-time sports sprang up long ago because they generate revenue, interest in the school, and big-time donations that the school otherwise would likely not receive. They are here to stay.

The man lives in the 1800s, AAA...

I think at the end of the day it's how a university spends its money and what it wants to be known for. A few universities can afford to fund both athletics and academics at competitive levels. However, most universities can't and have to make choices in terms of faculty salaries, student tuition, research expenditures and athletic budgets. While Dowling's position is what I would call naive so too is the position that what's good for athletics is good for the university. Both positions are disconnected from reality. The truth is somewhere is the middle.

Are athletics not as driving an economic factor as research? Events like the Super Bowl, World Series, and any other playoff scenario, and even daily games, drive the economy of some cities. Collegiate athletics is training for a professions just as much as going to med school is training to be a surgeon.

In a perfect world, college sports would be as it was in 1870, with no "athletic scholarships" (an oxymoron if there ever was one), no dedicated athletic facilities, nothing but club teams consisting of actual students that pay their own way to drive to other local schools to play for the fun of it.

But that train left the station 140 years ago.

So basically Ivy League or gtfo? Sounds boring.

(04-10-2012 06:42 AM)KnightLight Wrote:  Q’s & A’s with Leading Sports Activists: William Dowling
By League of Fans On March 27, 2012

A League of Fans Special Feature

William Dowling

William C. Dowling is University Distinguished Professor of English and American Literature at Rutgers University. He specializes in 18th century English literature, literature of the early American Republic, and literary theory. He is the author of Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University. He recently won the 2012 Robert Maynard Hutchins Award, which is given annually by The Drake Group to someone who has shown courage in standing up for academic integrity in the face of commercialized sport. Dr. Dowling was honored for his protection of academic priority and ongoing efforts to move Rutgers to a participatory model of intercollegiate athletics. At Rutgers, he was instrumental in creating the “Rutgers 1000,” a consortium of faculty, staff, alumni, students, and others designed to encourage Rutgers to leave the NCAA Division I-A level of competition. Prior to his time at Rutgers, Dowling was a professor at the University of New Mexico.

See link for complete article/interview.


http://leagueoffans.org/2012/03/27/qs-as...m-dowling/

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do NOT recall Rutgers in any serious sports scandals. I'm no fan of Rutgers, but implying Rutgers is full of sports corruption seems a bit over the top. I could believe him if he listed Alabama, UT, Kentucky, Nebraska, Miami, and any number of other schools, but Rutgers? Sports Corruption?

Besides, Rutgers is in no way considered a second rate institution. They are regularly ranked as on on the best public universities. What is this guy smoking? We need to know and corner that market before the FDA makes it illegal.

Obviously, if Rutgers is seriously corrupt in sports, the AD and team coaches should all be arrested for theft. I mean, if you are breaking all the rules and paying players and such, shouldn't you be raking in the championships?

Stepping down from soap box...

P.S. Yes, it was very hard for an Orange fan to defend Rutgers

(04-10-2012 06:15 PM)HtownOrange Wrote:  

(04-10-2012 06:42 AM)KnightLight Wrote:  Q’s & A’s with Leading Sports Activists: William Dowling
By League of Fans On March 27, 2012

A League of Fans Special Feature

William Dowling

William C. Dowling is University Distinguished Professor of English and American Literature at Rutgers University. He specializes in 18th century English literature, literature of the early American Republic, and literary theory. He is the author of Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University. He recently won the 2012 Robert Maynard Hutchins Award, which is given annually by The Drake Group to someone who has shown courage in standing up for academic integrity in the face of commercialized sport. Dr. Dowling was honored for his protection of academic priority and ongoing efforts to move Rutgers to a participatory model of intercollegiate athletics. At Rutgers, he was instrumental in creating the “Rutgers 1000,” a consortium of faculty, staff, alumni, students, and others designed to encourage Rutgers to leave the NCAA Division I-A level of competition. Prior to his time at Rutgers, Dowling was a professor at the University of New Mexico.

See link for complete article/interview.


http://leagueoffans.org/2012/03/27/qs-as...m-dowling/

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do NOT recall Rutgers in any serious sports scandals. I'm no fan of Rutgers, but implying Rutgers is full of sports corruption seems a bit over the top. I could believe him if he listed Alabama, UT, Kentucky, Nebraska, Miami, and any number of other schools, but Rutgers? Sports Corruption?

Besides, Rutgers is in no way considered a second rate institution. They are regularly ranked as on on the best public universities. What is this guy smoking? We need to know and corner that market before the FDA makes it illegal.

Obviously, if Rutgers is seriously corrupt in sports, the AD and team coaches should all be arrested for theft. I mean, if you are breaking all the rules and paying players and such, shouldn't you be raking in the championships?

Stepping down from soap box...

P.S. Yes, it was very hard for an Orange fan to defend Rutgers

And somewhere pigs just flew... but seriously this is very well put.

He is anti sports and anti big time football. He would have Rutgers in Div III if he could.

...so he is basically living in an altered state of reality...

I would agree that college athletics are overly commercialized, but that is a byproduct of people's interest in that level of sports. For some, it's a connection to their alma mater they can see on TV every so often. For others, college athletics represents a level of purity in sports (excuse me while I clean up the drink I just spat everywhere while laughing) the pros can never achieve. Yet, for others, it provides an common thread to connect with people they knew from that period of life and to connect with people who were there at different times.

Either way, the value of having a successful program is immense. How many people's interest in schools like Gonzaga and Butler perked up over the success of their basketball programs? What about the Broncos fans that are around here, has the success of your football program meant good things for your university trying to rise from being a JC to a national university? Hell, just go look up the "Business of College Sports" blog and find the articles that address the marketing value Butler received at no cost from their two NCAA runner-up years.

This guy is still around? A decade ago, he was lobbying for Rutgers to join the Patriot League.

Academician hostility towards intercollegiate athletics dates back to the the late 1800's as the popularity of football spread. Like it or not, big-time college athletics are important to higher education in America. Corruption and hypocrisy unfortunately abounds, but there is much good in it as well. The publicity can be very beneficial to the institutions and many young people receive educations (or at least valuable recognition) who otherwise would not. If American intercollegiate athletics are such a bad thing, would youths from all over the world be applying for admission to our universities?

(04-10-2012 08:10 PM)brista21 Wrote:  

(04-10-2012 06:15 PM)HtownOrange Wrote:  

(04-10-2012 06:42 AM)KnightLight Wrote:  Q’s & A’s with Leading Sports Activists: William Dowling
By League of Fans On March 27, 2012

A League of Fans Special Feature

William Dowling

William C. Dowling is University Distinguished Professor of English and American Literature at Rutgers University. He specializes in 18th century English literature, literature of the early American Republic, and literary theory. He is the author of Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University. He recently won the 2012 Robert Maynard Hutchins Award, which is given annually by The Drake Group to someone who has shown courage in standing up for academic integrity in the face of commercialized sport. Dr. Dowling was honored for his protection of academic priority and ongoing efforts to move Rutgers to a participatory model of intercollegiate athletics. At Rutgers, he was instrumental in creating the “Rutgers 1000,” a consortium of faculty, staff, alumni, students, and others designed to encourage Rutgers to leave the NCAA Division I-A level of competition. Prior to his time at Rutgers, Dowling was a professor at the University of New Mexico.

See link for complete article/interview.


http://leagueoffans.org/2012/03/27/qs-as...m-dowling/

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do NOT recall Rutgers in any serious sports scandals. I'm no fan of Rutgers, but implying Rutgers is full of sports corruption seems a bit over the top. I could believe him if he listed Alabama, UT, Kentucky, Nebraska, Miami, and any number of other schools, but Rutgers? Sports Corruption?

Besides, Rutgers is in no way considered a second rate institution. They are regularly ranked as on on the best public universities. What is this guy smoking? We need to know and corner that market before the FDA makes it illegal.

Obviously, if Rutgers is seriously corrupt in sports, the AD and team coaches should all be arrested for theft. I mean, if you are breaking all the rules and paying players and such, shouldn't you be raking in the championships?

Stepping down from soap box...

P.S. Yes, it was very hard for an Orange fan to defend Rutgers

And somewhere pigs just flew... but seriously this is very well put.

Clearly, the man lives in the 18th century...

That guy is a d bag and he sounds like a closet racist. Bball and Fotball are 2 sports that most black guys play, and because they are on
TV and generate billions of dollars that is bad? Major Universities also have huge Research departments, develop drugs, have hospital and physician groups that "Advertise" how awesome they and are and are commercialized. What else is there that brings back all of the Alumni back to campus for great entertainment?, poetry readings?

Dowling's line of reasoning can be summed as this: every dollar spent on athletics is one less dollar for academics--as if there are thousands of RU donors that would stand in line to support the next endowed chair specializing in the poetry of the Peloponnesian War, but football is in the way.