Thursday, November 6, 2014

Always an interesting topic...

...albeit not necessarily a pleasant one. According to the UAB Boosters program, Alabama-Birmingham is considering dropping its football program, although the administration does not publicly confirm that at this time.

The ramifications are (to be clinical) interesting and complicated. It involves conference affiliations, academic priorities, money to the school, money into the community, and all sorts of financial and administrative issues. 

Is big-time football - y'know, FBS level, fill-the-stadium, every game on TV kinda football - required for a major university? Is it necessary? Is it practical in 2014? Is it a waste of resources? Is it a drain on university funds? 

Where does it sit on the list of priorities for a university chancellor and board?

These are the questions that, frankly, every school needs to ask itself periodically. We can't blame UAB admins for considering it; we blame them even less for suppressing the consideration, because of the panic it causes in some places. But every sport - and by extension, every department, activity, and expense - deserves scrutiny in 2014. 

Decide what's important, and spend your money on that. End of story.

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