All of the arguments made here for maintaining D1 status at Akron simply reveal the strangle-hold that the NCAA has on our universities. Trustees, who often come from the business world—another problem—should see this and respond. 1/ https://www.beaconjournal.com/sports/20200711/university-of-akron-suggested-change-in-division-status-could-prove-expensive-proposition

It is beyond ridiculous that Director of Athletics Williams ridiculously considers an intake of $11M a “financial return,” despite the fact that the money is (a) spent; and (b) costs an additional $26M/year. 2/

Proponents of remaining in D1 cite a one-time exit fee of $2.5M as a prohibiting factor. Who cares about a one-time outlay of >1/10 of the annual cost to the university, if it means shrinking that expense moving forward? 3/

This same logic applies to the $12.7M in penalties for canceled contracts through 2027. As far as I can tell, this means that dropping out of D1 would have a total cost of $15.3M over seven years. The cost for athletics over those years would be $182M. 4/

The idea of having a revenue-positive, football-led athletics program is an elusive pipe-dream. Only 29 schools have achieved that. The rest of the universities in D1 are indirectly funding these programs with their own tuition. 5/

Some argue that it brings the universities prestige, which can be true, but at what cost… And shouldn’t our prestige come from the quality of our educational programs—our core mission— and from the intellectual, academic, and social achievements of our students and faculty? 6/

All I hear when people talk about football prestige is Bruce Springsteen singing “glory days.” It’s time that universities adjust to the 21st century, refocus on education first, and stop spending millions on D1 athletics. 7/

Some of you will say that D1 (or any) athletics are necessary for “diversity.” That’s classist, racist, and ableist. If those factors drove spending, we’d invest directly in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures. 8/

If DEI mattered, we’d not tie financial aid and university access to physical ability; we’d not make support contingent upon the willingness of minoritized students to entertain us and feed “glory days” nostalgia. 9/

OR... THE NFL SHOULD START FUNDING UNIVERSITIES AND STUDENTS FROM WHICH THEY PROFIT. /fin.