This letter is in response to the television presentation “Sis, boom, bust: The high cost of college sports” written by Betsy Rate.

After watching this video I can think of no other way to say it: this absurdity really chaps my ass. When did college become the engine for subsidizing a professional sports career? Why isn’t the revenue received from these sporting events used to reduce the cost of tuition or books? Could it be used to recruit great professors from other universities? As a wise man once said “it’s all a matter of priorities.” Well, what are the priorities of today’s universities? How did they get so duped into believing that athletics was their fiscal savior?

My own alma mater just agreed to a 10 year contract (worth about $350,000 annually) with Caleb Porter — the University of Akron men’s soccer coach; that’s $3.5 million dollars going to one person and for what? To coach athletes to kick a soccer ball up and down the field to the delight of students who can’t recognize how they are being ripped off? UA also gave football coach Rob Ianello a five-year deal worth about $375,000 annually or almost $2 million dollars to coach a team that nobody wants to watch because they have no connection whatsoever with the students. It is the same situation today that it was then regardless of whether they played in the Rubber Bowl or now in the InfoCision Stadium.

As a result of the lack of attendance at InfoCision Stadium, UA’s finances have sprung a leak. What is going to be used to plug the leak? Will it be an increase in tuition? Will it be layoffs or reduction of programs? Why is it that the students are always the one’s to get screwed? Who profits from all the brick and mortar projects besides the contractors? The time is long overdue to start “following the money.” Where is Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward when you need them? Stay tuned. Change is coming.