Goose
Well-known Member
The football and wrestling programs at the University of Nebraska at Omaha have been cancelled due to lack of funds. It was decided taxpayer money should not be used to support these programs.
That will not affect the Cornhusker football program at the main campus in Lincoln. In fact, the Cornhusker football program supports the other athletic programs at the main campus.
My own opinion is that sports in general have surpassed academics in importance at most educational facilities. When I became Buildings and Grounds Supervisor at a fair sized public school district in the early '80's, (three campuses in two towns) one of the first things I learned was that the School Board and Administration did not run the district. The district was run by the sports booster club. Academic considerations definitely took a back seat to sports.
This was proven when the Vocational Agriculture teacher submitted a request to take a contingent of the FFA chapter on a field trip to the Husker Harvest Days, a three day agricultural exposition by Grand Island, Nebraska that approaches the State Fair in attendance. His request was denied because "transportation would not be available".
When the subject came up at the next School Board meeting, which I was required to attend, a board member whose son would have gone on the trip had it materialized asked, "When was the last time we missed an athletic event because transportation was not avialable?"
I said, "Good shot, Jim".
After all, when inter-school and inter-collegiate athletics were first organized some 125 years ago, the original intent was to create a diversion that would allow the male student body to burn off excess energy that otherwise would have been spent impregnating the female student body. Can anyone seriously argue that that lofty goal was ever met?
That will not affect the Cornhusker football program at the main campus in Lincoln. In fact, the Cornhusker football program supports the other athletic programs at the main campus.
My own opinion is that sports in general have surpassed academics in importance at most educational facilities. When I became Buildings and Grounds Supervisor at a fair sized public school district in the early '80's, (three campuses in two towns) one of the first things I learned was that the School Board and Administration did not run the district. The district was run by the sports booster club. Academic considerations definitely took a back seat to sports.
This was proven when the Vocational Agriculture teacher submitted a request to take a contingent of the FFA chapter on a field trip to the Husker Harvest Days, a three day agricultural exposition by Grand Island, Nebraska that approaches the State Fair in attendance. His request was denied because "transportation would not be available".
When the subject came up at the next School Board meeting, which I was required to attend, a board member whose son would have gone on the trip had it materialized asked, "When was the last time we missed an athletic event because transportation was not avialable?"
I said, "Good shot, Jim".
After all, when inter-school and inter-collegiate athletics were first organized some 125 years ago, the original intent was to create a diversion that would allow the male student body to burn off excess energy that otherwise would have been spent impregnating the female student body. Can anyone seriously argue that that lofty goal was ever met?
