It Would’ve Been a Classic!
The University of Michigan Athletic Department attempted to circumvent President Mary Sue Coleman and the Largest Group of Living Alumni Ever (TM) when it entered into a deal with Ohio State University and SBC Communications, Inc. to sell the rights to the Michigan-Ohio State football game and rename what is affectionately (I guess) known as “The Game” to “SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic.” I had heard about this Tuesday evening from a friend, but she had said that the Michigan State-Ohio State game was going to be sponsored. My initial thoughts were as follows (in this particular order, too):
1. I thought Michigan State’s big rival was Michigan?
2. Who the fuck cares what happens when Michigan State plays Ohio State? Is that even a major rivarly?
3. God, why are Michigan State and Ohio State selling out?
4. Glad it’s not Michigan doing that.
Imagine my surprise this morning while reading the paper – it was Michigan, and it didn’t go through. Why didn’t it go through? The Athletic Department tried to sneak this one on their own terms, and that’s the best and fastest way to piss off a president and scores of alumni who remember football Saturdays fondly and like to live vicariously through a TV set or their sons/daughters going to school here. While reading the newspaper, I tried to come to a conclusion about my thoughts on this destroyed deal. Hmmm . . .
I’ll be completely honest: I make a living through sports marketing and corporate sponsorships. Sponsorships through Mobil 1 and Wrangler keep me outfitted in nice fitting Levis jeans and clearance rack JCrew items. While I don’t work directly with the sponsors, a deal between my company and one of the three parties involved with “The Game” would’ve been huge. However, when the idea of a deal was proposed to our sales department, sales decided not to pursue it. I was secretly glad they hadn’t, even when I thought that the States were playing.
However, working in sports marketing does not make me prone to acceptance of every marketing technique out there. I don’t endorse sponsorships zealously, but neither do I frown on every one. In other words, despite my pressing need for a salary, I usually don’t care one way or another. NASCAR switches from Winston to Nextel? No skin off of my back. Wrangler sponsors rodeo? Whatever, at least the cowboys have nice asses. I am not a corporate shill in that I must justify every endorsement ever. Nah, I just go about my business, not really caring if I see a Coke in a movie or see Coke sponsoring a pizza-making contest in Italy (seriously). I just really don’t care.
But when it comes to an educational institution, albeit one with a strong sports program? I don’t know, I’ve never been comfortable with that. For one, Michigan is an academic institution (though that is not always first and foremost). Michigan’s main goal should be to raise money for research, scholarships and the like. They’re doing so right now with “The Michigan Difference.” Good for them. Michigan’s priority should be toward ensuring that the undergrads, grad students, faculty (postdocs included! :) ) and staff receive the materials, funding and resources that they need. I don’t care if the latest star quarterback needs to eat filet mignon in South Quad. Give the brainy guys and gals money, damnit.
Athletics is a department unto itself, and it made a serious error in the past decade by slacking on fundraising. They relied too heavily on their players and their corporate contracts, and now it’s biting them in the ass. They either have to sell out or make cuts, they wail. Well . . . make the cuts.
As you can tell, I don’t care for Athletics. Too much favoritism and adoration and exceptions are diverted to them, so I don’t think that selling the Michigan name to help them make money is fair. So Athletics would’ve gotten $260K – would the academic programs have seen any of it? No, of course not, Athletics is a department unto itself. While Athletics provides an outlet of entertainment and way to fund serious student athletes (there are some, believe it or not), my ultimate concern as an alumna is not that the football team gets what it needs. No, my concern is that the College of Literature, Science and the Arts gets what it needs. My concern is that students there have the opportunity to receive some sort of aid, be it in the form of money, research materials or programs.
With a deal like the SBC contract, Michigan and Ohio State would’ve been whoring out their names to give their football programs a boost. AD Martin would’ve taken the name of a world-class institution (smirk all you want, but it’s true) and connected it with a communications provider. I dislike the idea intensely because it’s one department using it for their benefit. The school as a whole does not benefit, nor would the school ever be included in that deal because that would not give SBC the exposure it desires. SBC is out to make money, and they’re not going to do that by sponsoring English 125. All freshmen will take it because they have to, but that’s not the group SBC is trying to target. No, they want television exposure, which “The Game” would’ve provided.
Athletics should fundraise, but not by courting corporations. Corporations do donate to schools, but the aim of those donations isn’t getting more customers. SBC’s goal in this one was to sell, sell, sell. Televised coverage provides that on a huge scale – I know that for a fact. Oodles of dollars are made within seconds. The school’s name just kind of gets sullied in the process. We’re not SBC Michigan, after all. We’re Michigan.
That’s not to say that Athletics doesn’t sell the school, period. It does in the sense that people grow up loving Michigan sports, so they want to go to Michigan. That’s income for the school, true. However, that’s as far as Athletics and the academic side go for most of us once we’re there. Some of us delight in football Saturdays, but it’s us giving money to Athletics in terms of ticket sales . . . and they’re not helping with our tuition. Besides, just as many people come because of its academic reputation, not the reputation of the football team.
So I guess you could say I’m a pissed off alumna, too, but pissed off in the sense that I don’t want the academic side of things to get screwed. In terms of alumni responses on the whole, it seems like people were more concerned with preserving the sanctity of football Saturdays than the school’s academic integrity. The school’s name is not for sale in terms of keeping the fall feel of “The Game;” academics is mentioned nowhere in the protests. It’s unfortunate that alumni would voraciously defend an athletic tradition but forget about what really makes the place great.
I blame the Alumni Association and their blatant pandering to the sports enthusiasts. When is a groundbreaking study in any area mentioned with detail and pride in the Friday newsletter? Never. Bastards.
If this were a case of an amateur or professional sport needing revenue, cool. I can see that. They are a sport, they have audiences, they want to make money to keep up the quality. However, Athletics was willing to drag the academic side into the corporate sponsorship without approval. The school as a whole needs to be weighed – the Athletics program just needs to kick up its fundraising efforts once more, just like every other department in the school does. It shouldn’t sell my school’s name in the process of getting the quarterback his filet mignon.
I really do love Michigan (shut up with the laughter), but not because of tailgating on football Saturdays. I love it because of the new perspectives it gave me, for the classes that totally kicked my ass and forced me to think, for the knowledge it imparted on me before I left. Learning is what matters to me, and it’s sad that people lose sight of what it is Michigan’s doing. I do fear, however, that this will eventually happen.
Next thing you know, graduates will be walking into Michigan Stadium with a Taco Bell logo on their backs.
I am waiting for one of these university muckedy-mucks to explain to me how as a grad student (and now research employee) I benefit AT ALL from the presence of the athletics program. It’s worse here, where the stadium is on the main campus and they start blocking off the parking lots the night before the game. They also truncate library hours on game days, if you can believe that. Somehow they think the entire campus is supposed to shut down just because there’s a sports event going on. Oh, and while the football team doesn’t play there, we do have the “Coors Events Center” on campus – this the campus that has now branded alcohol public enemy No. 1 (IMO they should brand certain faculty and staff with that title).
Of course, I would never equate my current school with Michigan in terms of its academic quality. Unfortunately, when you have business people running your universities (no matter their quality), they will be run like businesses. That is part of why higher education is becoming such a horrible system for everyone involved. The corporate bottom line and the detached institution of higher learning are incompatible systems. When they collide, the students suffer (extract the highest pay for the fewest services), as do the employees(adjunctification, anyone? as well as the primacy of bringing in huge grants to faculty success). Even the very nature of what goes on suffers. Some areas of human inquiry simply aren’t profitable because they are difficult, esoteric, impractical. That does not mean that they aren’t worth doing, of course, and the university setting should be such areas’ last refuge, but we’re seeing more and more reduction of this safety net. One day soon there may be former areas of scholarly research that people simply don’t do anymore because university administrators with MBAs (or who act like they are MBAs) have excluded them.
I thought this was your “money quote” (a la Andrew Sullivan):
“While Athletics provides an outlet of entertainment and way to fund serious student athletes (there are some, believe it or not), my ultimate concern as an alumna is not that the football team gets what it needs. No, my concern is that the College of Literature, Science and the Arts gets what it needs.”
I’ve heard complaints here too that the alumni association focuses solely on athletics to keep tabs on alumni (and keep them contributing). Every other department on campus is cutting and squeezing – why not athletics, too?
I suppose your real power as an alumna is to play by their rules and vote with your pocketbook…and make sure they know why, too.
(btw, the last two days here have been IN-SANE)
Big fat “yeah” to everything you’ve said. AD Martin *is* a businessman first and foremost – the only thing that saved this game from becoming a “Classic” was the Coleman wasn’t informed of it until last week. As the Free Press said, initial reports were that the deal was almost finalized. They’re right in saying that U-M doesn’t say anything until it’s all finalized.
I am simply astounded that they would curtail library hours for a football game. Unbelievable. I noticed the “Coors Event Center” when we drove back, but I wasn’t sure if it was a university facility. I knew the place wasn’t an exemplary model of higher learning, but I thought they had more integrity than that.
My concerns reflect yours regarding the possible slow disappearance of certain programs because they’re not profitable or even “sexy.” I’d love to see more of the work that my old department produces, but it’s hidden underneath all the athletic mumbo-jumbo. However, I’ll readily concede that my concerns do not match the urgency of yours – I can vote with my pocketbook (in a few years), but you’re in the thick of things. The turning tide affects people like you – hardworking people interested in different questions, in need of adequate funding for the work that’s important (you’ll never convince me that guys throwing pigskin on a Saturday have priority). The simple fact is this: Those muckety-mucks can’t give you an explanation because there isn’t one.
Michigan-wise, Athletics majorly fucked up, and now they want to compromise the university. Alumni say no, but not because they care about the academic reputation. Higher education is becoming a business, sadly enough, and althetics is a profitable venue (I know from experience, as you very well know). Unless they start broadcasting graduations on ABC and slapping sponsorship on graduates’ backs, academics won’t be a draw to corporations like SBC.
I’m sorry, it’s been so crazy, but you should get some cookies soon to alleviate your stress. :) I have a class tonight, but should be home at around 9:30 if you want to talk. (I add this information because my e-mail’s down for maintenance; that’s one thing about Toronto I loved, they tore down their football field when I was there.)