This article about Boise State University captures – in a truly unsettling way – the sordid, delusional nature of the American jock school.
The main point of the piece is the financial hemorrhaging of the sports program. No surprise there. Fewer and fewer people go to university games, so ticket sales at many schools are in the toilet.
But along the way, the writer notes that Boise – a not very impressive university, which might want to spend a bit on its educational offerings – is building a $22 million dollar football stadium. That the stadium will be named after a coach who presided over a program so filthy that even the NCAA noticed is in no way awkward, assures Boise’s president. The people who gave the money liked the guy (now coaching for another school), and they get to call the shots.
In fact the article is full of blithe reassurances from the Blanche DuBois running Boise: The fans will be back; the stadium’s name, honoring a miscreant, is way cool; athletics is going to be a big moneymaker any day now. So it goes.
February 22nd, 2013 at 1:32PM
Big deal! $22 million for a new stadium? What a bunch of pikers!
Maybe they should do things bigger and better, like we do here in Texas. Texas A&M plans to spend $400 million on an UPGRADE to Kyle Field.
http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/02/see-more-photos-of-what-400-million-can-do-to-renovate-texas-ams-kyle-field.html/
February 22nd, 2013 at 1:35PM
JND: I know – I was surprised by how low that figure was too.
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:13PM
IIRC, Kustra was the Illinois lieutenant gun under George Ryan, who was recently released from prison after serving some on corruption-related charges.
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:13PM
Lieutenant guv, I mean.
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:07PM
Thanks, wayward. That detail adds a certain something.
February 23rd, 2013 at 2:02PM
I’m pretty certain it’s not a stadium, but rather a “football operations center” or whatever the preferred industry parlance is. In other words, a $22 million office building for football coaches (which makes it even more egregious). Usually they abut the football stadiums and have weight rooms, locker rooms, that sort of thing.
From what I remember from an academic conference visit to Idaho’s capital a few years ago, the Boise State stadium (with its infamous blue AstroTurf) is near downtown and the river. To replace the entire thing would definitely cost more than $20 million.
Just to verify, I found this:
“The 68,000-square-foot dream home for the football program includes coaches’ offices and meeting rooms, an academic center, recruiting lounge, weight room, athletic training room, equipment room, players lounge and home locker room.”
http://www.broncosports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9900&ATCLID=206472930
There’s an architectural rendering, too. (sigh) Just think how many scholarships or tenured professors $20 million could buy.