Rutgers showed its appreciation [for their big recent wins] by increasing the pay of women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer in a package that could yield her $950,000 a year, and boosted the compensation of men's football coach Greg Schiano to a reported $1.5 million a year, both raises of about 50%. Such increases, in light of cutting six teams with a combined operating budget of $798,000, angered [members of a student and alumni coalition that wants to bring back the sports that have been shut down].

"The cutting of these teams has nothing to do with the extra money put into football," [says a campus spokesperson], who says that the university was simply operating more sports than it could with success. Cutting the teams brings Rutgers down to 24, more than most schools in its Big East Conference, which saw another member, Syracuse, cut men's and women's swimming and diving teams in June. "Football is a separate issue -- I look at it differently from the rest of the sports. It raises far more money, and ultimately the success of football can carry the rest of our programs."

Ultimately is the key word. Football does not now pay its own way, but [the spokesman] is betting that it will. He says he was charged when he was appointed in 1998 to "fix football" after years of losing. His model, he says, were the "big, good" programs of the Big 10....

"You look at schools where football has been successful for 30 or 40 years, and it can carry an athletics program," [he said], adding that the last two years of football success head Rutgers in that direction.



Perhaps, but those most familiar with "big, good" programs know this to be dangerous territory.

"When you read accounts about the revenue that football generates, they're really full of holes, ignoring capital expenditures and debt financing," says James Duderstadt, president of the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1996. "I think people close to Michigan, with all of its visibility, regard football at this level as more of a headache than a benefit to the institution." The headache, says Mr. Duderstadt, is getting worse. "We've seen more institutions going heavily into debt to pay coaches over a million dollars, and more programs eliminated in order to feed the beast."



While this is a story about budgets, it is essentially about different visions of intercollegiate athletics. Rutgers emphasizes success in revenue-producing football and basketball. Another view supports a broader range of students' athletic interests.

"Once colleges had athletics as part of the equilibrium of teaching people beyond the classroom, creating well-rounded individuals, physically and intellectually," says Glenn Merry, head of rowing's national governing body. "At some point it became more of a business; sports had to earn their way. It puts any sports at risk that aren't a huge media attraction."

If this is really about today's changing values, Americans' Olympic future is in trouble, along with whatever remains of balance in college athletics.