[NU Sports] Great News For Northwestern

[Jonathan Michael Hawkins]

> And that would be a shame if that is what the University wants as a way 
> to boost applications--I know it has an impact--(witness after the Rose 
> Bowl year), but I hope that isn't the key reason for the ever increasing 
> number of applicants or higher quality--and I hope that never is a 
> serious consideration by the NU administration

I believe that unless you're an Ivy a major factor in increasing 
enrollment at top-notch private Universities is highly correlated with 
making sure people know who you are as frequently as possible.  Many 
teenagers watch college football and/or basketball and thus whenever 
you've got a nationally televised game you get to put in free 
advertisements of your University.  Thus, it is a very big deal that our 
team be good enough to be televised regularly, and Americans tend to like 
a winner, so that helps too.

Getting good enough players and improving them enough so that on a few 
Monday Nights a year someone says "Noah Herron, Northwestern" is a lot of 
free advertising.  Napoleon Harris is excluded.

Smart kids like sports, too.  Schools with good sports have something for 
their alumni to brag about other than that their school is a big nerdery, 
too, which probably helps out with giving.

But we'll see.  If I didn't want big-time sports I'd've gone somewhere 
lame like UofC, so I will respectfully disagree with Harry and say this: 
as long as academic standards for athletes stay at their current high 
levels, I am all for the administration desiring and getting a couple of 
powerhouse programs.

Jonathan

p.s.  The only logical location for a track-and-field stadium and 
associated other sporting venues for the 2016 Olympics bid is, in my mind, 
Washington Park or Jackson Park (especially if in homage to Burnham's Fair 
they did them in Neo-Classical, which is probably obligatory).

But what would you do with the stadium after the Games, you ask?  What 
indeed, but become great new facilities for the University of Chicago to 
stage its long-awaited return to the Big Ten and Division I-A.  I would 
greatly enjoy kicking their asses each year in a true cross-town rivalry. 
Can you imagine the media attention?  Ah, but I'm dreaming.