Football is a Sucker's Game

Michael Sokolove's article, "Football is a Sucker's Game," was actually really interesting to me, even though it wasn't really what I expected. From the title, I assumed it was going to be some intense intellectual hating on football a lot, which would have been okay with me too. But instead, the article was a view into something I had never really understood before. I still don't feel like I understand football, but I never realized that it was so expensive! To me it seems illogical that the coaches get paid so much, and that the players won't come to universities unless they have the nicest "facilities." But what does it really matter if the locker rooms have metal lockers instead of wood? I have a problem with the idea of spending tons and tons of money on stuff that seems unnecessary to me, when other people don't have enough to eat. I also have a problem with the idea of buying things with money you don't have, especially such expensive things. Our society is built around this idea, it seems- it's easy to buy as much as you want with a plastic card, and that's why so many people in our country are so far in debt. I never realized that this idea is also a key part of college football.

Another problem I have with college football after reading this article is the idea that a good football team will increase the number of students who apply to the college. Maybe that's true but it's kind of sad, because football and academics are so unrelated. I did not go through the college search process, because I already knew I wanted to go to UO, and I ignored most of the pamphlets and flyers I got in the mail from this and that college, so I don't really know how people make the decision of which college to go to. But I sincerely hope it's not just based on which college has the best football team. That doesn't fit in with my "idea of a university."