GUEST COLUMN
– Olympic Creed
There is clear irony for many of the American athletes who will be
participating in the Olympic Games in Athens.
Almost on a weekly basis, we read or hear of programs being eliminated on our college campuses, victims of budgets that need to be balanced. Referred to as "Olympic" or "non-revenue" sports, these are programs that are often the first to go when difficult budget decisions must be made on campus.
The Olympics present an important opportunity to underscore the vital role that American colleges and universities play in providing the facilities, training, coaching, competition and values so necessary to the development of highly skilled athletes in these sports.
Indeed, in the past, on average approximately four of every five U.S. Olympic team members have been involved in intercollegiate athletes, in particular at NCAA institutions. The same ratio exists for those who are summoned from our college campuses to serve as Olympic coaches.
For those of us in the NCAA, it is gratifying to know that when our American athletes march into the Olympic Stadium, our member institutions and coaches have helped these athletes realize their dreams of performing on the world's grandest stage in sports.
But for the future of such American teams, too many American colleges and universities are dropping Olympics sports altogether, and dropping out of the race. From 1988-2003, 272 men's and women's non-revenue or Olympic sports programs have been eliminated at NCAA member institutions, including nearly 21 percent of all women's gymnastics and nearly 30 percent of all men's wrestling teams.
That is a trend that must be reversed.
It was for that reason last May that the NCAA and the United States Olympic Committee joined in commissioning a blue-ribbon task force to address the decline of Olympic sports on our campuses and to propose solutions that would not only maintain, but grow these athletics endeavors.
I do not deny the budget realities facing athletic departments. Very few universities break even or show a profit in intercollegiate athletics. Most institutions have to provide a subsidy of one form or another and the campus administrations have to make a judgment about the extent of the subsidy in terms of the value it brings to the institution in succeeding in its various missions.
However, I firmly believe it is shortsighted to eliminate sports and reduce opportunities for a broad and diverse spectrum of student-athletes. Intercollegiate athletics administrators should not make the mistake of equating the lack of revenues produced or the cost of conducting these sports with the value they bring, both to the individual student-athlete and to the institution.
Contrary to what some believe, Title IX should not be a scapegoat for this situation. The reduction of Olympic sports is not the result of Title IX mandates. At the NCAA, we will continue to abide by the spirit and letter of Title IX. I have argued strongly that women deserve every opportunity to succeed in intercollegiate athletics, just as men do.
Sports enrich both the college and the athlete. On the field of competition, we are reminded of those values that are at the heart of intercollegiate athletics and America: a strong mind, courage, fortitude, teamwork, fair play and grace under pressure.
Broad-based athletic programs offer a wide range of opportunities for students. And that value is significant. That value is both in the education the student-athlete receives and in the institution's standing in the community, state and the nation.
A commitment to maintaining and growing Olympic sports in intercollegiate athletics is an investment in the hopes and dreams of young people and an investment in the educational mission of the institution. If the return on that investment is measured only in dollars, we risk losing sight of the true merits of athletics participation.
It is something to consider as we watch
and
cheer on our American athletes in Athens. They represent the best of
what intercollegiate athletics and America are all about.
Myles Brand is president of the NCAA.