[CTcard]

[quote author=Big Brother link=topic=16699.msg190267#msg190267 date=1490029802]
I was talking with some of the older football alumni after Shaw's first year, and they were saying that they hope Stanford doesn't turn into a football school.  I get it.

Frankly I don't get it.  I see where football gets Stanford national respect for the oustanding, unique, frankly unmatched athletics program that it has had for over a quarter-century, and I see our uniqueness being celebrated in many corners either through adultation and/or attempts to imitate it.  Without the success of football we'd still be regarded as an "Olympic sports" program which is great in and of itself but doesn't have the same draw

I also see other "smart" schools having more success as well - Duke football, Northwestern MBB are just a couple examples.
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Well, our Big Brother has to answer for himself what s/he meant, but my sense of the comment was that some were expressing the hope that our school does not compromise itself ethically and academically in the way that it seems most Football Schools do.


And not exactly on point, but neither Duke football nor Northwestern men's basketball have had anything approaching the success Stanford football has had lately, or really what Stanford football has mostly had historically (though that has been very up and down).
To be sure it is more success than they had in the past, and I am always concerned about the threat they might pose to Stanford recruiting as potential alternative places to pursue top level academics and lots of winning in your sport. So far these programs haven't exactly established themselves as long term winners, though they have improved from historical states.  Duke football managed to have three winning seasons over the past four, and three in Cutcliffe's nine years. That included one final season top 25 ranking at #23 in 2013. Northwestern basketball rather famously just made their first ever NCAA tournament appearance - and even won a game.

Duke basketball, on the other hand, has been a serious hammer to Stanford recruiting over the years, but I think also a warning that the compromise yourself worry isn't completely unfounded.

[CTcard]

[quote author=Big Brother link=topic=16699.msg190267#msg190267 date=1490029802]
I was talking with some of the older football alumni after Shaw's first year, and they were saying that they hope Stanford doesn't turn into a football school.  I get it.

Frankly I don't get it.  I see where football gets Stanford national respect for the oustanding, unique, frankly unmatched athletics program that it has had for over a quarter-century, and I see our uniqueness being celebrated in many corners either through adultation and/or attempts to imitate it.  Without the success of football we'd still be regarded as an "Olympic sports" program which is great in and of itself but doesn't have the same draw

I also see other "smart" schools having more success as well - Duke football, Northwestern MBB are just a couple examples.
[/quote]

Well, our Big Brother has to answer for himself what s/he meant, but my sense of the comment was that some were expressing the hope that our school does not compromise itself ethically and academically in the way that it seems most Football Schools do.


And not exactly on point, but neither Duke football nor Northwestern men's basketball have had anything approaching the success Stanford football has had lately, or really what Stanford football has mostly had historically (though that has been very up and down).
To be sure it is more success than they had in the past, and I am always concerned about the threat they might pose to Stanford recruiting as potential alternative places to pursue top level academics and lots of winning in your sport. So far these programs haven't exactly established themselves as long term winners, though they have improved from historical states.  Duke football managed to have three winning seasons over the past four, and three in Cutcliffe's nine years. That included one final season top 25 ranking at #23 in 2013. Northwestern basketball rather famously just made their first ever NCAA tournament appearance - and even won a game.

Duke basketball, on the other hand, has been a serious hammer to Stanford recruiting over the years, but I think also a warning that the compromise yourself worry isn't completely unfounded.