02-15-2021, 08:47 PM
IMHO - The diversity concern with Varsity Blues is not racial diversity, to me the PR issue was primarily about economic diversity.
A place like Stanford is loaded with children of 1 percenters. Loads of reasons that happens academically. However, the academic admissions game also favor those with resources for test prep, essay consultants, and the like.
Varsity Blues revealed that 1 percenters also have lot of advantages getting those precious non-scholarship athletic slots too. The 1 percenters have access to resources that can help them "look" like they excel in rowing, sailing, fencing, golf and other similar sports. The scandal centered on cheap, unethical, 1 percenters using bribes to coaches, but is also revealed how those with wealth can use that wealth to secure those athletic slots too.
Any school that has a lot of 1 percenters AND has a bounty of slots allocated to athletic spots that also favor 1 percenters then has a potential PR problem.
The Varsity Blues lessons for those not familiar with highly selective schools
1 - The 1 percenters get access to the best schools, teachers, tutors and admission services giving them amazingly good odds to win the academic admissions game.
2 - Should that advantage not be enough 1 percenters can always throw their child into a boat or get expensive lessons at your country club to secure slots in sports played primarily by 1 percenters (golf, sailing, fencing, rowing, etc.)
3- And should 1 & 2 not be enough the 1 percenters can give a program struggling for funds a bag of money and get their child to be a benchwarmer/program funder.
To some degree #3 is the problem for any school with sports that need donations to remain viable. If a program is on the bubble it might be tempted to access money that only makes the school's PR problem worse over time. Quite possible the money they find will ultimately be linked to even more 1 percenters sitting at the end of the bench.
If the PR/legal/congressional concerns are the hidden concern, a safe solution is to cut the sport(s). FWIW - Fundraising could very well make the PR situation worse.
The precious balance between athletics and academics is a concern at many schools. Varsity Blues likely impacted the precarious balance.
A place like Stanford is loaded with children of 1 percenters. Loads of reasons that happens academically. However, the academic admissions game also favor those with resources for test prep, essay consultants, and the like.
Varsity Blues revealed that 1 percenters also have lot of advantages getting those precious non-scholarship athletic slots too. The 1 percenters have access to resources that can help them "look" like they excel in rowing, sailing, fencing, golf and other similar sports. The scandal centered on cheap, unethical, 1 percenters using bribes to coaches, but is also revealed how those with wealth can use that wealth to secure those athletic slots too.
Any school that has a lot of 1 percenters AND has a bounty of slots allocated to athletic spots that also favor 1 percenters then has a potential PR problem.
The Varsity Blues lessons for those not familiar with highly selective schools
1 - The 1 percenters get access to the best schools, teachers, tutors and admission services giving them amazingly good odds to win the academic admissions game.
2 - Should that advantage not be enough 1 percenters can always throw their child into a boat or get expensive lessons at your country club to secure slots in sports played primarily by 1 percenters (golf, sailing, fencing, rowing, etc.)
3- And should 1 & 2 not be enough the 1 percenters can give a program struggling for funds a bag of money and get their child to be a benchwarmer/program funder.
To some degree #3 is the problem for any school with sports that need donations to remain viable. If a program is on the bubble it might be tempted to access money that only makes the school's PR problem worse over time. Quite possible the money they find will ultimately be linked to even more 1 percenters sitting at the end of the bench.
If the PR/legal/congressional concerns are the hidden concern, a safe solution is to cut the sport(s). FWIW - Fundraising could very well make the PR situation worse.
The precious balance between athletics and academics is a concern at many schools. Varsity Blues likely impacted the precarious balance.