[msqueri]

2006alum (shout out to the class of 2006 by the way), that situation and untold others are absolutely heartbreaking. But just as it is your call to not view it as beautiful or inspirational and vote with your wallet accordingly, the same is true for everybody else in society. Realistically, I doubt as a society we make the call you have. Perhaps your point is that it shouldn't come down to market economics and the barbarism should be regulated away, but I don't want to put words in your mouth. Ultimately I suspect the end result will be some form of gladiators willingly sacrificing their health for glory and money and society embracing that.

I think many on this site have the view that universities exist "to produce well educated citizens; optimally, future leaders; and, at a minimum, self-sufficient members of society." But again this is your opinion. Many view universities (or more to the point their or their region's university) as serving communal purposes too (or even foremost). Moreover, even if we grant that universities exist for education and leadership development, opinions differ on the means to fulfill that mission. Some may (and I think do) calculate that having a flagship program for their athletics department brings in revenue, prestige, and alumni goodwill that makes it easier to fulfill the rest of the mission. And even if universities are about education and leadership there's nothing to say that every single part of the university needs to be about that. As a thought experiment, if Notre Dame de Namur had a world-leading furniture making shop that employed non-student artisans to make the wares and then used the profits to fund the school and enhance its brand, who's to say that's against the mission of the school?

I get that what you're saying is brain injury directly runs counter to the mission you lay out. But people make tradeoffs all the time in life. Realistically, I don't see Americans deciding college football is beyond the pale.

[msqueri]

2006alum (shout out to the class of 2006 by the way), that situation and untold others are absolutely heartbreaking. But just as it is your call to not view it as beautiful or inspirational and vote with your wallet accordingly, the same is true for everybody else in society. Realistically, I doubt as a society we make the call you have. Perhaps your point is that it shouldn't come down to market economics and the barbarism should be regulated away, but I don't want to put words in your mouth. Ultimately I suspect the end result will be some form of gladiators willingly sacrificing their health for glory and money and society embracing that.

I think many on this site have the view that universities exist "to produce well educated citizens; optimally, future leaders; and, at a minimum, self-sufficient members of society." But again this is your opinion. Many view universities (or more to the point their or their region's university) as serving communal purposes too (or even foremost). Moreover, even if we grant that universities exist for education and leadership development, opinions differ on the means to fulfill that mission. Some may (and I think do) calculate that having a flagship program for their athletics department brings in revenue, prestige, and alumni goodwill that makes it easier to fulfill the rest of the mission. And even if universities are about education and leadership there's nothing to say that every single part of the university needs to be about that. As a thought experiment, if Notre Dame de Namur had a world-leading furniture making shop that employed non-student artisans to make the wares and then used the profits to fund the school and enhance its brand, who's to say that's against the mission of the school?

I get that what you're saying is brain injury directly runs counter to the mission you lay out. But people make tradeoffs all the time in life. Realistically, I don't see Americans deciding college football is beyond the pale.