[fullmetal]

I am a pearl-clutcher, I think, but here's one viewpoint I've been considering.  As much as Stanford equips the best and brightest to go out and influence the world for progress, and as much as sports has become a significant cultural touchstone of American life, shouldn't Stanford offer a brand of excellence in athletics to give Stanford alumni pride and distinction in a sports-fanatic world?  From the C-suite to the street, everyone can talk about their team and how their season is going -- I've found it immensely useful to be able to either talk about others' favorite teams or talk about Stanford's successes in sports as small talk with a purpose.  No one cares about the weather, but if you meet someone who loves sports and you can speak their language, there's a bit of trust and familiarity that can be established.

Is this a good thing that culture has evolved this way?  Different topic.  But it is what it is.

[fullmetal]

I am a pearl-clutcher, I think, but here's one viewpoint I've been considering.  As much as Stanford equips the best and brightest to go out and influence the world for progress, and as much as sports has become a significant cultural touchstone of American life, shouldn't Stanford offer a brand of excellence in athletics to give Stanford alumni pride and distinction in a sports-fanatic world?  From the C-suite to the street, everyone can talk about their team and how their season is going -- I've found it immensely useful to be able to either talk about others' favorite teams or talk about Stanford's successes in sports as small talk with a purpose.  No one cares about the weather, but if you meet someone who loves sports and you can speak their language, there's a bit of trust and familiarity that can be established.

Is this a good thing that culture has evolved this way?  Different topic.  But it is what it is.