Like it or not, the value of your diploma has more to do with the name recognition of your school than the academic quality of your program. Sadly, when I interview for a job in Washington I don't hear, "Boy you have a great engineering program." I hear, "You guys sure played well against us in the NCAA tournament a couple years ago." There is a great value in college sports. It is a huge source of advertising for the school. As an alum who contributes to the sports program at USU, I hope current students are smart enough to figure out that their sports teams are more than a diversion and are worth investing in.

Yes, sports may be a source of advertising for the school.

But it is not the only possible or potential source.

Schools are carefully evaluated and accredited based upon far more valuable criteria than how the sports team is doing. These evaluations and accreditations are published and consulted all the time. Sometimes we even notice such reports in the news magazines while passing through the checkstand at the supermarket -- reports which have nothing to do with sports, but rather with such things as the quality of the engineering program.

Personally, I admire what the trustees did with Brigham Young University-Idaho: they eliminated intercollegiate sports altogether. It saves a ton of money and attention, both of which which can now be directed at ultimately far more valuable endeavors.