Since we were all little, we have been told how lucky we are to live in a country where we have the freedom to become who we want. However, as great as our country is, it is not the land of equal opportunity. It never has been, and I dare say it never will be. This does not mean I am not grateful to live here, but it does mean America isn’t as perfect as we have been taught to believe.
By now I am sure you are aware of the Occupy movement, which captures some of the nation’s most egregious injustices and inequalities. The movement shows there can never be equality in this country if a small minority controls most of the wealth and manipulates the helpless majority underneath it. It also shows this country will never be equal as long as we still have high levels of corruption among millionaires and billionaires who don’t take responsibility for their mistakes.
But I don’t want to sound like a broken record about our nation’s problems. What I will do is explain the source of inequality that has taken place here at this university over the past few weeks.
The athletics department has been forced to cut eight varsity teams due to insufficient funds. I know times are tough and money is tight, but let’s cut the bullshit here. I highly doubt university President Wallace Loh read more than 50 emails on this subject from students, and I would be shocked if he actually spent time crying as he said he did in an interview with this newspaper. The reality is that the eight teams cut were the teams that the President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics felt were disposable. Yes, the teams that will be cut didn’t bring in much revenue, but somehow they had survived in the past.
Through all of this turmoil, the big sports knew they would never be threatened. Although the budget shortcomings stem primarily from the inept play and dramatic drop in revenue brought in by the football and men’s basketball teams, these athletes walk away from this situation basically unharmed.
The truth is that the teams most of us overlook are the ones that will be dropped. Just because some of us may not care about the swimming and diving teams or the track teams doesn’t mean those participants aren’t committed athletes who have sacrificed a lot to be part of those teams. Giving them the opportunity to transfer or continuing to honor their scholarships doesn’t negate what has happened to their teams.
Instead of cutting some spending from the top down, this university has taken the easier path — cutting the small, “unimportant” teams. I am not suggesting we cut the football or men’s basketball teams, as that would be absurd. However, football coach Randy Edsall will make $2 million this year, despite leading the football team to one of its worst seasons ever. Edsall has earned $1 million for each win he has produced this year.
Men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon is set to make $1.9 million this year, making him the second-highest paid basketball coach in the ACC — behind only Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. These coaches don’t deserve this type of money, nor have they proven they could produce results that warrant it. And just think, these expenses don’t even include the assistant coaches’ salaries.
During this debacle, this university did what this country has often resorted to — hurt the little guys to keep the big guys. As long as the big sports are untouched, despite irresponsible budget allotments, all is right at this university. No matter how unequal it is, it happens in this country, and it just happened at our university.
Josh Birch is a senior history major. He can be reached at birch@umdbk.com.
