Ex-Stanford players, parents say women's basketball coach created toxic culture

[thucythucy]

3. College athletics in general has always seemed weird to me.

I think this intense focus on sports in higher education--that is, on teams and competition, as opposed to scholarship or study--is a uniquely American thing. Maybe other nations have college teams and all, but i don't know that there is such hyper-enthusiasm and as much funding for college sports anywhere else in the world.

It also seems odd given how so many colleges these days are struggling financially, how TAs are generally underpaid and overworked, and how basic academic skills seem to be sliding year by year because of lack of funding and attention.

Then again, I could be wrong.

But why universities need multi-million dollar stadiums and coaches who are often paid more than professors and many administrators has always puzzled me. People tell me college sports is a big fundraiser, and maybe for some schools, but from what I see the emphasis on sports often distorts what should be the main focus of higher education, namely, education.

What am I missing here?