Unit 2 Discussion.docx - Prompt 1 Laura Pappano\u2019s \u201cHow Big-Time Sports Ate College\u201d is the topic that I chose to discuss for this week\u2019s

Prompt 1 Laura Pappano’s “How Big-Time Sports Ate College” is the topic that I chose to discuss for this week’s discussion. Laura Pappano argues on how universities have shifted their focus to sports and the revenue generated versus the importance of academic learning and achievement. “For good or ill, big-time sports has become the public face of the university, the brand that admissions offices sell, a public-relations machine thanks to ESPN exposure” (Pappano 417). For example, classes are cancelled to accommodate athletic broadcast schedules which she believes is disruptive to learning and not the universities purpose. Interviewing a variety of Big 10 students she determined that their reasons for attending these universities were not academically related but more so because of the university’s athletic achievements and the pride associated with that same program. She noted the lack of balance between academics and