Editorial: Intercollegiate Athletics: An Existential Threat To Public Higher Education

("Money - Savings" by 401(K) - 2012 via Flickr)

In my research into the spring 2024 athletics fee referendum, I simultaneously did a lot of research into the UT-Tyler’s athletics program. For example, I found that as far back as Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15), UT-Tyler’s athletics program used money from the recreational facility (a facility whose funding comes from a separate student fee, The Recreational Facility Fee) to pay for its coaches’ partial salaries.

For example, in FY18, the Head Tennis Coach received roughly $21,000 from the recreational facility’s operating budget, along with the Head Women's Volleyball Coach who received roughly $20,000.

Now, the problem with this is that the athletics program already has its Intercollegiate Athletics Fee. This fee represents its own allotment of student money and the funds students pay for it to run its operation. Yet here, in the recreational facility budget, I found athletics relied upon money from yet another student fee, and all this, to fund the Athletics Machine.

Athletics’ imposition on another student priority (recreation activity) illustrates the authoritarian nature of sports entertainment. Like a fire, it never has enough.

Athletics’ imposition will not stop until it subordinates other missions as well, including the state’s mission of education.

Texas must get intercollegiate athletics out of higher education to preserve public education.

@jhescock12

Feature image: "Money - Savings" by 401(K) - 2012 via Flickr