We have frequently discussed whether k-12 schools should maintain competitive sports programs, citing other countries where athletic teams are not fielded by schools but by community groups. The costs of school-based sports programs have become a factor now when every penny counts.
But we have not looked at college sports. The AJC reports that Spelman, a noted black women’s college in Atlanta, announced it would use the nearly $1 million that had been dedicated to its intercollegiate sports program, serving only 4 percent of students, for a campus-wide health and fitness program benefiting all 2,100
“When I was looking at the decision, it wasn’t being driven by the cost as much as the benefit. With $1 million, 80 student-athletes are benefiting,” said Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, Spelman’s president. “Or should we invest in a wellness program that would touch every student’s life?”
Spelman’s decision won’t influence the Georgias and Ohio States of the