"the SEC is about football and football recruiting"

[gh]

Missouri about to step into a brand new world


http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/29/37 ... l-and.html

[Conor Dary]

Of the 14 schools playing in the SEC this fall, 12 have been put on probation a total of 15 times. One of the two to avoid probation is Vanderbilt, which has won fewer games than any other SEC school over that time.

The other is Missouri.

[jazzcyclist]

On the flip side, without big-time football, there would be no big-time track at schools like Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M, etc.

[j-a-m]

Missouri about to step into a brand new world

And that's in addition to the more difficult travel situation, being that far away from the other SEC East teams.

[Marlow]

Missouri about to step into a brand new world

Be careful what you wish for.

[Conor Dary]

Missouri about to step into a brand new world

Be careful what you wish for.

Perhaps but when the conference earthquakes started last year or so, there was speculation that Missouri and Kansas, would have no where to go, if the Big 12 dissolved.

[Helen S]

I am not sure I agree with the statement that big time football is required for big time track. If no one offered football scholoarships, but schools still wanted to have a wide range of sports (boy wouldn't that be great!) there is no reason track could not be sucessful in recruiting and supporting strong programs.
I do realize that the huge amount of TV money floating around for football and basketball has changed things, but pre big TV, the football programs did not make money and there were still "big time" track programs.

[jazzcyclist]

I do realize that the huge amount of TV money floating around for football and basketball has changed things, but pre big TV, the football programs did not make money and there were still "big time" track programs.

The big programs always made money, but TV has just made it bigger, and remember there was no Title IX sucking up millions 40 years ago. I guess it also depends on your definition of "big-time". To be more precise, if there were no BCS/AQ-conference college football and all the money it brings to their athletic departments, I don't think state governments would make their taxpayers fund $4-5 million track budgets (the going rate at schools like Oregon, Arkansas, Texas A&M, etc.) at a time when many state universities are laying off faculty and staff to make ends meet.