Taking a Step Back to See the Bigger Picture

Obviously, education is the reason people go to college.  But do colleges really emphasize education for their athletes?  The schools with the elite-tier football and basketball programs have struck gold. By giving a student-athlete a scholarship, the services of these athletes yields far more profit than the small amount they lose for awarding scholarships. Colleges that have good football or basketball teams tend to reap in many benefits that your typical college could only dream of.

Kids usually begin considering their college choices in high school. Colleges are very alluring to kids when they have these elite-tier athletic teams that are nationally renowned for their success in regular and post-season play.  This was the case with me, for it was ultimately my deciding factor in deciding between Florida State University and the University of Central Florida. The publicity of these athletically thriving schools brings in more applicants. This makes it harder to get into these universities, which results in a generally better overall quality of students.

These universities not only reap benefits from kids deciding where they want to go, but from former alumni as well. With winning comes prestige, and nobody is more proud of their school than the people who graduated from there. Alumni will donate lots of money to their schools if they are excelling in the sports they partake in. 

Bleeding Blue...Duke Blue...

College basketball is by far my favorite sport of all time. My favorite teams are the Florida State Seminoles and the Duke Blue Devils. Yes, I realize they are both in the same conference (ACC). This is because I am currently a student at FSU, while I have always been a hardcore Duke basketball fan. I have been both a basketball fan and player since I was about eight. Despite this fact, I didn't go to my first college basketball game until I was about thirteen years old.

For about five years I lived in Virginia. This means I am very close to Maryland. This also means that I am very close to the University of Maryland, if you catch my drift. If you're a Duke basketball fan, you know where I'm going with this. Rivalry. After North Carolina, Maryland is Public Enemy No.2. 

My mom drove us there, and I couldn't have been more thrilled as we pulled onto the campus. Thousands of drunk Maryland fans huddled into the stadium. I think they decided to get this drunk to ease the pain after the beat down that was about to ensue. I knew I was in for one of the best times of my life.

Kickoff to College Football

Last night, the Maryland Terrapins (a sworn enemy of mine) defeated the Miami Hurricanes. Being a die-hard Duke basketball fan, I am absolutely repulsed by Maryland. Today however, I have to give credit where credit is due. Maryland started off the season in a very flashy manner, displaying the first of thirty-two new Under Armour uniforms they will be suiting up in this year. The shoulder pads and helmets displayed the state flag (as shown above), and they were more intriguing than the fact that the Terps actually won. What do you think of the new uniforms?