I found the story on the University of Vermont (“Struggling UVM Sees Sports as a Way Out,” A1, June 24) hugely demoralizing. There is probably no more visible symptom of the demise of American universities than their reliance on sports to generate tuition revenue.
While it’s possible that a “bouldering wall” and “hydrotherapy pools” will attract more students to UVM, it is imperative not to forget that the only good reason to go to a university is to receive an education. UVM is not struggling financially as a result of its “dearth of treadmills,” but of our country’s failure to genuinely value, and then to invest in, public education.
On the same day the UVM story appeared on the front page, the Globe also reported that AJ Dybansta was the first pick in the NBA draft (“Brockton’s No. 1 is No. 1,” Sports, June 24). According to The New York Times, Dybansta was paid an estimated $4–6 million to play for Brigham Young University during his one year of college. How in the world did our universities get in the multibillion dollar business of sports entertainment, which in turn, fuels the gambling industry? On the face of it, this is both absurd and painful.
David Roochnik
Brookline
The writer is professor emeritus of philosophy at Boston University.
