One very large paper stands between me and the end of the quarter. This has been a challenging quarter, between 40+ hours per week at my internship and spending another grossly enormous amount of time completing readings, assignments, projects and the likes for my classes, I'm not sure everything has fully hit me yet. Perhaps that will happen when I venture home for the holidays; a short respite before it starts all over again January 3rd.
In looking back over what I've learned in all my classes so far, and the real time experiences I've had at my internship, I am beginning to see some of the major themes take form.
There's the arms race - Our relatively new football program still trying to find its legs, while attempting to gather the support and financing the other FBS schools have so that they can keep some of the amazing local talent, well, local.
Growth in facilities - 10 years into the program, our football team is, at long last, getting an on-campus stadium after finally securing the financing.
Academics vs. athletics - Student-athletes who may not have been accepted to the school based on their academic successes, accepted for their athletic abilities and the potential success they can provide to the program.
The fight between Olympic and non-Olympic sports - Our campus does not have a men's track & field team despite great interest, because they have not been able to create a way to balance out this new men's team with a women's team to stay compliant with Title IX.
Football will always be king - While home to virtually all athletics department staff, almost all the women's sports locker rooms, academics, sports medicine and university at large classrooms, football runs the athletic center building, and when they want a room or don't want you to have it, then it shall be done. When their staffing offices occupy as much space, if not more, than either the remainder of the athletics department staff and coaches offices and the academic support services offices and work space, it is clear who runs the show.
It's been interesting to see how everything comes out into the open when you've been trained to look for it. I can't wait to see what the next semester brings at my internship as football goes out of season, and the other sports take center stage, with some recently very successful teams. Will football remain king? My guess is yes, but I also think it will play a Prince Charles to the other sports' Prince William. Everyone knows football will be king, but a strong following want to jump over them to see what the young gun can do.
Here's to happy paper writing and a relaxing holiday break!
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