“It’s no accident, right, that Big 10 schools, for example, are not just really good sports schools but really good schools in general,” Fort said.
Fort said the memories around college sports can encourage donations from alumni.
He said a better question is whether an athletic budget is too large relative to what a university ought to be doing. But if athletics wasn’t a good investment, universities “wouldn’t invest in it in the first place,” he said.
Since COVID-19 the Wright State campus has had few students walking the halls. One can still find school spirit at the bookstore were women’s basketball merchandise is for sale.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Wright State University trustees this month launched a review of the school’s inter-collegiate athletics programs. They say the review is needed in the wake of changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic to colleges across the country. At the committee’s first meeting on March 8, members said they want to better understand how the institution works with its athletics department and how athletes contribute to the school.
Marty Grunder, a Wright State trustee who is leading the review committee, said the changes forced by COVID-19 restrictions this year give the school a unique chance to assess the role sports play in the university’s student experience.
“Certainly, this disruption has given us an opportunity to look at the environment today and see if there are any hidden opportunities that Wright…
