This letter is a response to the letter to the editor “Naive Questions,” published Sept. 5.
Without getting bogged down in contractual verbiage responding to questions 1 and 2, I would simply state that specialized talent is routinely rewarded with higher compensation. Publicly scrutinized performance measures fall into the same category. Thankfully, there’s no such thing as tenure outside of academia.
I’d like to take a poke at a more personal response to Professor Thomas’ final letter-to-the-editor question as well:
“Why aren’t students (and their parents) outraged about this (mis) use of their money?”
Obviously, I can’t presume to answer for current students or parents. As an alumnus and a parent hoping to send two future Bobcats to Athens, though, I can say that not only am I not outraged but I enthusiastically support President McDavis’ support of athletics in general and Coach Solich’s extension specifically.
I will be the first to admit that there’s a slippery slope involved in collegiate athletics today. More than one football factory has made this publicly evident in the recent past. When your university’s leadership is built on integrity, however, athletics can be an exceedingly effective front porch to your institution. Ohio’s recent success on the field and court and the publicity that has accompanied it has already proven its value to the university and this is just the start.
We are at the forefront of a new era in Ohio athletics. If managed properly, this opportunity can pay dividends for the university as a whole and in fact, for the city of Athens in general.
I understand that not everyone can or will see this opportunity the same way. In the end, it’s a love for the university that drives these sorts of feelings whether rising from support or dissent. My hope is that monetary issues aside, the students; the faculty; the staff and the community in general rally around these teams as they build a foundation for sustained success and all of the benefits that come with it.
Scott Fanok is a 1991 and 1993 graduate of Ohio University
and a resident of Delaware, Ohio.
