Philosophers Attack!

Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007 | In the late 1960s, when Don Coryell was still coaching at San Diego State, students and the public filled the stadium for Aztec games. Several members of the Academic Senate, who were outspoken critics of the athletic program, so angered Coryell that he eventually left the school. Claude Gilbert did a credible job for a couple of seasons, then he was gone as well. The program has never truly recovered.

During that same period, professors in a number of my classes were outspoken supporters of the athletic program. They cited it as being the ONE THING that drew positive attention to the school from around the country at the time, making scholars and students at other institutions aware of San Diego State. They saw it, pragmatically, as an effective marketing tool.

I am having a deja vu attack. Another crop of dissidents, led by a professor of philosophy, seeks to destroy what is left of intercollegiate athletics at SDSU. Come to think of it, I cannot recall a single philosophy professor, however revered, who has elevated either the status or public awareness of SDSU. I hope Dr. Weber not only defends his position of support, but rallies others to the cause in order to right this long-suffering ship. The dissident professors are right about one thing. The status quo is unacceptable.