UNM should put emphasis on education, not sports

Editor,

It is amusing how often people like to use the term "free market" without really knowing what they are talking about. Recognizing a supply-and-demand curve does not qualify alumnus Rudy Chavez as an economist, and if he were trained as one, he would understand the theory he used in his argument is meant for a for-profit venture. The people who make money in the businesses he listed are those who can use their talents to earn a profit. If someone gets enough people in movie seats, and the movie turns a profit for the studio, that person can demand the salary he or she is paid.

The basketball program does not turn a profit; if it did, I would admit a salary of $975,000 per year was justified.

The Legislature recently gave about $4 million for a new practice facility, and renovations to The Pit are being planned. With about 18,000 seats in The Pit, the basketball team would need to sell out every game with very high ticket prices to pay for the coach's salary and the facility improvements. This does not include the bill for multiple full scholarships, the staff positions, travel and other expenses the men's basketball team incurs. When all costs are included in the budget for the basketball program, this is clearly a losing venture.

Trying to compare a degree to a sports game is foolish. The basketball team does not give a B.A., M.A., Ph.D. or any other degree - it entertains. The academic programs Chavez mentions exist to educate - to provide students with skills and an ability to take care of themselves outside the walls of campus. The majority of students do not work in an industry that specializes in what a student studied, but that does not mean the degree is not valuable. People who study art do not all become artists, just as people who study economics do not all become economists.

The skills learned in college are what make a degree valuable and what make a college graduate desired by employers. This is why employers ask a prospective employee about his or her college degree. They do not ask how many basketball games he or she attended while in college.

When the basketball program turns a profit, then use free-market economics to justify a coach's salary. People know the money given to the Athletics Department could be put to better use. This institution exists to educate students, not win basketball games.

Emira Ibrahimpasic

UNM graduate student