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OPINION
| October 1, 2003
Editorial/Our View
Letter
Adding football isn’t a financial solution
RE: Football Could Help Finances, Sept. 24
I would like to respond to the article about bringing back football
at UTA. Unfortunately, football is not the answer to the university’s
financial woes.
If you want to change the course of athletics at UTA, start by attending
the sporting events we have, such as basketball and baseball. I
attend the men’s basketball games and find them very enjoyable,
but there are very few students there to watch the games and even
fewer people from the community. So, why do we expect the school
to bring back football when we can’t even support the basketball
team?
Would you pay $15 to $20 to see UTA play Stephen F. Austin in football?
No, and if you take a look at other Southland Conference Division
I-AA teams, you’ll see why. I don’t see 20,000 plus
fans turning out to watch Sam Houston or Texas State universities,
so what makes you think that many people will turn out to watch
UTA?
You can’t just start up a program and expect immediate success.
If UTA started a football program, it would not be a cash cow. In
fact, it would be more like a money pit. The school would have to
hire a coaching staff and recruiters, renovate the stadium and a
number of other things.
The student body, alumni and community must show support for the
sports offered at UTA before thinking about unleashing a football
team into Maverick Stadium.
— Matthew Maxwell, nursing senior
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