The announcement sounded promising. Boston College, criticized for what it didn’t have in terms of athletic facilities and amenities, was announcing a $200 million athletic funding project.
Improvements in recreation sports, an upgrade in baseball facilities and recreational sports.
All items which would improve the quality of life for students at Boston College.
But then near the end of the release was this statement: DISCUSSIONS will begin about building an indoor football practice facility. No where is improving the basketball facilities mentioned.
DISCUSSIONS
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
BC, which is President Father William Leahy and athletic director Brad Bates,oesn’t get it.
They have the dog walking the man. All the improvements which have been announced and funded will do ALMOST NOTHING to improve the profile of the new revenue producing sports, football and men’s basketball.
They are the cash cows of college athletics. Big time college football and basketball has become an arms race of facilities and amenities for recruits who come to schools as much for locker rooms and weight rooms as class rooms.
Even the academic blue bloods such as Notre Dame, Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Stanford recognize that. That is why they all have upgraded their facilities and amenities for those sports.
Upgrading means that better athletes will come to your school. Better athletes will bring more wins which will bring more money. So it goes.
BC doesn’t get this. Never has, never will. BC football and basketball are bottom feeders in the Atlantic Coast Conference in football and basketball for a variety of reasons, with lack of facilities being a prime reason why four and five star recruits go elsewhere.
Right now, if you are a quality student, a quality athletes, why would you choose BC over any of the other above mentioned schools.
You wouldn’t. You haven’t.
Which is why BC is where it is right now.