VCU Doesn’t Need Football

Football at VCU would not be a welcome addition for many of us who claim the university as our alma mater. Coming from four generations who attended or taught at VCU, it dismays me to hear the drumbeat for big-time college sports getting louder. The lack of a football team has always been one of the things I pointed to with pride when talking about VCU, and I have been involved in various ways as an alumna for decades — including the initiation of an arts scholarship fund.

Not being anti-sports, I scream and yell for the VCU Rams as loudly as anyone. I have always been a Rams fan even before the current terrific basketball team (and its coach of all coaches!) has made it even more exciting to be a fan.

More and more negative things continue to be revealed about football. In addition to the warnings about brain and other terrible injuries sustained by players, it appears that, with a few exceptions, college football programs seldom yield a profit but end up swallowing substantial budgets at the expense of academics.

And do we really believe that outstanding, creative, bright students are going to make football an important deciding factor in their college-university choice? Football may gain sports backers but may lose a substantial number of other supporters.

Melinda Skinner
Richmond

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