Notre Dame Will Not Join The Big Ten

I believe that there has been to much written, discussed and argued about the Big Ten expansion. There is no reason for a team, like Notre Dame, to join. In fact, I believe this expansion mania has more to do with the Big Ten's ego than anything else. Most of the arguments I have seen have to do with getting more money for the individual schools. This is absolutely the wrong direction to take.

College sports generate huge sums of money. Everyone knows this. What we do not know is where the money is spent. I cannot think of any argument that says the excess should not go to lowering education costs for everyone who wishes to attend a particular school. Why this is not happening is both sad and repugnant. This just lends credence to the ridiculousthought that college athletes should be paid salaries. This makes people think that the money is going being controlled by people who want to increase the horrid aspects of college athletics instead of the virtues of college athletics. The practice of how money is spent and why should be changed, not the realignment of schools.

If the expansion continues in this manner, I see the end of many treasured aspects of college sports. Apparently, no one has thought of who truly funds college sports. That is the American public. We pay for it by buying the goods and services of the sponsors. When the costs of the sponsors increase, they cheerfully pass the cost to the general public.

Notre Dame has resisted such base impulses for generations. While no institution is perfect, or even close, Notre Dame has generally stood up for the common person. I believe that their resounding "no" to the greed and arrogance of the Big Ten should send a message to other institutions. Instead of just looking how to take even more money from the general populace, you should actually stop schools from cheating and enticing young students to ignore the scholastic benefits of education.