Letter: Society's problems seen fully at Missouri

The latest athletic vs. academic conflict, the protest at the University of Missouri, ultimately resulting in a strike by the university's Division 1 football team, is just a sample of what is wrong with higher education priorities.

The university faced a loss of $1 million in revenue just from its next football game being canceled. The university caved in, the president resigned, the game was played. Money talks.

Fifty colleges report annual sports revenue of more than $50 million, encouraging some college athletes to request salaries for their services while others have pursued unionization and court action (Northwestern University). A recent Wall Street Journal editorial concluded "a conflict of values threatens to undermine or destroy universities as a place of learning."

Unfortunately, universities have put sports and revenue first and learning second, seriously short-changing their students. We have lost our perspective in education. The No. 1 priority in college should be academics, preparing our young adults for the challenges of the world.

The fault lies in the misdirected, overemphasis given to major intercollegiate sports by the influence and emphasis of the NCAA, lucrative TV contracts, media hype, and alumni and intensive fan support. You and I have allowed it to happen.

The Missouri University incident is just a microcosm of society's habit of prioritizing selfish, short-term monetary gains while ignoring long-term socio-economic problems. Whether at university, corporate or family levels, we need sound leadership, integrity and ethical standards applied with common sense.

Speak out. We can make a difference.

Earle Everett

Hilton Head Island

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Letter: Society's problems seen fully at Missouri."