Equal seating

Luxury boxes would reduce collegiate spirit

Every fall, students, professors, alumni and University administrators alike bring themselves to sit on the same level - the hard, cold Michigan Stadium benches. Recently, it was rumored that the University planned on ending this tradition by adding luxury boxes to the stadium. These speculations were put to rest this week by University President Lee Bollinger when he announced on Monday that there were no plans to make any further additions to the stadium. In this time of worry about the integrity of the Athletic Department, Bollinger made a move in the right direction to help preserve the true spirit and tradition of collegiate athletics at the University.

In recent additions to the stadium, seats were added to three sides of the stadium, leaving six missing rows of seats on the east side. This seemed like a perfect place for luxury boxes. Many people were already upset about recent additions, especially the large maize and blue "halo" around the top, believing them to be expensive, unnecessary and a step away from the collegiate nature of the stadium. Many feared that money and the Athletic Department's desire for a professional setting would corrupt the sport.

Bollinger's decision is one of many made this semester concerning the Athletic Department, showing the University is attempting to maintain a hold on the principles of amateur athletics. The Athletic Department recently upgraded two club sports - men's soccer and women's water polo - to varsity status.

This change was sorely needed, as the soccer team had already won its championship multiple times, and the water polo team was a strong competitor. Although it is important to note that the football team brings in millions of dollars in revenue for the Athletic Department, this money should be earned in a manner befitting the amateur status of collegiate athletics and spent to meet the needs of the department. Michigan football should not see its tradition and integrity usurped to earn more revenue.

The Athletic Department also took an honorable action when it lowered the cost of alumni tickets by $4 this semester, rather than raising it by 30 percent as planned. Such an increase would have been too much, too quickly. It is important that the University realized its mistake and took the proper steps. In another important decision, the University turned down an offer to install free scoreboards within the stadium, because it would have violated the no-ads policy in Michigan Stadium.

By rejecting the idea of luxury boxes at the stadium, Bollinger is making yet another attempt to distance Michigan athletics from the commercialism of professional sports. If the University leadership were to allow Michigan athletics to become more commercial, the sport would slowly separate itself from the University. When players get this competitive and improvements become this large, it seems like there is a fine line between amateur and professional. In a time when the Orange Bowl is called the "FedEx Orange Bowl," and "Tostitos" is seen in larger letters than the words "Fiesta Bowl" that accompany it, Bollinger's decision is a correct and welcome contrast.

04-15-99