Student-athletes and coaches want to compete for national championships and Long Beach State athletics needs the Beach Legacy Referendum to make that happen. It would be one thing if the teams weren’t playing well, but a lot of them are or can be legitimate contenders.
Six teams — baseball, softball, women’s tennis, women’s soccer, track and field and women’s volleyball — won Big West Conference titles in 2008. The window will close rapidly, however, if nothing is done to upgrade the facilities.
Imagine a top high school soccer recruit on a visit to George Allen Field, only to make a trip a few weeks later to North Carolina’s Fetzer Field — a stadium that seats 5,025 people.
The facility comparison isn’t even close and chances are the recruit won’t be suiting up in a 49ers uniform. Not to say that a facility is the breaking point for all recruits, but it sure beats playing on the grass at George Allen Field.
Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia’s team can’t even play a home night game because it doesn’t have lights. He had a similar situation at nearby Long Beach City College and won national championships, but teams are tougher at the Division I level and the conditions should improve when you move up.
Understandably, the issue is about increasing tuition; even I think the city should be paying for the stadium. But these athletes are still students.
Why does athletics carry a stigma when it can generate revenue for the university? Why aren’t athletes seen as students as well? Part of their time is invested in winning games, along with getting an education, and there isn’t an athlete on campus that doesn’t want a chance to win a national championship.
The referendum isn’t asking for an athletic budget equal to a school like Stanford, just a bit more than its current $43 per student to remain competitive.
Women’s volleyball head coach Brian Gimmillaro has guided his team to three national championships, eight Final Four appearances, 13 NCAA Regionals and 22 consecutive NCAA Tournaments in his 24 years at the helm. His team last won it all in 1998 and last appeared in the Final Four in 2001.
Now Gimmillaro’s teams are struggling to get out of the second round. The quality of coaching didn’t change, but the budgets at other schools have. The recruits are looking for the education and the college sports experience, which includes the appearance of the campus.
The best example of what athletics can do for an entire university’s recognition is the head coach of the men’s basketball team — Dan Monson.
Little-known Gonzaga University made an improbable run to the Elite Eight in 1999 and Monson was at the helm. Since then, the Bulldogs have qualified for the NCAA Tournament every season and you can’t say Gonzaga without thinking basketball.
Another unknown, George Mason University, advanced to the Final Four in 2006 by dispatching blue-blood programs North Carolina, Connecticut and Michigan State along the way.
The Virginia-based state university saw a 47 percent increase in freshman applicants from outside Virginia the following fall semester. The school also had a 52 percent spike in alumni donors.
How much longer can 49er teams thrive despite limited resources, considering some of the budgets that their Big West rivals are boasting these days?
The Long Beach State teams deserve a chance to remain competitive. This is not only my view, but has the unanimous support of the sports section.
Tracy McDannald is a senior journalism major and the sports editor for the Daily Forty-Niner.
National Championships? Give me a break! Monson is the best thing that has happened to athletics in a long time and what is his team rnaked, barely topp 100, and if they get into the big dance, they will be a 15 or 16 seed. They just fired the women’s basketball coach.
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Monson’s team is a 15-16 seed whose best days are ahead of them. Hegarty stumbled across tough luck because of all the injuries. And the “it’s only sports” argument holds no weight because time and time again, it is proven that an athletic program that is run responsibly by people who know what they’re doing can be a valuable asset to the university.
How much testosterone does it take to satisfy Title IX? Dump rugby, put in some night lights and spend $300,000 and mission accomplished. Let the jocks compete for scholarships like everybody who actually opens a textbook. Once they spit out the silver spoon and earn a degree, they’ll be thankful for being at The Beach.
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Rugby is an intramural sport. Not an NCAA-sanctioned event.
How much testosterone does it take to satisfy Title IX? Dump rugby, put in some night lights and spend $300,000 and mission accomplished. Let the jocks compete for scholarships like everybody who actually opens a textbook. Once they spit out the silver spoon and earn a degree, they’ll be thankful for being at The Beach.
National Championships? Give me a break! Monson is the best thing that has happened to athletics in a long time and what is his team rnaked, barely topp 100, and if they get into the big dance, they will be a 15 or 16 seed. They just fired the women’s basketball coach.
Come on, its sports, for God’s sake, and this an institution of higher learning. Work on getting some better faculty before you give 300 jocks 5 MILLION DOLLARS.
VOTE NO!!
I’m an employer and the first thing I look for is a history or pattern of responsibility. Please don’t expect favor because your athletics teams did well. I want people who know how to balance a checkbook, period. I refuse to publish my name or the name of my corporation for fear one of these anonymous supporters of this farce will apply. I wish you all good luck with your careers somewhere else. CSULB is off my roster of internship or new hire potentials.
The desire and expectation of dedicated student-athletes, to compete on a level playing field is understandable. Some of these students are among the brightest, hard-working and most disciplined on campus — both on and off the court. Being on a first-rate competitive team, what these students might hope to achieve at the national level and in possible athletic and professional careers ahead is not hard to imagine. But, obviously, a great many factors are involved to justify and secure the necessary funding to support such aspirations. And that is something achieved, even in good economic times, with only a tremendous amount of fiscal study, budget projection, and responsible review and consideration from all sides of the campus (if not wider) community. Sure, popular, successful athletic teams can, have, and do generate significant revenue for some universities. But how many folks in these dire economic times (which is only just starting, and recovery from which may take years) has the money to fork out such funds for athletic programs, much less is even WILLING to? It’s a hard sell in hard times. Yes, this is unfortunate for current athletes who give it everything they’ve got out there, but this is the reality EVERYONE is dealing with now. Do you realize that our university cannot even afford above-average instructors, much less the best and most qualified professors, because the cost of living in California for a family is so high? Perhaps when we can better meet the most fundamental needs of our academic expectations, then we might be in a better position to risk what funds we can afford for what POSSIBLE net revenue our athletic teams MAY bring in to the campus as a whole. Athletic sports may be a huge part of your life, but to ask other people to part with their hard-to-come-by cash in these times, is asking a great deal more than mere simplistic appeals can justify. Think beyond the athletic field, and you may find a more compelling argument for your case. But, as any solid athlete knows, timing is key. Planning for that future time now may be your best bet, and would show your real interest in the entire campus’ present needs and constraints AND its desire and hope to work toward a more tenable future in sports. Such efforts would demonstrate a great deal to future employers and community leaders, that far more than self-interest is taken into account for a win-win benefit you yourself may not see now, but which may benefit many others who follow in your footpaths. That’s true leadership and real smarts. Good luck.
Tracy is a racist, lol. Just kidding. Had to beat the odds on how long it would take before someone would say it, ha ha. Nice article Tracy.
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lol beat me to it. But here come the personal attacks in 3…2…1…
Tracy is a racist, lol. Just kidding. Had to beat the odds on how long it would take before someone would say it, ha ha. Nice article Tracy.