Football returns to Texas Wesleyan after 75 years

[TexasTowelie]

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/article100297107.html

https://txwes.edu/student-life/news-and-events/department-news/athletics/texas-wesleyan-announces-2017-football-schedule/

I was hoping that they would schedule Southwestern University so that my team could have an easy win for a couple of seasons. Texas Wesleyan will be in the Sooner Athletic Conference as an NAIA team.

[LisaM]

1. Hoo-ray!

I love when programs are restored!

[TexasTowelie]

2. As long as it doesn't detract from the academic programs I am for it.

My alma mater didn't have a football team between 1950 and 2013. It does add something to the campus to have football there again and makes Homecoming weekend more enjoyable for the alumni. The number of alumni that are donating to the university has increased (although it doesn't cover the cost of the program). Finally, it helps keep more students in town rather than going to Austin and dealing with the drunks on the road.

There is also pretty decent participation by the businesses in the town ranging from the hamburger joint that hosts the weekly radio show with the coach to other businesses that give discounts to the students for wearing university apparel. The university even gets fairly decent taxi coverage even though there isn't a taxi company in town because the dispatchers know that the students and alumni are good tippers.

[LisaM]

3. I'm an English major and a coach's daughter (and sister)

I don't think academics and sports need to be enemies at all - I remember my high level English and history classes at Michigan as much as I do going to football games, and I loved it all.

That said, I think that STEM students and foreign students care more about monetizing their degrees than they do about education for education's sake, not to mention the undergrad college experience, which, to me, is an even bigger incentive to bring back something like football where tens of thousands of students can have a shared experience of school pride. It's not just about winning or losing either, it's about the band, the crisp fall afternoon, and just wearing the school colors.