Below are excerpts from two thoughtful, heartfelt articles on Rutgers. The first is by David Roth, who is from and loves New Jersey. The entirety of Mr. Roth's article can be found here: http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/49067714/
The whole dreary joke at Rutgers is based on a series of similarly slack assumptions, that big, winning, money-making sports teams are worth compromising and compromising again in order to get; that big-dollar television contracts and a general grasping upward mobility are obviously good in themselves and must be pursued. And underneath all that, here and in every other Tale of Jersey, is something truly despicable and tough to laugh at: the willingness to ignore basic and obvious human consequences in favor of dim selfishness and illusory material gain. It's a joke, the whole dumb long-running thing, but it's not really all that funny.
The second article is by Dan Levy, a Rutgers graduate, and is titled "Athletics, Academics & Ethics: Why I'm Finally Cutting Ties with Rutgers." After these excerpts from Mr. Levy's article are some comments.
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1656858-athletics-academics-ethics-why-im-finally-cutting-ties-with-rutgers
Rutgers was the longest relationship of my life, outside of the one with my immediate family. I was a part of Rutgers three times longer than my kids have been alive. I was a part of Rutgers for nearly twice as long as I've been married. Rutgers is all I know.
I'm done with all of that now.
I just don't want to be a part of it anymore. I don't want to be embarrassed to be associated with a place that would handle this situation the way it did.
After the Penn State scandal broke, and before sanctions were announced, one writer suggested that individual schools independently sanction Penn State-by refusing to play them. What a brilliant idea! Forget what the NCAA might do. Alma Mater Tech, you're scheduled to play Penn State the first game of the year: You say you disapprove of the way Penn State has conducted itself for fifty years? Then don't play Penn State! Boycott Penn State! That is what young, courageous Mr. Levy is doing with his own school.
