For years now, observers of college football have been predicting — and in some cases rooting for — a players' strike to protest that universities are getting rich from unpaid student athletes. Last week, a boycott finally happened, at Grambling State University, a historically black college in Louisiana, but the football players brought attention to an entirely different sort of problem: budget cuts that have hurt the entire university.
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In a letter to the administration, the players wrote that the athletic complex was in "horrible condition," with "mildew and mold" on "the ceiling, walls and floor," and complained of long bus trips to Kansas City and Indianapolis that left them "drained and exhausted" before competitions. After refusing to participate in a game on Saturday, the team agreed to return to practice on Monday. The university, while disputing some of the complaints, explained that it is working with limited resources.
Under Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana has been slashing state support for higher education, with funding for Grambling down 56 percent since 2008 (and funding for public colleges in general down 48 percent). In response, the university has laid off more than 120 staff members and reduced the number of degree programs to 47 from 67. It also has deferred maintenance of classroom buildings, dormitories, the library and the football stadium.
Although Grambling initially tried to spare the athletic department from austerity measures, this was eventually deemed unfair. The administration cut the athletics budget by more than $400,000, from roughly $7.1 million in 2012-13 to roughly $6.7 million for this academic year. That's still generous, relatively speaking. State aid to Grambling is $13.8 million, meaning athletics gets about half the state money allotted to the entire university.
What's ailing the football program is also ailing Grambling as a whole, and if the players are looking for somewhere to place blame, they should consider the state government.
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