Editorial
EDITORIAL: Ending football was right call at Hofstra
In the game of campus visibility, football beats science by five touchdowns. But for Hofstra University, eager to play in the big leagues of research and medical education, the choice was painful but clear: The future lies in the lab and in the classroom, not on the gridiron. So Hofstra chose wisely in ending its football program after seven decades.
Still, the next few weeks will be tough for the university's president, Stuart Rabinowitz, a lawyer and former sandlot wide receiver. Hofstra's board fully backed the decision, but it's his job to explain it to all the angry constituencies, such as players, past players, student boosters, and alumni.
Logic is his friend in that discussion. In 13,100-seat James M. Shuart Stadium - named for the former president and Hofstra football player - too many fans came disguised as empty seats. The average attendance of 3,500 includes only 500 students. And the program costs a net $4.5 million a year.
Now Hofstra can use that money, for example, to offer scholarships to outstanding but needy students who'll raise its academic standing, and to recruit star professors.
To reach the level of national pigskin powerhouses such as Notre Dame, or even regional ones such as the University of Connecticut, Hofstra would have had to spend millions more. Investing those millions to make it a research giant is a better bet for Hofstra and the Island, which needs research and high-tech jobs to win the game of economic survival. hN
