Football school?

The football program’s recent triumphs have been in the making for several years. In 2008, the Board of Trustees approved the Department of Athletics’ strategic plan, “Unrivaled Ambition,” which called for more investment in football and basketball—programs that generate profits and support non-revenue generating sports. Athletics also hired the well-regarded Coach David Cutcliffe in 2008, offering him a handsome salary that is now almost $1.8 million per year. In 2012, the Duke Forward capital campaign pledged to raise $250 million for athletics, part of which will go towards renovating Wallace Wade Stadium.

Even though Athletics funding comes from a self-sustaining budget that operates largely independently of Duke’s academic budget, administrators see football as a sound investment for University as a whole.

Given the amount of money and effort Duke has poured into its football program, we are glad to finally see some results. Football games can be electrifying community-building experiences, bringing together thousands of Duke fans without requiring that students camp out in the cold. After years of investment, football’s successes are beginning to deliver, bringing in donations and viewership that will help keep non-revenue sports solvent. Its prominence may also complement basketball in boosting Duke’s branding efforts.

But as Duke joins the group of ranked football programs, the University must step back and evaluate how football’s progress fits in with larger institutional priorities. Balancing academic and athletic pursuits has always been a controversial topic at Duke, but until now it has been confined chiefly to discussions about basketball. In a meeting with the Editorial Board in October 2012, President Richard Brodhead called basketball a “foolish” and “disheartening” reason for applicants to pick Duke. How can the University reconcile its apparent desire to put academics first while working to join the ranks of football powerhouses? For those concerned about the possible trade-off between sports and academics, what might Duke look like if fan frenzy bleeds into the Fall?

It is a stretch to say that strong back-to-back seasons and a well-deserved ranking makes Duke a “football school” like Alabama. Game attendance and program spending still pale in comparison to Duke’s more football-obsessed companions. But if our winning streak and the ensuing exhilaration continues, we should be prepared to engage in the conversations that all big-time football programs have to confront. These include questions about compensating student-athletes and the number of scholarships we should allocate to football, which has more athletes on its roster than any other sport.

As we dive into these questions and discuss the cultural implications in tomorrow’s editorial, we congratulate Duke football for a job well done.