{"id":18081,"date":"2014-02-25T05:55:38","date_gmt":"2014-02-25T10:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=18081"},"modified":"2014-02-24T20:43:59","modified_gmt":"2014-02-25T01:43:59","slug":"changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing West Point in the name of football"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal qualities.\u00a0 This is because West Point is not just a good college.\u00a0 It\u2019s where our elite army officers are formed.<\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t have a good football team!\u00a0 And it\u2019s lost to Navy for the past 12 years!\u00a0 How can that be?\u00a0 Something must be done!<\/p>\n

So some school officials, alumni, and army brass are proposing that West Point change its admissions standards so that the athletic program can recruit really good football players.From faculty member Dwight S. Mears,\u00a0 West Point is placing too much emphasis on football \u2013 The Washington Post<\/a>:<\/p>\n

On Dec. 15, shortly after Army football\u2019s 12th consecutive loss to the U.S. Naval Academy, the superintendent of West Point, Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen , announced that he was considering institutional changes to build a winning program. \u201cWhen America puts its sons and daughters in harm\u2019s way, they do not expect us to just \u2018do our best\u2019 .\u2009.\u2009. but to win,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNothing short of victory is acceptable. .\u2009.\u2009. Our core values are Duty, Honor, Country. Winning makes them real.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Soon after, Army Athletic Director Boo Corrigan argued that West Point ought to take \u201can educated risk\u201d by relaxing admission requirements in favor of superior football recruits. The superintendent has said that he does not intend to relax standards, but Corrigan\u2019s views are backed by powerful alumni, including retired Brig. Gen. Pete Dawkins, a Heisman Trophy winner who has participated in three study groups assessing Army football. \u201cI think it\u2019s crucial that West Point stand out as a place of winners,\u201d Dawkins recently said. Thus his view that it\u2019s \u201centirely fair to accept some risks\u201d in the admission of football recruits.<\/p>\n

As a West Point graduate and faculty member, I find many of these arguments troubling. Academy leaders and alumni have often asserted that performance on the gridiron has a direct impact on our ability to win our nation\u2019s wars and that we therefore have a moral imperative to win in football. But the facts do not support that assertion.<\/p>\n

[Keep reading. . . .]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal qualities.\u00a0 This is because West Point is not just a good college.\u00a0 It\u2019s where our elite army officers are formed. But it doesn\u2019t have a good football team!\u00a0 And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,18],"tags":[525,2351],"class_list":["post-18081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-football","tag-college-football","tag-west-point"],"yoast_head":"\nChanging West Point in the name of football<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It's hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Changing West Point in the name of football\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It's hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cranach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-02-25T10:55:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-02-25T01:43:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/\",\"name\":\"Changing West Point in the name of football\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-02-25T10:55:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-02-25T01:43:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\"},\"description\":\"West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It's hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Changing West Point in the name of football\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\",\"name\":\"Cranach\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\",\"name\":\"Gene Veith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gene Veith\"},\"description\":\"Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a writer and retired literature professor, serving as Provost Emeritus at Patrick Henry College. He has authored over 25 books on Christianity and culture, literature, classical education, and theology. Dr. Veith previously held academic and editorial roles at Concordia University Wisconsin and WORLD Magazine. A respected voice in Lutheran and classical education circles, he holds a Ph.D. in English and several honorary doctorates. He and his wife, Jackquelyn, live in St. Louis and have three children and twelve grandchildren.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gene_Edward_Veith\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/author\/geneveith\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Changing West Point in the name of football","description":"West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It's hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Changing West Point in the name of football","og_description":"West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It's hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/","og_site_name":"Cranach","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/","article_published_time":"2014-02-25T10:55:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-02-25T01:43:59+00:00","author":"Gene Veith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gene Veith","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/","name":"Changing West Point in the name of football","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-02-25T10:55:38+00:00","dateModified":"2014-02-25T01:43:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1"},"description":"West Point has very high standards.\u00a0 It's hard to get into.\u00a0 Cadets have to be outstanding not just in academics but in leadership and other personal","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/changing-west-point-in-the-name-of-football\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Changing West Point in the name of football"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/","name":"Cranach","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1","name":"Gene Veith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gene Veith"},"description":"Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a writer and retired literature professor, serving as Provost Emeritus at Patrick Henry College. He has authored over 25 books on Christianity and culture, literature, classical education, and theology. Dr. Veith previously held academic and editorial roles at Concordia University Wisconsin and WORLD Magazine. A respected voice in Lutheran and classical education circles, he holds a Ph.D. in English and several honorary doctorates. He and his wife, Jackquelyn, live in St. Louis and have three children and twelve grandchildren.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gene_Edward_Veith"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/author\/geneveith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1281"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18081\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}