What does athletics mean to Tabor?

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 28 February 2012 16:07

Winning is always nice, but for small colleges like Tabor, it’s not just about winning football, volleyball or basketball games.

College administrators typically justify the investment in athletics in several ways.

One is by making the point that a well-rounded individual not only exercises her/his mind, but also strengthens his/her body. It’s part of developing the whole person.

Successful athletic programs also bring about improved school spirit.

There’s no doubt that school spirit was higher when Tabor won a couple of KCAC football championships or multiple basketball championships.

Like it or not, most newspaper space that Tabor and other colleges and universities receive is a result of athletics. The media, including...

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Why athletics are more important to Tabor than KU, KSU

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:19

Athletics are more important to small private colleges like Tabor than to large universities like the University of Kansas and Kansas State.

Before accusing me of comparing ants to elephants, please read on.

It’s not that athletics are unimportant in either case, but they are important in different ways, and more important at Tabor College. For public universities, athletics are an expense. In most major universities, basketball makes a nice contribution to their athletic departments’ bottom line, but football pays the bills.

Winning isn’t everything, but filling stadium and arena seats is. Winning a lot helps fill seats. More than one coach, even a winning coach, has been fired or resigned because of lukewarm fan interest.

KU...

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Rehydrate by drinking milk? Researchers say moo juice is best

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 31 January 2012 15:12

Every so often, I read something that causes me to blink or do a double-take. That was the case when I saw a headline, “Milk Better than Water to Rehydrate Kids.”

According to researchers at McMaster University, active children need to be “watered” with milk. They say it’s a more effective way of countering dehydration than a sports drink or water itself.

I haven’t checked with local medical professionals to see whether they agree, but Brian Timmons, research director of the Child Health and Exercise Medicine Program at McMaster and principal investigator of the study, said, “Children become dehydrated during exercise, and it’s important they get enough fluids, particularly before going into a second round of a game...

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Upon further review, one last look at some 2011 highlights

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 10 January 2012 15:13

We’ve turned the page to 2012, but here are some things to consider before moving forward in the new year:

• How about that K-State Wildcat football team? Only the most blindly loyal or rabid of KSU fans probably thought they would go 10-2 and play in the Cotton Bowl against Arkansas. The Wildcats were the masters of winning close games. Nice to see Bill Snyder have success like he did in the good ol’ days.

• Is there another major sporting event as fouled up as Davis Cup tennis? Unless you’re the most fanatical of tennis fans, you don’t know who is playing when, much less how many countries are in contention for the championship. The build-up to the championship is about as unimpressive as the build-up to the Super Bowl is...

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