Former Coach Warns of Birgeneau's Athletics Aversion

I thought UC Berkeley sports fans would like to learn about their incoming chancellor's opinion towards varsity sports.

Golden Bear alumni must be impressed with the 1-31 record of the University of Toronto football team during Birgeneau's four-year tenure as University of Toronto president. When a high-caliber Toronto high school athlete is deciding where to pursue their post-secondary education, they seldom look to the University of Toronto.

If UC Berkeley has decided sports are not important, then Birgeneau is your man. I wonder if he even realizes that UC Berkeley is currently without an Athletic Director? As long as you don't mind USC, UCLA or Washington gobbling up most potential Golden Bears, he is a great choice.

At Toronto, he is on record as not wanting "to mimic the U.S. system which offers full scholarships based on athletic, not scholastic merit." How will that go over with your alumni?

He shows disdain for scholarship athletes in the following quote: "The University of Toronto belongs to a group called the American Association of Universities, including the Big 10 schools from the States. I sat and listened to a session about issues concerning sports and heard one professor try to explain how it was okay that all the football players at his school were failing. I just sat and thought to myself, ‘Boy, I'm glad we don't have this problem here.'"

I guess the PAC-10 is much better academically than the pathetic BIG 10, right, Mr. Birgeneau? Does he know where Michigan ranks academically before uttering such an absurdity? What school was he talking about? Was every football player really failing? I don't think so.

Birgeneau was just trying to enforce the ‘dumb jock' stereotype by his portrayal of scholarship football players as idiots. How will he feel about your beloved Golden Bear football and basketball teams?

Perhaps Mr. Birgeneau should discuss his sporting opinions anew with the Daily Californian staff, in case he has had a change of heart. If you want a good laugh, ask him if he has any clue who Jason Kidd, Kyle Boller, Shareef Abdul-Rahim, Tony Gonzalez, Kevin Johnson, Todd Steussie, and Lamond Murray are.

It could be an even better quote than "white students too often choose to go to other universities because we are so diverse." Perhaps he can offer The Daily Californian some insight into the athletic director search.

As Toronto media is reporting, Birgeneau has made the University of Toronto appear in disarray with his departure. There is widespread anger on campus over his parachute act out of Toronto.

From the perspective of a University of Toronto alumni, I say "good riddance." As a former pro athlete, I warn Golden Bear fans, athletes, and alumni, "Watch your back!"

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