October 24, 2004

College Football Team Added . . . Yes, Added

FROM THE MAN-BITES-DOG DEPARTMENT comes refreshing news of a football team being ADDED--not deleted--from a school’s athletic program.

LaGrange College, D3 school in LaGrange, Georgia, is the salmon swimming against the current. The school will begin playing football in 2006.

This football addition contrasts sharply against a somewhat depressing mosaic of cutting one men’s sport after another—wrestling and football most noticeably.

The football start-up cost is projected to be about $3.5 million, which will come mostly from reserve funds.

The LaGrange home field will be Callaway Stadium, which is adjacent to the LaGrange campus. The stadium's natural sod will be replaced with artificial turf.

There are also plans for an 18,000 square-foot addition to house a locker room, athletic training room, equipment room, practice field, coaches' offices and a weight room.

LaGrange will compete in the Great South Athletic Conference.

It’s only one school, it’s only one team, but symbolism and hope can come from happenings like this.

Maybe Title IX “adjustments” do not have to be a zero sum game. Maybe it can be a bigger pie instead?

Go Panthers!

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(this 182 word excerpt—with attendant commentary—was extracted from a 324 word article from the LaGrange [GA] Daily News of 10-23-04)