Perceptions of Ivy Sports and Athletes

In some sports--like squash, crew and lacrosse--Harvard teams are competitive with the big-time scholarship schools. But when it comes to football, baseball or basketball, Harvard sports teams find themselves outclassed.

Talking to athletes from other schools, though, it becomes obvious that they respect their Harvard counterparts, despite the fact that most Ivy types are unable to compete with the big guns on the football field or basketball court.

"Personally, I have a lot of respect for the Ivy League student-athletes," University of Houston Athletic Director Rudy Bavalos said. "They are basically students first, then athletes second."

And off the playing field, Ivy League fans and alumni are quite different from those at most other schools.

"We're geared at a higher level," Bavalos said. "Our support and fans are not content with sportsmanship; they want to win. In the Ivy League, coaches aren't fired for having an off-year."

Columbia's football coach could not have lasted a season at the University of Texas or US. And while Ivy coaches enjoy some perverse benefit when it comes to job security as a result of Ancient Eight athletic standards, they also enjoy several personnel advantages.

"[The Ivy League] is a nice level," Bavalos said. "You don't worry about players being ineligible or players not graduating."

If the old saying is true, the hardest thing about Harvard--and, by extension, the other Ivies--is getting in. Once a player opts for the Ancient Eight, a coach can usually count on his or her contributions for the next four years. The question remains, however, whether the Ivy athlete is ever free to contribute 100 percent.

"For the most part, [Ivy League athletes] are not on the level of SMU or Texas Tech," University of Texas sportswriter Paul Hammons said. "Their priorities are a little bit different. They are the true student-athletes."

The Harvard football team recently garnered national headlines for its Ivy League championship season. But not every Ivy champion is guaranteed instant respect and admiration.

"I don't think an Ivy League football team will ever win a national championship," said Arcadio Saenz, a center on the Texas Tech football team. "It's not a real high-caliber league. They devote more time to school than athletics."

"They are basically smart mugs that want to play football," Saenz added. "We put more money into our sports.

And what about a Harvard-Texas Tech football game?

"It'll be different for our fans," Saenz said. "They probably say, `Harvard, they have a football team?'"

Oftentimes, no money means no visibility.

"Without scholarships, they can't get into the national scene," said Joe Carriere, Saenz's roomate. "It's not as important for them to win. It teachers them different values. In the Ivy league, athletics is more of a bonus than a priority."

Most of the bonus babies, however, turn elsewhere, leaving Ivy squads without the depth necessary to compete on the national level.

"I doubt that Harvard could compete against Miami or the bigger schools," said University of Miami wide receiver Michael Irvin, a 1988 first-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys.

"The key thing to being a national powerhouse is having speed," added Irvin, whose college squad captured the national title this year. "Most of the key positions you have to have a guy that runs a 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 in the 40. I don't think Harvard or any Ivy League schools gets that many guys if any, that run a 4.4."

"If a guy can run a 4.4, he's going to opt for a school that is going to be on national television," said Irvin.

Thurman Thomas, a running back for Oklahoma State, concurred. "I don't think Harvard could compete against Oklahoma, Nebraska or any of the other big-time schools," said the formerHeisman nominee and recent second-round draft pickof the Buffallo Bills.

"My opinion is that the Ivy League is thesmartest league anywhere. In the Ivy League,athletes are looking for a good education, not toget drafted in the NFL," Thomas added.

But whereas Harvard has not broken onto thenational scene in most big-time sports--hockey isa notable exception--other highly ranked academicschools have, across the board.

"I think Stanford puts a lot more emphasis onits athletic program," said Sandra Birch, a memberof the nations's second-ranked tennis team whochose Stanford over Harvard. "There's a lot morerespect for athletes at Stanford form the faculty,administrators and the student body," she added.

"I think the high school athletes that arelooking for academics and athletics are choosingStanford over Harvard or Yale," Stanford DailySports Editor Jon Weisman said. "Stanford is thebest combination of both."

"People feel that if we were in the Ivy League,we would dominate it in most every sport," Weismanadded. "But of course, it's a whole different typeof atmosphere in the Ivies.