Choosing the Team for Whom to Root

BrooklynDodger started off last week's U of M - MSU game leaning to MSU. U of M was going nowhere, MSU looked hot and a possibility to keep the Big 10 championship from Ohio State. But U of M was going nowhere because Michael Hart wasn't playing; Hart busted out for 200 yards. MSU might still be hot, but in the end, the Dodger was ok with U of M.

Actually, Wisconsin is the Dodger's second choice in Big 10; and, if it were a playoff for championship, the Dodger might go for Wisconsin. [A winning tradition in football is a bad thing for a university, just look at Princeton.]

Then, the Dodger looked at 6-year football graduation rates, on the NCAA site.

MSU graduates 43% of white footballers, 27% of blacks in 6 years.
U of M it's 100% and 44%.
Wisconsin it's 73% and 22%.

[The Dodger is not clear on the differences between cohort rates and 4 class averages. The 4 class average seems to regress the mean, given that 100% for U of M whites seems unlikely. The Dodger apologizes for formatting below. The Dodger encourages the reader to check it out http://www.ncaa.org/grad_rates/. ]

Racism in athletics is the most obvious conclusion. Given the racism, the Dodger should continue to prefer U of M to either of the others, and the preference to Wisconsin is suspect.



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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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FRESHMAN-COHORT GRADUATION RATES All Students Student-Athletes #
1997-98 Graduation Rate 69% 70%
Four-Class Average 68% 66%

-------- FOOTBALL --------- -
FRESHMAN RATE TRANSFER
97-98 4-CLASS 4-CLASS
MEN % N % %
Am. Indian/AN - - -
Asian/PI - - 0-a
Black 27-c 34-e 14-b
Hispanic - - -
White 43-b 48-e -
N-R Alien - - - -
Other - - -
Total 33-d 41-e 13-b

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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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FRESHMAN-COHORT GRADUATION RATES All Students Student-Athletes #
1997-98 Graduation Rate 85% 73%
Four-Class Average 84% 74%

-------- FOOTBALL --------- --
FRESHMAN RATE TRANSFER
97-98 4-CLASS 4-CLASS
MEN % N % %
Am. Indian/AN - 100-a -
Asian/PI - - -
Black 44-b 47-e 0-a
Hispanic - - - - - -
White 100-b 70-e 100-a
N-R Alien - - -
Other 0-a 0-a -
Total 68-d 57-e 50-a

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON

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FRESHMAN-COHORT GRADUATION RATES All Students Student-Athletes #
1997-98 Graduation Rate 76% 68%
Four-Class Average 76% 71%
-------- FOOTBALL ---------
FRESHMAN RATE TRANSFER
97-98 4-CLASS 4-CLASS
MEN % N % %
Am. Indian/AN - - -
Asian/PI - - -
Black 22-b 45-e -
Hispanic - - -
White 73-c 65-e 100-a
N-R Alien - - - -
Other - - 100-a
Total 50-d 56-e 100-a