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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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Shriveled Sports Scene Irks Some Ivy Alums

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(Newser) – The Ivy League has a reputation for excellence in all things, but the consignment of its sports programs—particularly the more visible ones like football and basketball—to college athletics’ second tier has alumni clamoring for change, the Wall Street Journal reports. Academic standards limit the pool of top student-athletes for the eight Ivy schools; the football teams can’t play in the postseason, nixing their title chances.

The Ivies have a proud sports history: Harvard and Yale were among college football’s early powerhouses; the Princeton offense is a basketball staple. The league’s incoming executive director promises a summer listening tour, and some are hopeful. “I still believe the Ivy can compete for national championships,” says Lane MacDonald, star of Harvard’s 1989 national champion ice-hockey team. “I’d love to see that happen.”

Harvard and Yale end the season playing each other, and not in an NCAA football tournament because of the Ivy League's ban.
Harvard and Yale end the season playing each other, and not in an NCAA football tournament because of the Ivy League's ban.   (AP Photo)
Yale and Cornell are two of the six Ivy League schools that compete in NCAA Division I hockey.
Yale and Cornell are two of the six Ivy League schools that compete in NCAA Division I hockey.   (AP Photo)
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Why not give them the same opportunities and the same platform in athletics that you do in academics? I think they should revisit everything.
- Former NFL defensive end Marcellus Wiley, who played at Columbia in the 1990s

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