mrjames
Professor
Posts: 6062
Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
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06-08-20 02:01 PM - Post#308677
In response to palestra38
Harvard won titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.
I'm not insisting that there is a level playing field. There are actually multiple playing fields (financial aid is one, then there's the Academic Index/admissions, facilities, resources like weight rooms, etc.). These playing fields all tilt in different directions and advantage different teams at different times by different amounts.
The relatively well-informed opinion that I am trying to convey here is that the complaints about Harvard having institutional advantages over Penn are wildly overstated. Even the specific institutional advantage being discussed here (FA) is overstated, and that ignores other areas where Penn has a decided advantage.
I've never really understood why, specifically for Penn fans, it is so difficult to give Amaker the credit he deserves. He's been an absolute unicorn hire who not only has built the Harvard program out of nothing but also has spent a ton of time making himself part of the Harvard community. For all of us who ever said that athletic achievement doesn't have to conflict with a positive contribution to the academic environment, Amaker has built a program that embodies this. To say that an average coach could have done what he has is either laziness or bitterness, but it's not accurate.
Finally, and I really want to emphasize this: Our opinions are not equal. My opinion should carry more weight than yours, because it's more informed than yours. While I know that's a source of frustration on these boards, it's also the truth, and I feel compelled to share that fact from time to time.
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