Marc Tracy’s NY Times puff piece carefully avoids the interesting questions:
Maryland is trying to emulate the University of Oregon, riding the largess of a multibillion-dollar apparel company to athletic prominence. Athletic departments throughout the country watched with envy in recent years as Phil Knight, a founder of Nike and an Oregon alumnus, donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help propel the Ducks from relative obscurity to the upper echelon of college sports. “We are the University of Nike,” Oregon declared unapologetically. Now, 2,400 miles east, Maryland is positioning itself as the University of Under Armour, thanks to the founder and chief executive of Nike’s ascendant rival.
Lets hope underarmour ceo gives $1b to the academic side of UMD.