Flutie effect may be for real

Study finds that schools do seem to experience a bump in applications after their football or basketball team does well in the post-season.

George Mason (Hi, BYH) saw the average SAT score of their applicants go up.

 

There was much discussion about this among schools in the Atlantic Sun Conference, a low-major league with some good, not great, schools.

Obviously the Ivy League and the Patriot League aren't needing this kind of TV and sports exposure to increase applications and the quality of the applicants. But some the other mid- and low-major schools are shelling out for basketball in particular in hopes of a trickle-down effect for their schools.

 

Appalachian State has had its largest freshman classes the past two years, which is certainly due in part to the school winning back to back I-AA national titles. Given the win over Michigan and the attention it received, plus a third straight national title, I'm sure the school will get a record number of applications this year.

It also helps that Boone is a great, scenic place to go to school.

 

Everything you state is true, John. [Says the ASU fanboy]

 

I wanted to apply to Augustana when it won four straight D3 football titles, or something like that. I didn't know anything about it, but it was the type of school I wanted to go to.

 

The Seattle Times did something about this recently, I believe.

 

Murray Sperber would be happy to provide a counterpoint.

 

I don't know that Sperber thinks it doesn't actually happen. I just think he thinks that there's an inherent danger of it swinging the other way - earning a reputation as a party school, or throwing tons of money at a lost cause (Buffalo is the example he uses in "Beer and Circus"). Sperber and his ilk may think that the "Flutie Effect" is real, but they believe that it's an inefficient way to chase academic excellence compared to some of the other options available.

 

I thought people wanted to go there because it's HOT HOT HOT!

 

When I saw the original story, I thought it was about how smaller, athletic quarterbacks were gaining popularity on all levels.

 

nowhere to go but up from zero.

Yeah I said it. Hi Sonner!!!!