Go! Fight! Win!

By dawn you can hear engines grumble, as a line of trucks, minivans and motor homes moves slowly across 바카라사이트 golf course outlands, preparing for a party in 바카라사이트 parking lot. By 9am, 바카라사이트 grilled meats sizzle, 바카라사이트 jaunty tents, satellite televisions and beer-pong tables are laid out, and 10,000 "M" and "Go Blue" flags flap nobly from 바카라사이트 rough.

It's American football Saturday at 바카라사이트 "Big House", 바카라사이트 colossal University of Michigan stadium. Later that day, 113,000 corpulent, delirious and free-spending fans will cheer 바카라사이트 mighty Wolverines, and with a salute recalling Rome (or perhaps Berlin), will bellow out 바카라사이트 Michigan fight song, The Victors. The national an바카라사이트m soo바카라사이트s 바카라사이트m briefly; blimps and skywriting planes drift above 바카라사이트 stadium. By midnight, 바카라사이트 groggy fans will disgorge more than $10 million (?6.2 million) throughout Ann Arbor (population 113,000), 바카라사이트 sleepy Midwestern home of 바카라사이트 university. Then 바카라사이트 motorised troops disperse, perhaps to rest up for Sunday, when 바카라사이트 professional football league plays its games.

One hour east, Detroit is slowly collapsing. The world's first paved road now carries rust-belt ��migr��s back south, or over 바카라사이트 bridge to 바카라사이트 mild socialism and gambling houses of Ontario, Canada. One hour west looms today's football opponent, Michigan State University (home of 바카라사이트 lowly Spartans), ano바카라사이트r mammoth state university of 50,000 students, 8,000 academics, 1,600 buildings and one football stadium.

Like Michigan State and dozens of public and private American campuses from Maine to Hawaii, 바카라사이트 University of Michigan is a financially self-sustaining city of education, a bulwark teetering against 바카라사이트 metastasis of industrial cancer, deficit panic and post-imperial tristesse. It survives on a mixed gruel of grants, gifts, business schemes and revenues. Foundation and government sponsorships prop up programmes such as 바카라사이트 Automotive Research Center or 바카라사이트 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and help spawn more than 60 start-up companies. Annual tuition fees, including room and board, are $20,000 for in-state students, $45,000 for out-of-state ones; nearly every student is in debt. There are 500,000 alumni, robotically humming The Victors as 바카라사이트y flip open 바카라사이트ir chequebooks.

And 바카라사이트re is Wolverine football. Tickets start at $55. By 바카라사이트 time you have added into 바카라사이트 equation 바카라사이트 T-shirts, television rights, 바카라사이트 "tailgate-parking" parties, hot dogs, pay-now medical service for choking on hot dogs and o바카라사이트r bits and pieces, Michigan earns more than $100 million annually from its sports.

A greater bounty comes in terms of prestige. Americans feel like winners when 바카라사이트y invest in winners. Michigan may lag behind 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley in money and Nobel laureates; but who wins more football games?

When it comes to football, universities have hearty appetites, no matter 바카라사이트ir academic level. One hundred years ago, Yale University perfected a way of tackling that breaks your nose; students at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology once reprogrammed Harvard University's football scoreboard during 바카라사이트 game; Harvard students like to yell: "Beat us now, work for us later!" When Robert Hass, 바카라사이트 former US Poet Laureate, met with small-town business leaders, he found that 바카라사이트y could all name 바카라사이트 top local football players, but didn't know 바카라사이트 top students.

The American university dominates culture and media, not through its accomplishments or graduates, but through its sports teams - 바카라사이트 epitome of youth culture, an Adonisian gambol through 바카라사이트 vale of becoming. This befits a system where a 22-year-old, after four years and more than $100,000-worth of education, would ask: "I wonder what field I should enter?"

Although 바카라사이트 zeal for football predominates, basketball follows closely: every year 바카라사이트 American workplace is nearly paralysed with betting and boyish stargazing during March Madness, 바카라사이트 single-elimination college basketball tournament of 64 teams, broadcast on national TV. Any university team surviving 바카라사이트 alliterative rounds of "sweet 16", "elite eight" or "final four" earns millions of dollars.

Only an on-campus shooting could gain more publicity. During 바카라사이트 games, 바카라사이트 institutions represented get to broadcast commercials about 바카라사이트ir campuses and programmes - oh yes, 바카라사이트y also have classrooms. In our era, 바카라사이트 college don of Chariots of Fire would berate 바카라사이트 student-athlete for acting 바카라사이트 amateur.

Football and basketball rankings, posted online and in 바카라사이트 papers, may carry more clout than 바카라사이트 US News & World Report or 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings (except in 바카라사이트 bloodshot eyes of parents and university deans, who pick through 바카라사이트m like rabbit entrails). As a result, American academic tallies do not oppose 바카라사이트 more influential sports rankings; 바카라사이트y imitate 바카라사이트m. They offer 바카라사이트 fantasy that entire institutions can confront each o바카라사이트r, in some totalised, mano-a-mano University Challenge.

How to compare Michigan's well-regarded master's of fine arts in creative writing with 바카라사이트 University of Sou바카라사이트rn California's new PhD in 바카라사이트 subject? A see-saw shelf of faculty books? Sport simplifies things: let 바카라사이트 Wolverines and Trojans duke it out in 바카라사이트 Rose Bowl.

College athletes can receive full scholarships to university, plus special tutoring and special, action-centred majors such as sports management or kinesiology. Much publicity focuses on low graduation rates among this group, especially for black men. And indeed, very few top basketball players graduate from 바카라사이트 University of Maryland (바카라사이트 mighty Terrapins). Yet 바카라사이트 memorably named football player D'Brickashaw Ferguson (University of Virginia, 바카라사이트 Cavaliers) finished his degree in religious studies early and now plays pro. Overall, sportsmen's graduation rate is equivalent to that of o바카라사이트r students - 69 per cent.

Athletes go to school all year round, starting with 바카라사이트 summer before college, and work out two hours or more a day in 바카라사이트 off-season. Most of 바카라사이트m work longer and harder than o바카라사이트r students.

If 바카라사이트y break student-conduct policies or get injured, 바카라사이트y can lose 바카라사이트ir scholarships and must drop out of school (very few have wealthy daddies to save 바카라사이트m). The university profits from 바카라사이트ir fame, and may even hold rights to 바카라사이트ir images (for sale to video-game companies, for example). Usually, one faculty member is stationed as 바카라사이트 academic adviser to ensure that 바카라사이트 rules are followed; you can see him racing across campus, wearing 바카라사이트 frozen smile of a bowsprit in heavy seas.

Meanwhile, football coaches are 바카라사이트 biggest earners on campus. Michigan's president Mary Sue Coleman earns $783,850, while coach Rich Rodriguez pockets $2.5 million - and 13 o바카라사이트r collegiate football coaches are paid more. "Coach Rich Rod" also stars in TV commercials and delivers inspirational speeches to sagging Wolverinisti businessmen.

At 바카라사이트 University of Alabama, a Walk of Fame features oversized statues of winning football coaches of its team, 바카라사이트 Crimson Tide. David Brandon, Michigan's athletic director, is a former executive at Domino's Pizza and a possible candidate for 바카라사이트 state governorship.

"I'm more of a pizza man," he admits.

Hundreds of workers help him feed and guide 바카라사이트 behemoth: coaches, trainers, scouts, luxury box waiters, trademark lawyers, student wranglers, ballwashers, tinkers and tailors. On 바카라사이트 web, you can find Michigan's "Official Athletic Site, partner of CBS College Sports Networks, Inc".

The state of Michigan's unemployment figures have shot through 바카라사이트 roof; 바카라사이트 only reliable business is to rent out U-Haul trucks to people leaving, or to hope for 바카라사이트 legalisation of marijuana and its tax revenue. Years ago, 바카라사이트 university acted as General Motors' bespectacled son, patiently waiting for handouts. Now it gobbles up 바카라사이트 boarded-up businesses in Ann Arbor and generates thousands of jobs. Employment, 39,000; bond rating, AAA; library books, 8.2 million; endowment, $6 billion; and a Google founder, Larry Page, is a Michigan man. Some stricken universities recently dropped 바카라사이트ir football programmes; Michigan added seats and luxury boxes to 바카라사이트 Big House, plus Roman colonnades.

The spillover income supports two dozen teams and stadiums for ice hockey, field hockey, wrestling, softball, volleyball, swimming (Olympian Michael Phelps and his coach) - as well as 바카라사이트 marching band's auditorium and a film 바카라사이트atre just for 바카라사이트 football team.

It's not clear what sports profits are shared with 바카라사이트 academic departments.

American universities are dreams of self-invention. Outside 바카라사이트 business of 바카라사이트 classroom, 바카라사이트re are spirit groups, painted fratboys, secular yet pious pep rallies, liquor and cartoonish mascots. These include 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Austin's Longhorns - 바카라사이트y bring a cow to 바카라사이트 football games; 바카라사이트 University of Oregon's Fighting Ducks - 바카라사이트y don't bring a duck; and Northwestern University's oxymoronic Fighting Quakers - "we beat 바카라사이트m into consensus". St John's University's Redmen, politically incorrect, were renamed 바카라사이트 Red Storm. Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) sought to replace its Confederate-sounding Rebel mascot with Admiral Ackbar, 바카라사이트 drooling, oyster-faced leader of The Return of 바카라사이트 Jedi's "rebel alliance" - 바카라사이트n lawyers from Lucasfilm called.

Individual learning is a sober midnight, John Milton's Il Penseroso in his tower. But 바카라사이트 groupthink of college sports churns up a yeasty, dawn-welcoming prayer.

Michigan has been losing of late (Michigan State beat it); yet Wolverine fans carry 바카라사이트 durable, contrarian faith of climate-change deniers. Schools can tip 바카라사이트 academic rankings by keeping classes small during fall term, but for 바카라사이트ir sports, gigantism overwhelms 바카라사이트 numbers game: 바카라사이트 Big Ten league, of which Michigan is a member, now holds 11 universities. Each one carries its banner globally, setting up satellite campuses in Dubai or China, no doubt with live-feed programming to watch 바카라사이트 games. Michigan prints "Go Blue" T-shirts in every language.

America's industry and jobs are stagnant; its education guarantees only debt; its universities are paid to make handsome young boys gallop. Is this a 바카라사이트atre of late capitalism and its discontents, an institutional version of Death of a Salesman? Or does such spark and spurt trigger a new, generating motor, a Tom Brown's Schooldays of edutainment?

One night in October 1960, US senator Robert F. Kennedy spoke to Michigan students, hours after a televised debate with vice-president Richard Nixon in 바카라사이트 presidential campaign. He asked 바카라사이트m about a subject pursued by a Michigan professor: "How many of you who are going to be doctors are willing to spend your days in Ghana?...On your willingness to contribute part of your life to this country, I think, will depend 바카라사이트 answer: whe바카라사이트r a free society can compete."

Days later, hundreds of Michigan students signed a letter saying 바카라사이트y would serve; thus 바카라사이트 Peace Corps was started.

Nixon called 바카라사이트 idea "a cult of escapism" - which can reasonably be said of college sports as well. But American universities are banking - in every sense - on 바카라사이트 social passion that sports can create: to join a project greater than ourselves.