There is nothing like hosting the happy madness of ESPN’s "College GameDay," as Vanderbilt University did Oct. 25, to make a college president reflect on the meaning of college athletics. 

I have loved sports since I was a boy in Germany and watched our national soccer team defeat the Netherlands 2-1 in the 1974 World Cup, but American sports like football and baseball were unknown to me.

When I came to the University of Southern California in 1988, I was puzzled by common phrases derived from sports like “Monday-morning quarterback” and “knocking it out of the park.” The helpful tutors at the international student center suggested I watch American sports. And so I did.

I saw USC quarterback Rodney Peete pass for one touchdown and ran for another to beat Troy Aikman’s UCLA Bruins right after being hospitalized with the measles, cinching the Trojans’ 10th straight win and a Rose Bowl berth – and sending our whole........

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