College sports and the lack of critical thinking

So, finally, the BCS national championship hoopla is over.  But, we have very little time to get some badly needed rest--the March Madness will soon be upon us!  Of course, I have already landed in hot water for comments about that one :)

The following letter to the editor shows how messed up our thinking has become when it comes to sports:

Shame on Oregonians who rooted for Auburn
I didn't attend OSU or U of O and neither did my kids. My husband was a professor at Western.
Monday night I was in front of the TV rooting for the Ducks not because I'm fond of green and yellow or I like Eugene better than Corvallis, but because that team was representing Oregon where, except for a trip to the Rose Bowl (which is no small feat), nothing amazing has happened sports-wise since the Blazers won the championship in the '70s.
For those who were spitefully cheering for Auburn, shame on you. This was about more than a game. This was the Whos from Whoville shouting, "We are here! We are here!"
We were people rallying together for a team who was representing our beautiful state. Yeah, it would have been great if they had won, but they played with great sportsmanship, class and heart right down to the last second.
They showed the country that we Oregonians are about more than just spotted owls and rust. I'm a proud webfooted hillbilly.

Says a lot about critical thinking, which is supposedly the reason why universities exist in the first place.  Increasingly though, it appears that universities are merely the convenient physical framework to offer non-stop sports and keep people entertained.

One commenter in the newspaper's site has this to offer:

Out of 120 kids on their roster about 25 come from Oregon High Schools.

Almost 50 come from California.

Another 45 come from other states.

Tell me again why I should be ashamed of myself for not rooting for them?

:)