I don't want to get too much into the current conversation because... well, I would get my fill of this kind of stuff on a sports or gaming forum. I do want to say this:
I remember when I was gathering recommendations for pharmacy school. I had a sociology professor from UT-Austin that was a big sports fan; a huge fan of UT athletics, student organizations, volunteer groups, etc.... (also watched the West Wing, which I thought was very cool). When I went through my list of schools and got to A&M, I made a wry smile thinking that he'd use the moment to take a shot at A&M or make a sarcastic jab of some sort. Instead, he took whatever taboo concerns I had and turned it on its end. This guy was probably the most enthusiastically inane fan of UT Football, Basketball, and every minor athletic team on UT's campus, and suddenly he couldn't care less. He told me that I had made good decisions. He told me that I would enjoy myself in any of the institutions that I had applied to.
In the academic sphere, in graduate school and professional school, school rivalries are supposed to be that novelty that people grow out of; like boys vs. girls, or blind nationalism. A lot of people in professional and graduate schools may still carry a lot of school pride with them, but when you're doing research, or graduating, or whatnot, everyone in the field should be your colleague. Sure, people identify with their school and feel a sense of pride and commonality in seeing others from their alma mater, but running into graduates of any particular school shouldn't engender a sense of animosity. We're all students, and then pharmacists. We're purveyors of healthcare; we're the people interested in securing the health and welfare of those around us. In short, we're all on the same side. Where role does school identity really play in here?
I have a veritable amount of school pride, and I love following college sports too. I have friends from both UT-Austin and Texas A&M at College Station, and they take their shots whenever the two teams play each other. If people take it beyond sports, though, I think people may be taking the rivalry too much to heart. If there's a game on TV, I'm going to be pretty loud about it, but I wouldn't have any inclinations or prejudice between either school.
The topic of funding athletic programs is actually something that I covered with my sociology professor. Concerning athletic programs, a lot of schools, such as UT-Austin and Texas A&M at College Station, use their athletic programs to funnel money into their schools. Prize money from things like winning a BCS bowl game in college football or reaching the final four in basketball really comprises of a small amount of athletic revenue. Even advertising isn't the big fish. The big topic of money for college athletics comes from lobbying during sporting events (think of the luxury booths in Kyle Field or Daryl K. Royal stadium). There is a lot of courting of donors, local organizations, companies, and just plain alumni that involves sporting events. They use their athletic programs as a sort of hook to draw interest and lure grants, funding for scholarship programs, or special interests. For smaller schools, athletic programs are more of a money sink, but for many large established universities, it becomes a source of funding and projects. It's really something that I would not have expected out of college sports.
--Garfield3d