Sperber releases new book, plans return to campus

Professor Murray Sperber's office in Ballantine Hall is a disorganized mess. His computer sits on a wooden chair, boxes clutter the small room and stacks of papers fill almost every square inch of free space. There's barely enough room for his dog to find a spot to lay down.\nSperber hasn't been in his office since May, when he decided to take an unpaid leave of absence in fear for his safety. The English professor had made critical comments about former coach Bob Knight during a University investigation into the claims made by former player Neil Reed, and in turn received threatening phone calls and e-mails from angry Knight supporters.\nNow the coach is gone. And Sperber said he hopes it's safe to return. But before he begins teaching two undergraduate courses next spring, Sperber will take a national book tour, that began Thursday in New York. Sperber's fourth book, "Beer and Circus: How Big-time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education," was released Thursday. There are about three pages in the book regarding Knight, and Sperber insists the timing of the book release was coincidental with Knight's firing. He signed the contract in 1994 and finished the book in January.\n"People have asked me whether I feel if the good guys have won," Sperber said. "My total feeling is relief for IU and that it can move on from this and go back to the education."\nSperber returned to campus Monday after spending the majority of the summer in Montreal. He didn't expect to resume teaching until next year because he didn't think Knight would be fired so soon.\n"When Knight got fired, I thought, 'why can't I teach in the spring?'" Sperber said. "Why I couldn't teach this year was the Knight fans in peegs.com found the way to find me was through the IU schedule of classes. \n"I guess what put it over the top for me was when that phone rang in May, and a guy who sounded like he was middle-aged started reading my section numbers to me and said, 'I know where to find you.' I just couldn't teach under those circumstances and IU agreed."\nSperber said the riot on campus last Sunday resulting from Knight's firing was an example of the theme of his book, that athletics and partying take precedence over academics. Sperber said he tried not to focus on IU in his book, but said that it is a "beer and circus" school.\n"It proves my thinking in many ways how attentive students are to sports and how alienated they are to the academics," Sperber said. "I wasn't picking on IU, but I couldn't ignore IU. Like IU football, it's sort of in the bottom of the Big 10. The only thing IU was different with was Bob Knight. He had been so successful and had taken IU out of the typical category and won national championships."\nThe book is a harsh critique of high profile college sports and the universities that sponsor them. \nSperber said his main contributors to the book were students of various universities because they were the most open. His students in particular helped with much of the research by filling out questionnaires and developing their own questions about college life and the sports experience. He also said he "lived the book," referring to his involvement in the Knight investigations. \n"The very best things in the books are the quotes from the students," Sperber said. "They would say amazing stuff. It was very honest and very revealing. They understand the way their schools work much better than the administration thinks they do. Faculty do not have a clue about student subcultures."\nSperber said he has only heard positive reactions from his colleagues.\n"I would hope that people on the outside world have a better understanding of how the University works and how undergraduate education has really deteriorated," Sperber said. "I hope it informs both parents and college applicants of the realities of college life"