The bigger game at NIC

Someday Al Williams will be in the North Idaho College Sports Hall of Fame.

Helping the community college shift from prestigious but costly membership in the National Junior College Athletic Association to the more regional and affordable Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges shouldn't tarnish his legacy as director of athletics in the slightest. In fact, it should add a little luster to his star.

Williams is offering sincere help to his entire college in NIC's quest to cut $2.3 million from the next fiscal year budget. Savings from travel and scholarships would net an estimated $600,000 of that $2.3 million. But it would come at some cost, too.

Regarded as one of the top two or three community college athletic programs in the entire nation, switching to NWAACC affiliation means NIC will no longer be able to compete for national championships except in wrestling. And for anyone who knows Big Al, that's gotta hurt. But he understands that in the long run, this is a far better option than eliminating sports and reducing opportunities for students.

Athletics at community colleges and at almost every university are money losers. The bottom line almost never balances. It's the leadership and other tremendous attributes athletes develop that have such value; the shared, diverse experiences of students and the spirit of togetherness programs can generate in communities and entire regions that more than offset budget deficits. Williams, who played basketball at NIC and University of Idaho, owned and operated his own business and worked for others in both the private and public sectors, knows long-term victories are earned by doing what's right in short-term games.

Not everybody agrees with the recommendation to switch to the NWAACC. Boosters are crying foul, believing that if NIC Trustees approve the change, quality of competition will fall flat on its face and other benefits will be forever lost.

Well, here's a stat that's hard to argue with: Over the past 10 years, NIC's athletic program has operated at a deficit of $13,894,849. Without this switch, it would require more than $2 million a year from now on just to break even. Anyone who really wants to maintain status quo, operators are standing by to accept your donations.

Nobody likes budget cuts. The organizations that best transcend the pain are the organizations where everybody bears some of it. After years as the beneficiary of real and perceived budget favoritism, the NIC athletic department is saying, "We'll do our share." We hope NIC Trustees will let them.