Revenge of the nerds, on three. Break!
November 11, 2014 7:11 AM Subscribe
"MIT’s students, faculty, and alumni won 80 Nobel Prizes between 1944 and 2013. In that time, MIT football won a total of 80 games." Until this year. This season's MIT football team is undefeated, 8-0.
So I take it they need to win another 8 Nobel Prizes then, to make it all even?
posted by nushustu at 7:21 AM on November 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by nushustu at 7:21 AM on November 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
MIT doesn't award athletic scholarships, which makes this more impressive.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 7:24 AM on November 11, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 7:24 AM on November 11, 2014 [8 favorites]
Their new offensive scheme involves flubber
posted by humanfont at 7:25 AM on November 11, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by humanfont at 7:25 AM on November 11, 2014 [8 favorites]
I was secretly hoping this was the only thread you'd ever posted in after joining a decade ago, Lazlo.
posted by Diablevert at 7:26 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Diablevert at 7:26 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
I was secretly hoping this was the only thread you'd ever posted in after joining a decade ago, Lazlo.
That would be statistically extremely unlikely.
posted by The Bellman at 7:49 AM on November 11, 2014 [7 favorites]
That would be statistically extremely unlikely.
posted by The Bellman at 7:49 AM on November 11, 2014 [7 favorites]
Cosine, secant, tangent, sine,
3.14159!
Integral radical mu dv
Slipstick, sliderule, MIT!!
posted by Elly Vortex at 7:57 AM on November 11, 2014 [23 favorites]
3.14159!
Integral radical mu dv
Slipstick, sliderule, MIT!!
posted by Elly Vortex at 7:57 AM on November 11, 2014 [23 favorites]
When our nation's brightest minds put their heads together they can achieve anything
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:04 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:04 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
“It’s nice to walk through campus and have every other person congratulate you and know who you are,” MIT football coach Chad Martinovich said.I promise you this is not happening.
posted by maryr at 8:11 AM on November 11, 2014 [9 favorites]
When our nation's brightest minds put their heads together they can achieve anything
Well, they can certainly achieve a concussion by putting their heads together.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:12 AM on November 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
Well, they can certainly achieve a concussion by putting their heads together.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:12 AM on November 11, 2014 [5 favorites]
My wife rowed at MIT briefly. Sports there are like anything else - you do them if you want to, but when you decide to them you do the hell out of them.
That said, it makes me sad that anyone would look at an institution like MIT and say that winning some ball games makes it any more special. Good for the students who are participating but why should anyone else care? It's a game. It doesn't even have any programming in it.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:17 AM on November 11, 2014 [11 favorites]
That said, it makes me sad that anyone would look at an institution like MIT and say that winning some ball games makes it any more special. Good for the students who are participating but why should anyone else care? It's a game. It doesn't even have any programming in it.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:17 AM on November 11, 2014 [11 favorites]
I sort of wish Tom Lehrer would write a song about this.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:18 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:18 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
> My wife rowed at MIT briefly. Sports there are like anything else - you do them if you want to, but when you decide to them you do the hell out of them.
In contrast, at Caltech, which has about one-fifth the student body, you're required to take three quarters of PhysEd, and if you take the same class two quarters in a row you're pretty much automatically on the team.
posted by benito.strauss at 8:39 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
In contrast, at Caltech, which has about one-fifth the student body, you're required to take three quarters of PhysEd, and if you take the same class two quarters in a row you're pretty much automatically on the team.
posted by benito.strauss at 8:39 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
MIT requires FOUR quarters of Phys Ed.
Ha ha, take that, Caltech.
posted by maryr at 8:42 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
Ha ha, take that, Caltech.
posted by maryr at 8:42 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
More accurately, using SI units, the game should be known as 0.3048-meter ball.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:43 AM on November 11, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:43 AM on November 11, 2014 [6 favorites]
... and here's how big a deal this in on campus: I've been there for 20 years and teach in one of the largest departments (and see about 400 students a year) and had absolutely no idea this was happening.
That said, I know some of those guys (again: no idea) and am super proud of what they're able to do. Going to MIT is hard work; doing the physical training to be a decent football player on top of that is just ridiculous.
(On preview: MIT requires 4 quarters (about 20 weeks total) of PE, and that you learn how to swim, possibly the only non-negotiable graduation requirement on the books. Nobody knows why, but we assume there was an epidemic of people falling into the river at some point.)
posted by range at 8:50 AM on November 11, 2014 [15 favorites]
That said, I know some of those guys (again: no idea) and am super proud of what they're able to do. Going to MIT is hard work; doing the physical training to be a decent football player on top of that is just ridiculous.
(On preview: MIT requires 4 quarters (about 20 weeks total) of PE, and that you learn how to swim, possibly the only non-negotiable graduation requirement on the books. Nobody knows why, but we assume there was an epidemic of people falling into the river at some point.)
posted by range at 8:50 AM on November 11, 2014 [15 favorites]
So I take it they need to win another 8 Nobel Prizes then, to make it all even?
It's a tall order now. They're gonna have to do a Hail Mary and try for the peace and literature medals.
posted by ocschwar at 9:08 AM on November 11, 2014
It's a tall order now. They're gonna have to do a Hail Mary and try for the peace and literature medals.
posted by ocschwar at 9:08 AM on November 11, 2014
the game should be known as 0.3048-meter ball.
.179 smoots-ball
posted by zippy at 9:15 AM on November 11, 2014 [17 favorites]
.179 smoots-ball
posted by zippy at 9:15 AM on November 11, 2014 [17 favorites]
Joining the swim team at MIT as walk one was the best thing I ever did. It helped keep me sane during some very stressful times. There's no doubt that it made me a better student by clearing my head for two hours every day, helping me sleep very deeply, and providing the structure of having to be somewhere at 3 PM that didn't involve taking notes.
Go Tech!
posted by haiku warrior at 9:15 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Go Tech!
posted by haiku warrior at 9:15 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Everyone on a Division III team is essentially a walk-on since there are no athletic scholarships. Your team is whoever shows up for practice. And even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn. Go Engineers!
posted by jim in austin at 9:17 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by jim in austin at 9:17 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Elly Vortex, I'm reminded of the chant Northwestern used many years ago when the other team scored:
"That's alright,
That's O.K.,
You'll be working for US someday!"
posted by TDavis at 9:21 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
"That's alright,
That's O.K.,
You'll be working for US someday!"
posted by TDavis at 9:21 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
I'm reminded of the chant Northwestern used many years ago when the other team scored
Aw, Northwestern, that's adorable!
#UniversityofChicago
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:23 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
Aw, Northwestern, that's adorable!
#UniversityofChicago
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:23 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
Well, I wasn't bragging, but contrasting with 1adam12's "doing the hell out of it". Caltech's difficulty in getting people to show up for teams is the only explanation for how the fat ball of lard and axiomatic algebra that was 20 year-old me got a letterman's jacket.
Though on doing some research I discovered that my alma mater has been cited by the NCAA for "for a lack of institutional control of its Division III athletic program, specifically related to academics", just like the big boys, Ohio State and UNC. Top that, MIT!
But seriously, the 8-0 record is very cool. Well done and congrats.
posted by benito.strauss at 9:23 AM on November 11, 2014
Though on doing some research I discovered that my alma mater has been cited by the NCAA for "for a lack of institutional control of its Division III athletic program, specifically related to academics", just like the big boys, Ohio State and UNC. Top that, MIT!
But seriously, the 8-0 record is very cool. Well done and congrats.
posted by benito.strauss at 9:23 AM on November 11, 2014
Everyone on a Division III team is essentially a walk-on since there are no athletic scholarships. Your team is whoever shows up for practice.
That's not exactly true. My alma mater is a D-III powerhouse in men's basketball, and they emphasize recruitment heavily. They may not do it the way the D-I schools do, but there are definitely financial aid incentives to attend, even if they are not explicitly linked to athletic participation. Schools like Mount Union, which has won 11 D-III football titles in the last 21 years, are definitely very active in the recruiting game.
This may not apply to schools like MIT, but in the vast majority of D-III recruiting is huge.
Also, it's worth noting that MIT has been to 6 NCAA Basketball Tournaments and one Final Four.
posted by enjoymoreradio at 9:30 AM on November 11, 2014
That's not exactly true. My alma mater is a D-III powerhouse in men's basketball, and they emphasize recruitment heavily. They may not do it the way the D-I schools do, but there are definitely financial aid incentives to attend, even if they are not explicitly linked to athletic participation. Schools like Mount Union, which has won 11 D-III football titles in the last 21 years, are definitely very active in the recruiting game.
This may not apply to schools like MIT, but in the vast majority of D-III recruiting is huge.
Also, it's worth noting that MIT has been to 6 NCAA Basketball Tournaments and one Final Four.
posted by enjoymoreradio at 9:30 AM on November 11, 2014
Maybe they discovered that while on-field play is pretty straightforward and low tech, there's certainly plenty of room for innovation at OC and DC.
posted by ctmf at 9:58 AM on November 11, 2014
posted by ctmf at 9:58 AM on November 11, 2014
Well done to the MIT handegg team. I'm really curious about what allowed this to happen. Did they just accidentally end up with enough committed players to field a good team? Did they start recruiting? Are other teams in their league underperforming? Are they using the power of real-time Big Data to make better calls, or devising new plays based on detailed simulations of football dynamics?
What's the story?
posted by rustcrumb at 10:03 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
What's the story?
posted by rustcrumb at 10:03 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]
Did they just accidentally end up with enough committed players to field a good team?
Honestly, that would be my bet. Take a group of high-achieving, self-motivating high school students, bring them all in one place, and eventually you can probably get a passable football team out of it. They've had some decent baseball and soccer teams recently.
Based on what we were told when I was there, any "recruiting" on MIT's part would likely be looking at two kids with identical backgrounds and grades and deciding to take the one who was on the math team and the debate team and the football team instead of the one who was on the math team and the debate team and the baseball team. Sometimes the Institute decides they want students to be more well rounded, so they might take the kid on the math team and the football team with the art prize instead. (But yeah, the math team's a constant.)
posted by maryr at 10:27 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Honestly, that would be my bet. Take a group of high-achieving, self-motivating high school students, bring them all in one place, and eventually you can probably get a passable football team out of it. They've had some decent baseball and soccer teams recently.
Based on what we were told when I was there, any "recruiting" on MIT's part would likely be looking at two kids with identical backgrounds and grades and deciding to take the one who was on the math team and the debate team and the football team instead of the one who was on the math team and the debate team and the baseball team. Sometimes the Institute decides they want students to be more well rounded, so they might take the kid on the math team and the football team with the art prize instead. (But yeah, the math team's a constant.)
posted by maryr at 10:27 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
I could, of course, be totally wrong about that. But one of the things I have always loved about MIT is just how little the school cares about sports. The big game to watch on campus is the 6.270 final.
posted by maryr at 10:35 AM on November 11, 2014
posted by maryr at 10:35 AM on November 11, 2014
This is the first concrete evidence I've ever heard that MIT has a football team, and I went there.
posted by madcaptenor at 12:01 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by madcaptenor at 12:01 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Maybe they're using robots.
Yeah, I'm thinking some sort of distributed A.I.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:02 PM on November 11, 2014
Yeah, I'm thinking some sort of distributed A.I.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:02 PM on November 11, 2014
Now I live in SEC country, where apparently college football is a Very Important Thing. I don't get it; I'm from the northeast where we don't really care because we have professional teams . (See the New York Times' map of where people are college football fans. I'm basically the first sentence of that article.)
posted by madcaptenor at 12:04 PM on November 11, 2014
posted by madcaptenor at 12:04 PM on November 11, 2014
enjoymoreradio: "That's not exactly true. My alma mater is a D-III powerhouse in men's basketball, and they emphasize recruitment heavily. "
Yeah, I went to a D-III New England school as well (we played in the conference with probably the best team nicknames in the country -- including Jumbos, Lord Jeffs, Presidents, Polar Bears, Camels, Mules and Ephs) and there was definitely recruiting in many sports, it's just that it's not tied to a scholarship. It's often (unofficially) tied to a lowering of admissions standards, so that a football player that might not be able to get into the school based strictly on academics gets in so he can help the team.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:54 PM on November 11, 2014
Yeah, I went to a D-III New England school as well (we played in the conference with probably the best team nicknames in the country -- including Jumbos, Lord Jeffs, Presidents, Polar Bears, Camels, Mules and Ephs) and there was definitely recruiting in many sports, it's just that it's not tied to a scholarship. It's often (unofficially) tied to a lowering of admissions standards, so that a football player that might not be able to get into the school based strictly on academics gets in so he can help the team.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:54 PM on November 11, 2014
It amuses me to hope that their field is marked in smoots rather than yards.
posted by spacely_sprocket at 3:19 PM on November 11, 2014
posted by spacely_sprocket at 3:19 PM on November 11, 2014
Athletics at the D-III schools here in Texas function almost like vanity publishing. You have kids who REALLY love sports and want to play at a major intercollegiate level but simply aren't that good. Their choices are to try walking-on at a major program or D-III. In either case there will be no athletic scholarship, but D-III almost guarantees they will play and in as many sports as they can handle if they keep their grades up. The high academic standards of many D-III schools can make this a compelling sell. Just be sure to bring your checkbook...
posted by jim in austin at 5:47 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by jim in austin at 5:47 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Nobody knows why
This is like leaving a piece of COBOL of unknown function or provenance in place in an otherwise well-understood, documented, and correctly-functioning project. I've never understood how MIT of all places can tolerate a mandatory graduation requirement that no one can explain. "Must prepare an acceptable omelette" or "must demonstrate six different knots" would make more sense.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:10 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
This is like leaving a piece of COBOL of unknown function or provenance in place in an otherwise well-understood, documented, and correctly-functioning project. I've never understood how MIT of all places can tolerate a mandatory graduation requirement that no one can explain. "Must prepare an acceptable omelette" or "must demonstrate six different knots" would make more sense.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:10 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Is this a good time to point out that Chicago has been undefeated against Notre Dame since 1892? No? Okay.
posted by d. z. wang at 8:38 PM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by d. z. wang at 8:38 PM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
You learn the knots in the sailing PE class.
posted by maryr at 10:07 PM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by maryr at 10:07 PM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
I wouldn't know, I'm a dumb course 7 major.
posted by maryr at 12:11 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by maryr at 12:11 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
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