Issuing what many publications have called a sobering, devastating critique, Murray Sperber argues that what universities offer instead of a meaningful undergraduate education is a meager and dangerous substitute: the party scene surrounding college sports that he calls "beer and circus" and which serves to keep the students happy while tuition dollars keep rolling in. Combining a deep understanding of American culture with new, original research culled from students, faculty, and administrators around the country, he explodes cherished myths about college sports. Straight out of today's headlines, Beer and Circus opens our eyes to a generation of students deprived of the education they deserve.