If anyone questions or doubts the power and influence of athletics in today’s politically correct society, all they have to do is take a look at what happened in Columbia, Mo., and the University of Missouri.

Various stories and reports have surfaced in recent months about racial slurs and actions on the MU campus, causing a student to start a hunger strike, students to camp out on the campus and protestors to demand that MU president Tim Wolfe step aside or be fired.

This triggered a number of news stories, but it wasn’t until the 32 African-American members of the university’s football team threatened to not engage in any of the teams’ activities until the president was ousted, one way or another, that the story exploded into a national/international situation.

It’s questionable whether 32 outstanding MU faculty members, 32 National Merit students or 32 individuals of any campus group of any color, threatening to go on strike or not perform their jobs or duties would have the impact of the 32 African-American football players. By the way, 41 of the 53 players on the MU team’s offensive and defensive depth charts are African American. So, with 32 of the players sitting out of any team activities, the MU Tigers’ football program would come to a halt.

This action or threat worked, with the university president stepping down Monday morning.

The MU situation is ugly and damaging to the university.

There are many sides or issues involved with the Missouri situation, and racial injustices are wrong and should be corrected as soon as possible. However, it also raises the question of who runs a university: a high-profile football or basketball team and the coach, or the regents or those on a board of overseers?

What are the next demands of the football team, and do they expect to play a role in the selection of the next president?

The MU case is likely to be copied on other university campuses.

Prior to his Monday morning resignation, the MU president said he and his associates had been working on a major overhaul of the issues raised by the protestors and would be announcing a plan in April. It is questionable if the April date was not soon enough, if the protestors didn’t believe the president, or if the possible cancellation of next Saturday’s nationally televised football game in Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium against Brigham Young University was the determining factor in the president’s resignation.

Wrongs are wrong and must be corrected.

Based on the Missouri situation, the best way to attract attention and get immediate results is to use football and basketball teams rather than the conventional and out-dated governance systems.