Let's not go saying things we can't take back ("Thon weekend shows finest of Penn State," Feb. 23): "What you are doing is so much bigger then sports." Really? I don't know. Just doing some basic math in my head, I can tell you that Alex Rodriguez alone is approximately seven times bigger than the entire Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon ($22 million a year in salary versus Thon's $3.5 million this year). People must have been talking about just Penn State sports then. Wait, no. Penn State's athletic department spends $54 million a year, according to the Dallas Morning News. That's 15 times larger than Thon.

"The value of Thon isn't in the money, it's in the hearts and minds of Penn State students," you say. Fair enough. Try this: Grab yesterday's Daily Collegian. See that sports section that comes out weekly and is just as large as Thon's section on its biggest news day? You're going to have to do your own math here. Hint, the Collegian runs about 40 weeks a year.

Look, I applaud the efforts of everyone involved in Thon -- the dancers, the moralers, the Office of Physical Plant, the security volunteers, unknown numbers of organizers, everyone who performed. All of these people did great work to help others. But let's not run around waving the Thon flag like Penn State is some kind of philanthropic powerhouse. This university and its students have made it clear that sports do mean more to it than Thon, and let's not pretend otherwise.