In this first sports page editorial we will not discuss the recurring and never ending problems of the AUB sports program, but rather talk about an idea.  This idea comes from the question:  ÒShould we prefer quantity or quality?Ó  By quantity in this context we mean, should we let the AUB sports program encompass as many types of sports as possible. By quality we mean, should we focus on an extremely limited number of sports in this program?  The answer to this question is not an easy one, for it requires a vision for the whole program to lead to an answer.
       We consider first the policy or vision, currently implemented in the AUB sports program, which prefers quantity.  This is not a new policy.  AUB has always had a unique sports program, which is vastly diversified and encompasses many types of sports.  Besides the wide range of sports the program has succeeded in introducing new sports to AUB that have given this program a pioneering role.  Take for example baseball.  The large number of students that attend AUB and the presence of a respectively high percentage of foreign students have played a crucial role in supplying the many available sports and the new sports.  But this policy may have gone off limits when it included the Folkdance and Dance de Salon clubs as athletic activities.  With the lack of sufficient support for sports in Lebanon the AUB sports program has been able to provide sports activities which are rarely found in Lebanon. 
      On the other hand if we consider the quality of the sports provided in the AUB sports program we find that athletes may stay for years as varsity members and still gain nothing in skill and performance.  A vision based on quality requires a reduction in the sports available in the program instead of focusing on a large number of sports.  If we focus on an extremely limited number of sports we can achieve a higher level of professionalism, which does not mean better coaches only, it also includes equipment, facilities, a higher level of competition, and more dedication from the athletes.  Focusing on quality would give us more depth financially, and even more depth in administering the teams and implementing an efficient hands-on policy.  With quality we could form teams or athletes that can compete on a national or even international level, probably winning national championships, as did the football varsity back in the thirties when they became Lebanese League champions. 
      As we previously mentioned, there is no correct answer to the question of quality vs. quantity, but rather a vision that should guide those responsible to adopt one or the other of these policies.