University President Michael Adams dropped the ball (and lost the letter).

Sanford Stadium had the opportunity to host one of sports’ greatest spectacles, soccer’s World Cup. But the letter that the United States World Cup Bid Committee sent to the University got lost in the shuffle on Adams’ desk.

“If you saw my desk you would understand that,” Adams told the media April 23.

After finding the letter (four days past the deadline to respond), Adams and Athletic Director Damon Evans decided they weren’t interested anyway.

Great. Not only is Adams’ desk the place where important letters go to die, but Adams is turning down a golden opportunity for the University and Athens.

Played every four years, the World Cup is arguably sports’ biggest event. The 2006 World Cup in Germany had a total attendance of 3.4 million people. And in 1994, when the United States previously hosted the World Cup, the event set an attendance record of 3.6 million people.

If Athens had been chosen as a host city, a good number of those people would have made the trip to the Classic City. And that means greater exposure for Athens and the University.

With an international audience descending on Athens, the University would have the opportunity to attract new students and teachers as well as new sources of revenue.

And businesses in Athens? Yeah, they would do pretty well, too.

But would the University and Athens-Clarke County have the capability to handle an event of this magnitude?

Well, they have before. Sanford Stadium hosted the semi-finals and finals for the 1996 men’s and women’s Olympic soccer tournaments.

Jacquie Houston, a science library worker and Athens ’96 volunteer coordinator, said it was “a wonderful experience” in a Sept. 23, 1996 issue of “Columns.”

So what’s keeping Adams from embracing the idea of World Cup soccer in Athens?

Apparently, it’s money. He told media that making Sanford Stadium suitable for soccer would come at “considerable expense” and it’s unclear who would have to pay up. That’s a legitimate concern. The University gave Sanford Stadium a makeover for the Olympics in 1996, and I’m sure it wasn’t cheap.

But renovations are common for World Cup stadiums. New stadiums were built for Germany 2006 and more are being built for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

And by the time the 2018 or 2022 World Cups roll around, there may not be a need for major field renovations. FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, has become more liberal in its stance on artificial turf. By 2018 or 2022, FIFA may allow the World Cup to be played on turf.

“As of now, FIFA has a rule in place about the finals of World Cup competitions, which is that they’re played on natural grass,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “In 12 years, I can’t predict that.”

And what’s important to remember is that the letter U.S. Soccer sent out was merely an inquiry. If Adams had said he was interested, the University wouldn’t be obligated to host World Cup matches. The letter wasn’t a binding agreement.

Although Adams’ fears about renovation costs were justified, the positives of hosting the World Cup (more exposure for the University and an influx of revenue for Athens’ businesses) outweigh the potential costs.

If Adams had cleaned off his desk and given the World Cup a chance, it would have been a good thing for Athens.

- Chris Anthony is a page designer for The Red & Black.