Smaller, Leaner athletic program...

[The Yo Show]

I saw the FCS MEAC conference cancelled the 2020 football season too. 

 

Now the ACTUAL MAC has also done something. Delaying start of all fall sports till September 3rd

https://www.wkbn.com/sports/mid-american-conference-delays-the-start-of-fall-sports/ 

[NWAkron]

24 minutes ago, The Yo Show said:

I saw the FCS MEAC conference cancelled the 2020 football season too. 

 

Now the ACTUAL MAC has also done something. Delaying start of all fall sports till September 3rd

https://www.wkbn.com/sports/mid-american-conference-delays-the-start-of-fall-sports/ 

All Olympic sports.

[ZippyRulz]

When do the olympic sports normally begin?

 

[kreed5120]

If Clemson was willing to pay Akron something in the neighborhood of $1.2 million, between ticket sales, concessions, parking, tv rights, etc. they were making $5+ million from this game. Not having these games hurts everyone. It just hurts schools like Akron more because once this all ends Clemson football will be able to return to printing money, meanwhile, Akron is forced to absorb the cost. 

[GP1]

43 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

It just hurts schools like Akron more because once this all ends Clemson football will be able to return to printing money, meanwhile, Akron is forced to absorb the cost. 

I was about to type "it can't get any worse for G5 schools" then I remembered it can always get worse. What I will say is I am hoping we are at a low point financially for G5 athletic departments. While I am hoping for that, I am also praying they don't take the easy road and go straight back to begging P5 schools and television networks for money at the expense of the athletes, student bodies, alumni and greater communities enjoying what can be a very good fan experience if they just put SOME thought into it.

[Zip-Grad '13]

There will be no 2020 season folks.  Guarantee it.

[GP1]

https://247sports.com/Article/ncaa-president-mark-emmert-must-be-fired-paul-finebaum-college-football-2020-149253311/ The news is not that he wants the commissioner fired. It's later in the article when he is openly supporting leagues coming together as one. Anyone want to guess which conferences might NOT be included? The NCAA is not set up for this kind of structure so it is also logical to assume there will be certain conferences who might not want to participate in the NCAA any longer (hint: P5 conferences).

[94zipgrad]

4 hours ago, Zip-Grad '13 said:

There will be no 2020 season folks.  Guarantee it.

I tend to believe you but they will wait as long as they can & will try very hard as it is so important in so many ways for schools, students, communities & the overall economy.  So much money they want to at least try

[Kangaroo Craig]

6 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

If Clemson was willing to pay Akron something in the neighborhood of $1.2 million, between ticket sales, concessions, parking, tv rights, etc. they were making $5+ million from this game. Not having these games hurts everyone. It just hurts schools like Akron more because once this all ends Clemson football will be able to return to printing money, meanwhile, Akron is forced to absorb the cost. 

I was just thinking the exact same thing.

[GP1]

http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2020/07/17/pw-exclusive-unc-system-exploring-worst-case-scenario-budget-cuts-of-up-to-50/?utm_source={title}&utm_medium=socialbuttons&utm_campaign={network}

Misery loves company. 

[LZIp]

Worth taking a look at. We aren't even as bad as some others in our conference let alone the rest of the nation. We just get the publicity because the football team and university's recent failures.

https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances

Edited July 17, 2020 by LZIp

[NWAkron]

22 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Worth taking a look at. We aren't even as bad as some others in our conference let alone the rest of the nation. We just get the publicity because the football team and university's recent failures.

https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances

and I would add that while Churchill said something like never let a good crisis go to waste this isn't the time to panic and make a drastic decision like moving to D2.  COVID will eventually go away and football and sports will be back again.

[Spin]

And who knows, maybe Tom will turn the program around.

 

Stranger things have happened...

[Zip-Grad '13]

On 7/17/2020 at 8:07 PM, NWAkron said:

and I would add that while Churchill said something like never let a good crisis go to waste this isn't the time to panic and make a drastic decision like moving to D2.  COVID will eventually go away and football and sports will be back again.

I tend to view it from a different perspective; that this crisis is exposing what was already broken. Nothing in college athletics was sustainable as is many of the things in our economy.  Having record $-billion profits one quarter and then you're asking for a $-billion bailout the next quarter is a perfect example of whatever has been happening is fundamentally broken.  

And if you come out of a global crisis without fixing/making substantial change to what was broken...you're setting yourself up for worse.

 

On 7/17/2020 at 2:30 PM, 94zipgrad said:

I tend to believe you but they will wait as long as they can & will try very hard as it is so important in so many ways for schools, students, communities & the overall economy.  So much money they want to at least try

I totally agree with this.  Cancelling OOC games in an attempt to make it look like they're trying.  I'd wager that most in the room though know the decision is going to be inevitable.  It does suck because we're in uncharted territory.  And unfortunately everyone who remembers the last one is dead.

[Zipmeister]

On 7/17/2020 at 9:59 PM, Spin said:

And who knows, maybe Tom will turn the program around.

 

Stranger things have happened...

 

I can't think of one.

[Hilltopper]

3 hours ago, Zip-Grad '13 said:

I tend to view it from a different perspective; that this crisis is exposing what was already broken. Nothing in college athletics was sustainable as is many of the things in our economy.  Having record $-billion profits one quarter and then you're asking for a $-billion bailout the next quarter is a perfect example of whatever has been happening is fundamentally broken.  

And if you come out of a global crisis without fixing/making substantial change to what was broken...you're setting yourself up for worse. 

I certainly hope you didn't graduate with a degree in business or economics. 

[GP1]

On 7/17/2020 at 8:07 PM, NWAkron said:

and I would add that while Churchill said something like never let a good crisis go to waste this isn't the time to panic and make a drastic decision like moving to D2.  COVID will eventually go away and football and sports will be back again.

Sports will be back again, but it can't possibly come back the way it was before. 

 

An old business saying is, "What got us here won't get us there".  Normal that applies to a growing, successful business. However, the opposite is true for the MAC.  G5 schools desperately need to do something different. It isn't FCS or D2, but it's something they need to figure out. A new division?... Maybe. Remaining in the largest division when the P5 schools go their own way?.... Maybe. I'd prefer G5 schools to take the initiative instead of waiting to get dumped and then in full panic. Being proactive is the key. 

[Spin]

On 7/16/2020 at 11:18 AM, Spin said:

The first casualty, the scholarship MIAC(?) conference, just cancelled the 2020 football season.

 

Followed by the SWAC

 

California says high school sports won't start before December.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Spin

[Zip-Grad '13]

On 7/19/2020 at 4:16 PM, Hilltopper said:

I certainly hope you didn't graduate with a degree in business or economics. 

 

I certainly hope you didn't either, because nothing I said was even remotely controversial and is pretty straight forward.  There isn't one master economics theorem, and Economics as a social science is pretty dismal; plagued with bias, lack of reproducibility, and hindsight bias.  And let's not get started on the charlatan charade that is "Business"...

Edited July 23, 2020 by Zip-Grad '13

[The Yo Show]

Big Ten infectious disease task force chair Dr. Chris Kratochvil gives the odds at any Big Ten school playing even a single game at 15%

[NWAkron]

55 minutes ago, The Yo Show said:

Big Ten infectious disease task force chair Dr. Chris Kratochvil gives the odds at any Big Ten school playing even a single game at 15%

They are doing the slow roll cancellation of football and fall sports.  NCAC cancelled all sports.  Division 2 will be next.  Followed by Division 1.  same pattern as in the Spring.  

[LZIp]

https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20200723/university-of-akron-to-form-athletics-task-force-to-review-costs

 

I think the findings will be that the costs aren't that extravagent (outside of Embick's salary) compared to the rest of the MAC/G-5 conferences, in fact, likely lower than the median.*

 

*Outside of the football stadium which nobody can do anything about, was needed and made financial sense at the time it was built, and is significantly cheaper than what it would cost to build today.

[Captain Kangaroo]

5 hours ago, LZIp said:

https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20200723/university-of-akron-to-form-athletics-task-force-to-review-costs

 

I think the findings will be that the costs aren't that extravagent (outside of Embick's salary) compared to the rest of the MAC/G-5 conferences, in fact, likely lower than the median.*

 

*Outside of the football stadium which nobody can do anything about, was needed and made financial sense at the time it was built, and is significantly cheaper than what it would cost to build today.

A few questions:

 

How deep does the task force really need to dig...isn't it as simple as reviewing Akron's budget and comparing it to like-minded programs? It should take roughly 15 minutes?

 

Does anyone on the task force have a vested interest in the finding's outcome?

 

Was anyone on the task force responsible for putting the football program in the hole it's presently in? (i.e. did they sign off on hiring guys like Wistercil, Ianello, etc)?

 

The George Thomas article from a week or so ago pretty much laid it all out. The task force should read it.

[Zip_ME87]

6 hours ago, LZIp said:

*Outside of the football stadium which nobody can do anything about, was needed and made financial sense at the time it was built, and is significantly cheaper than what it would cost to build today.

 

The football stadium was not needed, which implies requirement. Akron could have made the decision to dump football, drop out of the MAC, and join a conference without football...like Gonzaga, Butler, etc. Upon what information do you make the claim that the football stadium made financial sense at the time? Projected attendance because Akron won 1 MAC Championship in 2005 with a 5-3 Conference record? 

 

[NWAkron]

23 minutes ago, Zip_ME87 said:

 

The football stadium was not needed, which implies requirement. Akron could have made the decision to dump football, drop out of the MAC, and join a conference without football...like Gonzaga, Butler, etc. Upon what information do you make the claim that the football stadium made financial sense at the time? Projected attendance because Akron won 1 MAC Championship in 2005 with a 5-3 Conference record? 

 

Please, lets re-litigate this yet again.