Well, there's been a lot of water "under the bridge" the last 10 days at UofL. The University has a new interim President and a new interim AD. And it is clear that Athletics financials (revenue/expenses as well as balance sheet (assets and liabilities) are in horrible shape. It's evident Athletics has been losing money for 5 straight seasons. With the loan(s) which must be repaid and the stretched-out termination payments, Athletics "net gain/loss" over the last ~4.5 fiscal years is around negative $100 million. And ticket sales have dropped significantly in the two revenue sports. In basketball, to unheard of low levels. At this point the arena and stadium are far too large.
So to the UofL BoT and all the UofL stakeholders comes the question "How and to what degree should UofL Athletics be emphasized (or not) in the foreseeable future?" The BoT must wrestle with this. To me, the question is whether or not UofL Athletics should continue to play (or try to play) on the big stage of super major college sports.
The question is asked at a crucial time, internally, for UofL and UofL Athletics. The unique internal pressures at UofL are clear. It's a small public university with a large athletics department. And it is suffering basketball scandal fatigue. It used to be a perennial Top 8 Basketball program. And it is newly minted as a Power FB/BB member.
External athletics pressures come at a time never before seen in college athletics. Momentous changes are already occurring and will continue at an ever-increasing rate and degree ... to provide athletes' additional flexibility and actual monetary pay for athletics work. Most conference commissioners, university presidents and AD's believe athletes will soon become regarded in most ways as employees of the universities. Athletes will have an even more distinctive relationship to universities than the one they have now. They will become a very different breed apart and they will likely be allowed to form unions and to negotiate successfully for a specific and significant portion of the revenue received by the university teams for conducting and broadcasting athletic contests in which they participate.
So the BoT must deal with this.
The BoT needs to be clear to the new President and the new AD exactly what UofL's Athletics objectives are. (All university objectives, not just Athletics, must be made clear as well).
I don't pretend to know what these should be. But I do know they are important to define carefully and clearly. To the President, the AD, the Fans, the Donors, the Partners, all the Departments, the University as a whole, the Students, the Administration, the Educators, to the State, the Governor, the ACC. The list goes on and on.
Some of the Questions that a Statement of UofL Athletics Objectives must answer:
Shall FB/MBB continue to try to operate as big-time programs at UofL? What does "big-time" mean? Define whatever range ($$, W-L, Academics, Championships, etc etc) in which it should attempt to operate and achieve.
Shall the university plan to pay FB/MBB athletes in accordance with forthcoming government requirements, or oppose these requirements or wind-down MBB and FB?
To what degree shall Women's and Olympic Sports continued at UofL (and financed) if MBB/FB revenues are going to continue to be lower?
Shall FB/MBB/Women's/Olympic Sports coaching staffs at UofL aim to pay competitively with "peer" university athletics programs or higher or less? Which ones?
How does the University see itself academically and athletically in terms of competing and/or cooperating with the state's flagship UK?
There are countless objectives which should be considered. The shortest list of them may be the best. All the stakeholders have a right to give inputs.
But ... the BoT needs to define and approve them. And quickly.
So to the UofL BoT and all the UofL stakeholders comes the question "How and to what degree should UofL Athletics be emphasized (or not) in the foreseeable future?" The BoT must wrestle with this. To me, the question is whether or not UofL Athletics should continue to play (or try to play) on the big stage of super major college sports.
The question is asked at a crucial time, internally, for UofL and UofL Athletics. The unique internal pressures at UofL are clear. It's a small public university with a large athletics department. And it is suffering basketball scandal fatigue. It used to be a perennial Top 8 Basketball program. And it is newly minted as a Power FB/BB member.
External athletics pressures come at a time never before seen in college athletics. Momentous changes are already occurring and will continue at an ever-increasing rate and degree ... to provide athletes' additional flexibility and actual monetary pay for athletics work. Most conference commissioners, university presidents and AD's believe athletes will soon become regarded in most ways as employees of the universities. Athletes will have an even more distinctive relationship to universities than the one they have now. They will become a very different breed apart and they will likely be allowed to form unions and to negotiate successfully for a specific and significant portion of the revenue received by the university teams for conducting and broadcasting athletic contests in which they participate.
So the BoT must deal with this.
The BoT needs to be clear to the new President and the new AD exactly what UofL's Athletics objectives are. (All university objectives, not just Athletics, must be made clear as well).
I don't pretend to know what these should be. But I do know they are important to define carefully and clearly. To the President, the AD, the Fans, the Donors, the Partners, all the Departments, the University as a whole, the Students, the Administration, the Educators, to the State, the Governor, the ACC. The list goes on and on.
Some of the Questions that a Statement of UofL Athletics Objectives must answer:
Shall FB/MBB continue to try to operate as big-time programs at UofL? What does "big-time" mean? Define whatever range ($$, W-L, Academics, Championships, etc etc) in which it should attempt to operate and achieve.
Shall the university plan to pay FB/MBB athletes in accordance with forthcoming government requirements, or oppose these requirements or wind-down MBB and FB?
To what degree shall Women's and Olympic Sports continued at UofL (and financed) if MBB/FB revenues are going to continue to be lower?
Shall FB/MBB/Women's/Olympic Sports coaching staffs at UofL aim to pay competitively with "peer" university athletics programs or higher or less? Which ones?
How does the University see itself academically and athletically in terms of competing and/or cooperating with the state's flagship UK?
There are countless objectives which should be considered. The shortest list of them may be the best. All the stakeholders have a right to give inputs.
But ... the BoT needs to define and approve them. And quickly.
