No it wouldn't take long if you had the right people in charge. You're making excuses for these new guys.
I was just asked this "what would you do?" question--AGAIN--on the premium side. And Mark E chafed at the issue because it was "tired and old" and off topic, EVEN THOUGH someone else was asking as if it had never been answered. I have answered your question, and at the risk of angering management, I'll C&P the answer yet one more time...
Presenting a gift this holiday season for the clown apologists. And it will be super fast to repost it anytime someone starts forgetting or attacking...
My approach to gain back the trust of thousands of fans and donors is two-pronged. One element is embracing the past, and the other is true openness and honesty. Unfortunately as time passes, some of these ideas have become obsolete or are heading in that direction.
“Embrace the Past”
1. Settle with Pitino. This is a missed opportunity that would have improved U of L’s image by taking the high road. Arguably, Pitino looks better in the aftermath than U of L does.
2. Bring back Mark Jurich in a university (non-athletic) fund raising capacity. This may already be a missed opportunity and probably will be in another year or so anyway. There’s no certainty at all that Mark would accept, but the benefits are obvious. Many big donors are still out there that he knows, and he serves as a bridge between past and present.
3. Drop the suit against Doc Ramsey. Another opportunity that is running short on time. And consider recognizing the guy for his contributions to the many good things that define the university today.
4. Re-install the championship banners. More obvious benefits.
5. Acknowledge and publicize the accomplishments of Tom Jurich. As with his son, Tom would have to cooperate. But with father and son, there are positive outcomes for U of L simply by making the effort.
[NOTE: Missed opportunities are with respect to U of L gaining from them. Like Pitino dropping his suit, if something occurs without U of L shepherding it, U of L will get little credit from disaffected fans and donors.]
“Openness and Honesty”
What this is NOT is the garbage promulgated by U of L about ethical behavior. And U of L needs to admit what it has tried to do to foster that image and why. No one who matters buys the bull$hit. (Well, maybe "Vince" and his Realtor-daughter...)
1. Issue unaudited quarterly financial reports. No news is NOT good news on our current financials, and we’re getting less and less news. We’re told that meetings now are only held quarterly, yet no info gets published from finance meetings like the good old days.
2. Admit recent mistakes. These are mistakes SINCE the takeover. And public apologies need to be made to the people affected. Most are former staff members.
3. Reach out personally to fans. Apologize to them and openly welcome them back. It's crazy how many people now report bad experiences with U of L buying tickets, improving their "fan experience", etc.
4. Define and execute on Vince’s personal challenge. If this guy wants to rescue his own image, he needs to come clean with these same fans. Acknowledge what his credentials were (not) to get a job he got anyway. Explain why and how that happened. An easy avenue would be to expose key players in his past like Bevin, Gruesome, Postel, and Pizza Guy for who/what they were. They’re all part of that past and can’t hurt him.
The caveat to this newfound honesty would be getting past U of L attorneys. Pending litigation and liability risk could be impediments. If so, those attorneys need to find the way home for U of L and key players like “Vince”. Also, the above points will morph over time as they already have. After a couple more years of decline and fading memories, all of this will be moot.
Do I think anything will happen soon and to a significant degree?...No way. People like “Vince” are too mesmerized by the notion of their own abilities to admit anything close to these inadequacies and misconduct. But that’s not my problem to overcome. This is the path to get a meaningful percentage of alienated U of L people back in the boat. And the truth will be a problem for the very people we need it from…
He really is a die hard Cards fan that just has a beef(s) that goes back prior to even the takeover(coup). Since the takeover, he's rabid about a long list of things.
