It is TIme for Fundamental Change at the U of M

[millions2spare]

These are difficult decisions and tough times for the U of M. Let's look at this as an opportunity to reset and get back on track after 50 years of mediocrtiy. We have a top notch football facility, a Great area and University, and a fan base who will back a winner. These are tough and unpopular necessary steps that will be unpopular with the core Gopher elites but we need to make difficult decisions that can set this Athletic Department in a positive direction.


First, we need new leadership who focus on creating best of breed Revenue producing Sports. These include Football, Mens Basketball, Womens basketball, and Hockey. They need to be comitted to winning and success on the field creating a program that can support that objective. I am talking Cultural change not only changes in leadership.

Second , we need to hire the right AD and Football coach. Also, Get Tubby Smiths Extension and facility completed ASAP or we will be looking for a new BBall coach too.


Difficult Choices:
We need to cut baseball, Golf, volleyball,womens rowing, swimming, and possibly track. Most Minnesotans don't give a rats ass about anything other than the BIG Visible sports. Its a State University funded by Tax dollars so the rank and file Citizen has as valid say. These sports that get cut can be handled as club sports to satisfy student desire to particiapte. Note, Cuts have to be made to made to comply with title 9 requiremnts. Follow the lead of the successful schools....texas, Wisky, Florida., etc. Each program should have to stand on its own from a profit/loss standpoint and fit the title 9 reqs. It is a tough Balancing act with title 9, but with the right leadership, It can be done and has been done. This is necessary and unpopular. What would you rather have, mediocrity in the sports people care about or a kick ass football, basketball, and hockey program focussed on winning? Lets make Gopher Sports relevent again.

 

[MRJ]

These are difficult decisions and tough times for the U of M. Let's look at this as an opportunity to reset and get back on track after 50 years of mediocrtiy. We have a top notch football facility, a Great area and University, and a fan base who will back a winner. These are tough and unpopular necessary steps that will be unpopular with the core Gopher elites but we need to make difficult decisions that can set this Athletic Department in a positive direction.


First, we need new leadership who focus on creating best of breed Revenue producing Sports. These include Football, Mens Basketball, Womens basketball, and Hockey. They need to be comitted to winning and success on the field creating a program that can support that objective. I am talking Cultural change not only changes in leadership.

Second , we need to hire the right AD and Football coach. Also, Get Tubby Smiths Extension and facility completed ASAP or we will be looking for a new BBall coach too.


Difficult Choices:
We need to cut baseball, Golf, volleyball,womens rowing, swimming, and possibly track. Most Minnesotans don't give a rats ass about anything other than the BIG Visible sports. Its a State University funded by Tax dollars so the rank and file Citizen has as valid say. These sports that get cut can be handled as club sports to satisfy student desire to particiapte. Note, Cuts have to be made to made to comply with title 9 requiremnts. Follow the lead of the successful schools....texas, Wisky, Florida., etc. Each program should have to stand on its own from a profit/loss standpoint and fit the title 9 reqs. It is a tough Balancing act with title 9, but with the right leadership, It can be done and has been done. This is necessary and unpopular. What would you rather have, mediocrity in the sports people care about or a kick ass football, basketball, and hockey program focussed on winning? Lets make Gopher Sports relevent again.

Nice to see you're back on that ridiculous soapbox again. (this is your cue to accuse me of not wanting to win and accepting mediocrity).

 

[gophersfan]

These are difficult decisions and tough times for the U of M. Let's look at this as an opportunity to reset and get back on track after 50 years of mediocrtiy. We have a top notch football facility, a Great area and University, and a fan base who will back a winner. These are tough and unpopular necessary steps that will be unpopular with the core Gopher elites but we need to make difficult decisions that can set this Athletic Department in a positive direction.


First, we need new leadership who focus on creating best of breed Revenue producing Sports. These include Football, Mens Basketball, Womens basketball, and Hockey. They need to be comitted to winning and success on the field creating a program that can support that objective. I am talking Cultural change not only changes in leadership.

Second , we need to hire the right AD and Football coach. Also, Get Tubby Smiths Extension and facility completed ASAP or we will be looking for a new BBall coach too.


Difficult Choices:
We need to cut baseball, Golf, volleyball,womens rowing, swimming, and possibly track. Most Minnesotans don't give a rats ass about anything other than the BIG Visible sports. Its a State University funded by Tax dollars so the rank and file Citizen has as valid say. These sports that get cut can be handled as club sports to satisfy student desire to particiapte. Note, Cuts have to be made to made to comply with title 9 requiremnts. Follow the lead of the successful schools....texas, Wisky, Florida., etc. Each program should have to stand on its own from a profit/loss standpoint and fit the title 9 reqs. It is a tough Balancing act with title 9, but with the right leadership, It can be done and has been done. This is necessary and unpopular. What would you rather have, mediocrity in the sports people care about or a kick ass football, basketball, and hockey program focussed on winning? Lets make Gopher Sports relevent again.

I have to disagree with you on cutting Baseball. There is no way Baseball should ever be cut and it won't get cut. Volleyball is another sport that i don't see ever getting cut.

 

[minimax]

Uggg!

Separate and apart from the dumbness and small-mindedness of your ideas on this matter, would you kindly turn off whatever random word capitalization software you're running. It makes your post nearly unreadable.

 

[Letsgogophers]

If you cut all those sports, Minnesota won't quality as a D-1 School Do you want to move down?

 

[millions2spare]

Minipad: Are you saying that we should continue to do the same as we have done the past 50 years and expect different results? I think you are a dumb ass and pull your head out of it. Look at what Bob Stein has to say.........You can make cuts, remain d1, and comply with title 9. It just takes leadership that you know nothing about.

 

[Zales04]

Yes, lets cut all the womens' sports and then go bankrupt in a Title IX lawsuit, just what the U needs right now. Are you serious?

 

[millions2spare]

hey freak...read the post....you have to cut it and remain complient with title 9....It can be done...does Wisky have a golf and baseball?? You cannot continue to do the same crap we have done the past 50 years and expect different results....time for fundamental change........

 

[station19]

hey freak...read the post....you have to cut it and remain complient with title 9....It can be done...does Wisky have a golf and baseball?? You cannot continue to do the same crap we have done the past 50 years and expect different results....time for fundamental change........

Where is Missed-Layup when you need him.

 

[ChiGopher]

Clown

hey freak...read the post....you have to cut it and remain complient with title 9....It can be done...does Wisky have a golf and baseball?? You cannot continue to do the same crap we have done the past 50 years and expect different results....time for fundamental change........

Oh, great leadership guru: thanks for pointing this out! I'm sure these are options never before considered by the administration at Minnesota. Clearly, these bleeding hearts are simply looking for the next tree to hug.

First of all, if you want to take a queue for what you site as "successful" athletic programs (e.g. Texas, Florida, et al), you'll also notice those schools have plenty of non-rev, Olympic programs - and successful ones at that. Florida and Texas are annually among the top-10 in the country in both men's and women's swimming. Same can be said for men's golf at Florida. I'm sure those schools' other non-rev sports are competitive as well, but I'm not going to put the time into the research.

Women's crew is in place at Minnesota so that the athletic department CAN comply with Title IX. If you yank a women's sport, you have to yank an equal # of men's scholarships.

I'm all for constructive criticism of the 'U' athletic department and also for a cultural change, but your argument ignores facts and NCAA rules. Do your homework.

 

[highwayman]

hey freak...read the post....you have to cut it and remain complient with title 9....It can be done...does Wisky have a golf and baseball?? You cannot continue to do the same crap we have done the past 50 years and expect different results....time for fundamental change........

Getting rid of other sports is not the answer. Wisconsin getting rid of baseball and golf had no correlation to the success of football. The fundamental changes should be:

1) Hire a school president that is a 100% football guy (or gal).
2) Hire an AD that is a 100% football guy; decisive and strong. Understands that it takes money to make money.
3) Hire an experienced DI coach. Money is no object. A few wealthy boosters could add $1 million a year to the pot for the first 3 years.
4) Charge more for football tickets. Our tickets are very cheap by NCAA and Big Ten standards. $5 more per ticket brings in $1,750,000 per year. I'll pay the $35 a year, $3 a month, $0.67 a week, etc...
5) This all helps instill the belief that "as the football team goes, so does the rest of the program". Without a sucessful, money making football team, the other sports will suffer. The other coaches should understand this. This would make the athletic program stronger, not weaker. It's called comraderie...

There's probably more....

 

[gopherdudepart2]

Some of the sports your talking about cutting do not cost that much

Volleyball, seriously they are a perennial winner have good coaching and they sell tickets, that is an almost break even program. Golf I could almost agree with but they do not cost that much money to begin with. Golf and baseball would be the two cut's you would have to take a long hard look at as they seem to be the two programs you could save real dollars.

Baseball is tough, but that might be one area you could make a hard decision and save money as they need a new facility, don't have the money and the Metrodome's future is uncertain. Would I like it no, but it is an area if you were not looking at it emotionally that you could cut loose and save money. Rowing I could see cutting for this simple reason, it has expenditures that do not seem to make sense and there are not a lot of varsity high school rowing programs or even club groups that you could draw athletes to. This is a sport that is almost a no brain er to get rid of because there is not a lot of connection or history for this sport at Minnesota. You could probably start a woman's Lacrosse program with that budget and make more sense, get's another use out of TCF stadium field and you have competitive programs in the Big 10.

 

[Zales04]

Rowing I could see cutting for this simple reason, it has expenditures that do not seem to make sense and there are not a lot of varsity high school rowing programs or even club groups that you could draw athletes to. This is a sport that is almost a no brainer to get rid of because there is not a lot of connection or history for this sport at Minnesota.

Rowing was added simply because it has the largest number of women in the program. You need a large "sport" like that to try and balance the football team. It's a necessary evil. If you get rid of rowing, then you have to cut men's sports and/or replace rowing with 2-3 other women's sports. Imagine the cost in that now!

If the football team was more successful on the field and making a ton more money from ticket sales/merchandise this wouldn't be an issue. It would help if a portion of the event rate for parking went to the AD instead of Parking, but that is a problem I see in any company with a number of departments, everybody wants that money in their pot, whether they are responsible for bringing it in or not.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

I know rowing was added because it was large

Just does not seem to fit at the U, not a good competitive balance or recruiting base. I know you could say the same about football, but you have to have the latter. Rowing you could replace with Lacrosse has larger numbers of local participation, future growing sport and would cost less in scholarship dollars and still field a large team, just it is a good candidate to be replaced.

 

[station19]

Rowing was added simply because it has the largest number of women in the program. You need a large "sport" like that to try and balance the football team. It's a necessary evil. If you get rid of rowing, then you have to cut men's sports and/or replace rowing with 2-3 other women's sports. Imagine the cost in that now!

If the football team was more successful on the field and making a ton more money from ticket sales/merchandise this wouldn't be an issue. It would help if a portion of the event rate for parking went to the AD instead of Parking, but that is a problem I see in any company with a number of departments, everybody wants that money in their pot, whether they are responsible for bringing it in or not.

That is one of my pet peeves.

 

[phipedes]

These are difficult decisions and tough times for the U of M. Let's look at this as an opportunity to reset and get back on track after 50 years of mediocrtiy. We have a top notch football facility, a Great area and University, and a fan base who will back a winner. These are tough and unpopular necessary steps that will be unpopular with the core Gopher elites but we need to make difficult decisions that can set this Athletic Department in a positive direction.


First, we need new leadership who focus on creating best of breed Revenue producing Sports. These include Football, Mens Basketball, Womens basketball, and Hockey. They need to be comitted to winning and success on the field creating a program that can support that objective. I am talking Cultural change not only changes in leadership.

Second , we need to hire the right AD and Football coach. Also, Get Tubby Smiths Extension and facility completed ASAP or we will be looking for a new BBall coach too.


Difficult Choices:
We need to cut baseball, Golf, volleyball,womens rowing, swimming, and possibly track. Most Minnesotans don't give a rats ass about anything other than the BIG Visible sports. Its a State University funded by Tax dollars so the rank and file Citizen has as valid say. These sports that get cut can be handled as club sports to satisfy student desire to particiapte. Note, Cuts have to be made to made to comply with title 9 requiremnts. Follow the lead of the successful schools....texas, Wisky, Florida., etc. Each program should have to stand on its own from a profit/loss standpoint and fit the title 9 reqs. It is a tough Balancing act with title 9, but with the right leadership, It can be done and has been done. This is necessary and unpopular. What would you rather have, mediocrity in the sports people care about or a kick ass football, basketball, and hockey program focussed on winning? Lets make Gopher Sports relevent again.

You are an idiot.

 

[TAW]

FWIW, UW did not cut golf. Baseball was cut and, I think, fencing and gymnastics.

 

[Mulligan]

You are an idiot.

Idea or writing skills? Never mind. Rhetorical question.

 

[go4gopher]

A good D-1 Athletic Department is the best entertainment value the Tax-Payers of Minnesota can ever wish to have. Hell, Brett Favre's salary alone is a scoache below the entire budget of the Wisconsin or Iowa football programs (exceeding that of ours). The Vikings payroll of $144 MM coupled with the Twins (near $96 MM), the Wild ($58 MM), and the T-Wolves ($45 MM) totals nearly $0.34 BILLION DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!

More often than not, a majority of these people do not call Minnesota their home. From an economic perspective, this vastly erodes the multiplier effect. What does this mean, you ask? It's like paying people to come here and entertain us for a few months and watch them take our money away for good! They are lean on administrative expenses, employ a very few here in town, and dependent on the leagues for marketing and brand development support. In my opinion, this is not a sustainable societal model.

---

Most importantly, a segment of the citizenry (far too large in size) has embraced their "Minnesota Identity" in these local 'franchises.' This is a distrubing phenomenon to me.

 

[50PoundHead]

hey freak...read the post....you have to cut it and remain complient with title 9....It can be done...does Wisky have a golf and baseball?? You cannot continue to do the same crap we have done the past 50 years and expect different results....time for fundamental change........

Did Wisconsin ever win a national title in baseball? Did Wisconsin ever have an NCAA medalist in golf? Don't know. Just asking. I know that the U of M does.

I don't see any issue with keeping things pretty much the way they are.

 

[washgopher]

taxpayers? I thought by Minnesota state law that the athletic departments at all state schools must be self funded, so cutting any sport does not benefit the taxpayers

 

[1981gopher]

why not go get donna shalala when the president retires since we're talking about a culture change. every wisconsin fan i know says she was the reason the badgers ever got their crap together in the revenue sports. came in, determined their football team was a joke and a black eye to the university, told the board of regents she was cleaning house and i think it worked out pretty well for them.

 

[maroonfive]

To have a successful athletic department

you don't cut sports, you win. I posted this before but in the Big Ten the Gophers are in the middle of the pack as far as team sports. Wisconsin may have cut but they still have one team more than Minnesota.
I was hoping that the U would add sports. Because of title 9 it is not possible but Minnesota would be a power in Mens soccer if they had a team. You would have to be an idiot to even suggest that we cut baseball or any team for that matter. We could cut sports and join Iowa State in the Big 12 or whatever it is going to be called.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RodentRampage]

It's not as if we don't have any money. We just need to make better choices. We have the new stadium, and that is bringing in revenues that we didn't have when we are at the Metrodome. Rowing it Title IX compliance on the cheap. People keep talking about Wisconsin not having baseball as a reason to cut sports, but the fatal flaw in that argument is that Wisconsin has men's soccer. They simply chose to have one sport instead of the other, we have chosen baseball, they chose men's soccer. We don't have field hockey and men's soccer like many other Big Ten schools have.

The idea that we pay the taxes for the U, so the taxpayers get to determine what sports the U offers is ridiculous. First of all, the people of this state are in fact not clamoring for elimination of non-revenue sports. Secondly, the state constitution gives the U autonomy, the legislature can't tell them to cut sports.

 

[station19]

The idea that we pay the taxes for the U, so the taxpayers get to determine what sports the U offers is ridiculous. First of all, the people of this state are in fact not clamoring for elimination of non-revenue sports. Secondly, the state constitution gives the U autonomy, the legislature can't tell them to cut sports.

For the record; state funding for the U in 1978 was 43%, presently it is 18%.


Secondly, the state constitution gives the U autonomy, the legislature can't tell them to cut sports.[/QUOTE]..............or where to sell alcohol.

 

[jovs]

I have to disagree with you on cutting Baseball. There is no way Baseball should ever be cut and it won't get cut. Volleyball is another sport that i don't see ever getting cut.

Okay keep baseball but:

Allocating a dime to a new baseball stadium, please, should be about the same priority as maintaining the intramural fields, only it serves the university community less.

Don't let me hear how the baseball coach is underpaid.

I'd be curious to see what percent of the Athletic Department Budget deficit can be attributed to baseball. That should drive the decision on that sport and any sport.

 

[jovs]

taxpayers? I thought by Minnesota state law that the athletic departments at all state schools must be self funded, so cutting any sport does not benefit the taxpayers

Why do you think having a successfull football program is so important. The athletic department is not nearly self funded, it draws huge amounts of money from the U's budget.

 

[RodentRampage]

Why do you think having a successfull football program is so important. The athletic department is not nearly self funded, it draws huge amounts of money from the U's budget.

No, it doesn't.

 

[millions2spare]

ANYONE ready to get on the FIRE Joel bandwagon yet?

I have been on this anti-Joel mantra for over a year. I can see exactly what is going on at the U. Joel is Over matched and out of his league. We will NEVER become a top tier Athletic school with Joel at the helm. We may say good bye to Tubby with this move.

 

[Oneoldgopher]

For the record; state funding for the U in 1978 was 43%, presently it is 18%.


Secondly, the state constitution gives the U autonomy, the legislature can't tell them to cut sports.

..............or where to sell alcohol.[/QUOTE]

Sec. 3. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. All the rights, immunities, franchises and endowments heretofore granted or conferred upon the University of Minnesota are perpetuated unto the university.

Where in this section does the word 'autonomy' show up. Nowhere. This has more to do with the land grant status of the U prior to the statehood of Minnesota than it does whether it has the right to control the law of the state.

Nor does the Minnesota Constitution carve out the land grant area. It reads:

"Section 1. NAME AND BOUNDARIES; ACCEPTANCE OF ORGANIC ACT. This state shall be called the state of Minnesota and shall consist of and have jurisdiction over the territory embraced in the act of Congress entitled, "An act to authorize the people of the Territory of Minnesota to form a constitution and state government, preparatory to their admission into the Union on equal footing with the original states," and the propositions contained in that act are hereby accepted, ratified and confirmed, and remain irrevocable without the consent of the United States."

Nor does the Act to authorize the people of the Territory of Minnesota. It reads in its entirety:

"CONGRESSIONAL ACT OF ADMISSION INTO THE UNION
CONGRESSIONAL ACT FOR THE ADMISSION OF MINNESOTA INTO THE UNION. [Passed May 11, 1858.]
Whereas, An act of Congress was passed February twenty-sixth, eighteen hundred and fifty-seven, entitled “An act to authorize the people of the Territory of Minnesota to form a constitution and state government preparatory to their admission into the Union on an
equal footing with the original states”; and, whereas, the people of said Territory did, on the twenty-ninth day of August, eighteen hundred and fifty-seven, by delegates elected for that purpose, form for themselves a constitution and state government, which is republican in form, and was ratified and adopted by the people at an election held on the thirteenth day of October, eighteen hundred and fifty-seven, for that purpose; therefore, Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the State of Minnesota shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one, of the United States of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states in all respects whatever.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That said State shall be entitled to two representatives in Congress, until the next apportionment of representatives among the several states.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That from and after the admission of the State of Minnesota, as hereinbefore provided, all the laws of the United States which are not locally inapplicable shall have the same force and effect within that State as in other States of the Union; and the said State is hereby constituted a judicial district of the United States, within which a district court, with like powers and jurisdiction as the district court of the United States for the district of Iowa, shall be established; the judge, attorney and marshal of the United States of the said district of Minnesota shall reside within the same, and shall be entitled to the same compensation as
the judge, attorney and marshal of the district of Iowa; and in all cases of appeal or writ of error heretofore prosecuted and now pending in the supreme court of the United States, upon any record from the supreme court of Minnesota Territory, the mandate of execution or order of further proceedings shall be directed by the supreme court of the United States to the district court of the United States for the district of Minnesota, or to the supreme court of the State of Minnesota, as the nature of such appeal or writ of error may require; and each of those courts shall be the successor of the supreme court of Minnesota Territory, as to all such cases, with full power to hear and determine the same, and to award mesne or final process therein.

Again, no mention of the UofM in authorizing the State of Minnesota. The Congress, thereby intended the U to be subject to the laws of the State of Minnesota, and all the powers therein.

The State Constitution in Section 3 allowed the University of Minnesota to continue, as was authorized in its land grant status.

As for the Morrill Land Grant, '.--AN ACT Donating Public Lands to the several States and Territories which may provide Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts" did not confer unto the University any powers other than to hold lands, bonds, etc, in order to finance at least one college. It was a trust established to fund the Univesity and report improvements to the federal government as a result of the trust.

So, having read and posted the basis of rights to the University of Minnesota, where does it say the U has "autonomy" from the rights conferred to it from the Congress of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Minnesota?

I ask you sir, because you have not provided any evidence to the contrary.