John Shipley: Fire Gophers’ Richard Pitino? It’s not that cut and dried

[Go Gophs]

I don’t care if other athletic programs don’t care about graduation rates or the character of their student-athletes. I care what the University of Minnesota does.

What do you tell your kids or what did your parents tell you when you complained that Johnny’s parents let him stay up til 10 pm so you should be able to stay up late too? The answer is I DGAF what Johnny’s parents do, you are in this household. That argument only works in politics and even there, it is one of the stupidest arguments there is.

The standard should be the standard regardless of what other people or universities do. And I hope the University of Minnesota has reasonably high standards when it comes to things like academics, graduation rates, and the character of its student-athletes. Even if that means the U’s African-American studies program actually requires students to attend class and complete coursework.

It's fine to be this way and blind to how it works.
But expect mediocrity, losing, low caliber players. I'm sorry but Power 5 division 1 sports are not about academics. Really at all. This is how they fund these places. Put fans in the stands, sell merchandise, TV deal, etc, etc.

I didn't say I like it or that it is right, etc, but it is the way it is. Honestly, your type of attitude and the way the U does things like you are saying here, IMO is the reason we are not very good at anything. This is a top 1-3 conference in the land in revenue sports yearly, winning is all that matters whether that is right or wrong.

 

[Go Gophs]

Your lumping everyone at the top together with this flat out lie. There are programs with way higher standards than ours that win at the top.

I'm talking on average. Your view of a few programs that do it the right way 100% and generalizing that to mean that is the way of the rest of them do it, doesn't add up to me.

Yes, of course there are universities that win a ton AND have high academic standards. They are the minority in major college athletics and you know it. I am not talking about anything other than football and basketball.

I want us to do things the right way here. But I am also not blind to the way that it works around most of the NCAA and/or historically winning programs/conferences.