Maturi: No major gifts but money is coming in for practice facility

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Swede said:
The non-revenue sports are a cancer to this low budget athletic department.
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This Neanderthal group-think by guys like you really gets old. We're a charter member of perhaps the most prestigious athletic and academic conference in the country. All of these schools have a belief that athletics are important at least partly because they provide a unique way for students to improve themselves. Along with that, there is the belief that there should be as many opportunities as possible because of the value of athletics. I'm happy that the U and the conference as a whole pays more than lip service to that. It's more than a win in football so you can feel good about yourself, or be proud to wear your maroon and gold, or have bragging rights over a cousin in Wisconsin.

Now I know that has no impact on a deep thinker like yourself. So if you look at the sports offered and the revenue taken in by Big Ten schools, you will see something interesting. Accounting differs from school to school, but we're not low budget. We're 7th at 73 million in revenue, with 4 schools below us. In sports offered, we're tied for 5th with Wisconsin offering 23 sports. The top revenue schools offer the most sports. Ohio State with 123 million offers 31 sports and they're followed by Penn State with 106 million and 29 sports. The schools below us in revenue all offer fewer sports. Northwestern takes in 48 million and offers 19 sports. There's a pretty strong correlation in this conference between athletic revenue and number of sports offered. Michigan and Purdue, for what they take in, could offer more sports, but we're not out of line comparing the sports offered to our revenue.

Having the right coach and establishing a winning tradition in a sport are what's important. It's sort of ignorant to keep blaming non-revenue sports for our lack of success in football and basketball when simply looking at some numbers indicates we're in line with what other schools are doing. But, hey, don't let that hold you back from deciding what is cancerous.
 

Mulligan said:
This Neanderthal group-think by guys like you really gets old. We're a charter member of perhaps the most prestigious athletic and academic conference in the country. All of these schools have a belief that athletics are important at least partly because they provide a unique way for students to improve themselves. Along with that, there is the belief that there should be as many opportunities as possible because of the value of athletics. I'm happy that the U and the conference as a whole pays more than lip service to that. It's more than a win in football so you can feel good about yourself, or be proud to wear your maroon and gold, or have bragging rights over a cousin in Wisconsin.

Now I know that has no impact on a deep thinker like yourself. So if you look at the sports offered and the revenue taken in by Big Ten schools, you will see something interesting. Accounting differs from school to school, but we're not low budget. We're 7th at 73 million in revenue, with 4 schools below us. In sports offered, we're tied for 5th with Wisconsin offering 23 sports. The top revenue schools offer the most sports. Ohio State with 123 million offers 31 sports and they're followed by Penn State with 106 million and 29 sports. The schools below us in revenue all offer fewer sports. Northwestern takes in 48 million and offers 19 sports. There's a pretty strong correlation in this conference between athletic revenue and number of sports offered. Michigan and Purdue, for what they take in, could offer more sports, but we're not out of line comparing the sports offered to our revenue.

Having the right coach and establishing a winning tradition in a sport are what's important. It's sort of ignorant to keep blaming non-revenue sports for our lack of success in football and basketball when simply looking at some numbers indicates we're in line with what other schools are doing. But, hey, don't let that hold you back from deciding what is cancerous.
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Completely agree. Most folks who act like dropping everything not named football, basketball and hockey will magically improve everything really haven't got a clue. It's the difference between institutional philosophy and fan philosophy. Institutional philosophy supports the notion that sports is part of the educational experience, which is why every major Division 1 school in the country has so many sports. Fan philosophy is that we need to win in football, basketball and hockey and if we're not, we need to dump everything we don't personally follow because we want the teams we do follow to win. Therein lies the difference imo.
 

The problem is that the other schools (for the most part) are replacing an old practice facility. I wish that were the case for us.

Mulligan said:
Ah, that's just you guys. Here it's much more convenient to blame Maturi and ignore economic realities. We have a virtual cadre of economists and professional fund-raisers and big time donors on GopherHole available if only Maturi would listen to them.
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Molitor, Winfield, Steinbach and other professional Gopher baseball alumni have donated nice money to build the baseball stadium. Even Pohlad wrote a check. So the question is...where is our former Gopher basketball alumni at? Come on Kris holler at the Kim. We can call it Kardashain Hall. Think of all the perverts and Ray-J who would visit the facility just to walk down her halls. [snare drum, kick] Seriously though, seems like baseball and football alumni have been more of the givers to the U where in basketball that has not been the case. Maybe McHale can be our Carmelo? (Melo donated 3 Mill to the Cuse for their new practice facility.) Maybe more organization with the basketball alumni would help with the problem.
 

It's somewhat difficult for me to say this as a hard-core Gopher hoops fan, but if the U has to make a decision on which one comes first (not sure if that's the case), I hope John Anderson gets his baseball stadium before Gopher hoops gets their practice facility. The man and his program deserve it. (And no, I don't think Gopher hoops will sink into oblivion until the practice facility is built)
 



I do. we are 1 bad recruiting class in 2012 away from being bottom of the conference feeders. whos gonna carry us in 2013? sophmore andre hollins and no body else?
 

Thank God most of the pro-baseball crowd on Gopher Hole do not run busienesses in this town. They probably do work for a Government agency or a school district where there are no economic priorities or financial accountablity. If Minnesota has 20M to spend on a facility, basketball has a higher fiscal priority for the University than baseball. That is a fact. Also, the positive revenues attributed to baseball are a rounding error comapred to football and basketball. Once our major sports programs become comptitive and fiscally healthy, then we can look at minor sports capital considerations. Circa OSU and PSU....Until that happens, I am sorry folks, the emotion for baseball is great to hear but difficult business decisions are needed for difficult times.
 

Go Gophs eh? said:
I do. we are 1 bad recruiting class in 2012 away from being bottom of the conference feeders. whos gonna carry us in 2013? sophmore andre hollins and no body else?
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Unbelievable. Simply beyond belief.

2009 class will have Williams. 2011 JuCo recruit (Welch?) also.

2010 class will have Hollins, Walker, Eliason, Osenieks, Armelin and Ahanmisi.

2011 class will have Hollins and Coleman.

2012 class will have 3 recruits (as yet unknown).
 



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