Tweets Thompson turned down AD job

[4four4]

IMO, there is way more job security in being a commish like Delaney than a AD at any school in the country.

 

[RodentRampage]

IMO, there is way more job security in being a commish like Delaney than a AD at any school in the country.

You don't often hear people calling for the conference commissioner to be fired, do you?

 

[Dr.Don]

You don't often hear people calling for the conference commissioner to be fired, do you?

Now you have done it, Rodent. Damn you, the commentors on GopherHole will now start a 1,000 post thread about firing Delaney.

 

[highwayman]

Conference Commissioner > Athletic Director

Your argument isn't showing in anyway how Athletic Director is a promotion from Conference Commissioner. If you look at pay, here are the comparisons between Thomspon and Maturi
Maturi's $351,900 annual salary
Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, $597,000

There was an article saying what the school would be the new AD, and wasn't it somewhere in the 400k range?

I'm sorry, but anyone that thinks a Conference Comissioner job is tougher than an AD job ain't thinkin' about what the jobs entail.

The pay factor is a non-factor. They pay him more because there are 8-10 schools instead of one paying his salary. They are only paying $50-60K each...

I still think this guy is a complete dope.

 

[Lakeville Goldy]

Wasn't Kaler the only candidate for the Prez. job? Maybe the committee and Kaler wanted Thompson to be the candidate and he said no. I started the posted just based on twitter rumor I saw. That doesn't mean I believe it as fact. Chances are it is nothing since media hasn't picked up on it at this point. Ryan James is a writer for GI and involved in the basketball community.

The state law says all finalists' names must be made public, but it doesn't define how many finalists there are. So since folks who don't get the job don't necessarily want their names published, what they did was name Kaler the only finalist.

I believe the Pioneer Press sued claiming the U skirted the law (possibly other news agencies joined in on the suit), but I believe the suit was dismissed since the U followed the letter of the law.

In other words, don't be surprised if we only have one "finalist" for the AD job, also.

 

[Killjoy]

You don't often hear people calling for the conference commissioner to be fired, do you?

I find that surprising since conference teams win only 50% of their games against other members of their conference. That is nothing to brag about.

 

[dpodoll68]

I'm sorry, but anyone that thinks a Conference Comissioner job is tougher than an AD job ain't thinkin' about what the jobs entail.

That may be true, but that doesn't mean that moving from a commissioner job to an AD job would be a "massive promotion".

The pay factor is a non-factor. They pay him more because there are 8-10 schools instead of one paying his salary. They are only paying $50-60K each...

No, it isn't a non-factor. They pay him more than the ADs because he is their boss. If any of them got his job, it would be a promotion for them. Jim Delany gets paid more than any of the Big Ten ADs because he is their boss.

I still think this guy is a complete dope.

And you are entitled to that opinion. Many fans of MWC schools share your opinion. But it still doesn't mean that taking the Minnesota job would be a "massive promotion".

 

[zman]

I find that surprising since conference teams win only 50% of their games against other members of their conference. That is nothing to brag about.

Love it.

 

[highwayman]

That may be true, but that doesn't mean that moving from a commissioner job to an AD job would be a "massive promotion".

I meant for a guy with his limited background--job difficulty-wise. I think he'd be way over his head.

No, it isn't a non-factor. They pay him more than the ADs because he is their boss. If any of them got his job, it would be a promotion for them. Jim Delany gets paid more than any of the Big Ten ADs because he is their boss.

He is not the AD's boss. He's basically their equal. I doubt if the Commissioner can tell one AD "what to do." If the schools didn't like him, they can fire him, just like the AD can be fired by his school. I'd say he's an approximate equal in stature, lesser in responsibility.

And you are entitled to that opinion. Many fans of MWC schools share your opinion. But it still doesn't mean that taking the Minnesota job would be a "massive promotion".

As I said above, it would be for this putz. He's a self-promoting putz, who's not really accomplished much. That's my opinion, of course.

 

[Iceland12]

Anybody who's name was mentioned anywhere and isn't named A.D. will claim that they "turned the job down". All but one or two of them will be lying. Maybe they all will be.

 

[Dr.Don]

Anybody who's name was mentioned anywhere and isn't named A.D. will claim that they "turned the job down". All but one or two of them will be lying. Maybe they all will be.

re: turning the job down...That individual won't necessarily say anything, but there will be lots of commentors here on GopherHole that will claim that they "heard from a reliable source close to the situation..."

 

[wels0081]

Conference Commissioner > Athletic Director

Your argument isn't showing in anyway how Athletic Director is a promotion from Conference Commissioner. If you look at pay, here are the comparisons between Thomspon and Maturi
Maturi's $351,900 annual salary
Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, $597,000

There was an article saying what the school would be the new AD, and wasn't it somewhere in the 400k range?

You're assuming all that matters is money and once you $400k, I don't know how much that extra $190k matters. This isn't like a 40k/year employee bumping up to a $250k/year position. (yes, I realize $190k is a TON of money)

Personally, if I were commissioner of any conference and the Minnesota job came open, I'd consider it a huge promotion. That may be unique but I love the university and see a ton of potential. If you start selling out TCF and growing that brand into something matters, the money will come soon enough.

 

[matt]

I meant for a guy with his limited background--job difficulty-wise. I think he'd be way over his head.

Job difficulty does not dictate the "level" of a job. I am sure the Commander-in-Chief, President Obama, "with his limited background--job difficulty-wise" does not know how to be an infantry soldier in combat, but there is no question that Obama has the more important job (and it would absolutely be a promotion if the infantry soldier became Commander-in-Chief). Similarly, conference commissioners may not have the same problems and may not have as difficult of a job as AD's, but conference commissioners make far more important and far reaching decisions that affect a dozen or more schools. Jim Delany took a big risk when he created the Big Ten Network and it could have gone either way. As it turned out, the universities each get an extra $10 million per year or so from the network - Jim Delany gets a significant amount of credit for this. You can argue that the AD's have a more difficult job, but the AD has the more important job and it would absolutely be a promotion to be one. Just ask these people below:

- John Marinatto was the AD at Providence for 14 years before becoming the Big East Commissioner.
- Mike Slive was the AD at Cornell before becoming the commissioner of the Great Midwest Conference (and later C-USA and then the SEC).
- John Swofford was the AD at North Carolina for 17 years before become the ACC Commissioner.

He is not the AD's boss. He's basically their equal. I doubt if the Commissioner can tell one AD "what to do." If the schools didn't like him, they can fire him, just like the AD can be fired by his school. I'd say he's an approximate equal in stature, lesser in responsibility.

http://spartannation.com/2011/10/26/in-a-week-from-hell-michigan-state-athletic-director-mark-hollis-goes-toe-to-toe-with-b1g-commissioner-jim-delany/
The article above is one example of how the commissioner has authority over the AD. In that situation, the MSU Athletic Department decided not to suspend William Gholston for punching another player during a game. Jim Delany decided to suspend him. He sat out the game. Of course Jim Delany isn't the AD's boss - the university President is the AD's boss - but he is more important, has more authority, and is at least one step above the AD's. As for the responsibility part, the AD's may have more tasks they are responsible for, but the commissioner is responsible for more important stuff (see response above).

As I said above, it would be for this putz. He's a self-promoting putz, who's not really accomplished much. That's my opinion, of course.

You can have your opinion about Thompson, but you are absolutely wrong about the importance of the role of the commissioner to a conference. Here is a quote from one article I came across: "'Conference commissioners are CEOs,' said Shultz, who is editor of the Journal of Sports Media. 'They are in charge of multibillion-dollar businesses.'

Then there is this article that I recommend you read that outlines the growing role of commissioners: http://espn.go.com/college-football/preview11/story/_/id/6842482/how-conference-commissioners-became-most-important-men-room

Here are a few quotes from it:

The current job for Delany and his fellow big-six commissioners -- the heads of the SEC, Big 12, Pac-12, Atlantic Coast and Big East -- is multifaceted.

They are media-rights moguls, negotiating humongous deals to broadcast their league's games. They are the keepers of the Bowl Championship Series, for better or worse. They are the ones most likely to decide if we ever have a playoff in college football. They are policy drivers, working closely with NCAA president Mark Emmert to identify potential rules changes. They are conduits to campus, communicating with university presidents who don't necessarily have the time or expertise to obsess about sports the way their fan bases do.

And another quote:

Nothing is more emblematic of the changing role of commissioners than the makeover of the Pac-12. Tom Hansen ran something of a mom-and-pop operation that did not embrace change and left power in the hands of the league's athletic directors. In two high-voltage years on the job, Larry Scott has changed that dynamic.

"They wanted me to come in and lead," Scott said, "and lead aggressively. They wanted more involvement from the commissioner as the ultimate governance of the conference, someone who brings major policy, strategic and financial decisions to the board of directors."

And one last one:

In the constantly shifting power structure of college athletics, conference commissioners have become almost presidential.

They have commander-in-chief accessories: private jets, police escorts, a team of publicists, big salaries, power suits. (In fact, Barack Obama is probably seen more often in public sans coat and tie than Southeastern Conference commish Mike Slive.)

They have commander-in-chief responsibilities: setting agendas, pushing policy, building consensus, maintaining diplomatic relations with other commissioners, delivering State of the Union addresses.

And they have commander-in-chief headaches: disputes to mediate, scandals to navigate, disciplinary action to dole out, public and media criticism to endure.

 

[GoAUpher]

You're assuming all that matters is money and once you $400k, I don't know how much that extra $190k matters. This isn't like a 40k/year employee bumping up to a $250k/year position. (yes, I realize $190k is a TON of money)

Personally, if I were commissioner of any conference and the Minnesota job came open, I'd consider it a huge promotion. That may be unique but I love the university and see a ton of potential. If you start selling out TCF and growing that brand into something matters, the money will come soon enough.

50% more is big money, even when you're already making hundreds of thousands of dollars. Don't be crazy.

 

[highwayman]

Yeah, this guy is a crackerjack Commissioner:

Mountain West Loses TV Contract.

 

[zambam]

Yeah, this guy is a crackerjack Commissioner:

Mountain West Loses TV Contract.

"The decision isn’t all that surprising considering the recent turnover in the league and, more importantly, the MWC/C-USA merger that’s on the horizon."

Ya it's gotta be so easy getting a 50% owner to want to sign a new contract for just one year.

 

[Iceland12]

"The decision isn’t all that surprising considering the recent turnover in the league and, more importantly, the MWC/C-USA merger that’s on the horizon."

Ya it's gotta be so easy getting a 50% owner to want to sign a new contract for just one year.

zambam: The MWC will probably end-up with a MUCH better deal from CBS Sports.

 

[dpodoll68]

Yeah, this guy is a crackerjack Commissioner

Who said that he was?

Here are the questions that need to be answered for any prospective AD candidate:

1. Is he qualified?
2. Does he have the requisite experience/skills to be prepared for the job?
3. Will he be a good fit/do a good job?
4. Is he a Richard?

Nos. 1 and 2 are very closely related and are simple yes/no questions with a definite answer. Nos. 3 and 4 are opinion-based and have no definite answer. For Thompson, the answers to Nos. 1 and 2 are inarguably yes. For Nos. 3 and 4, your opinion-based answers are obviously no. For me, I don't know enough about the guy to know either way (and frankly, I'm guessing you don't either, but for some unknown reason openly loathe the guy).

The problem in your posts on the topic is that you're confusing Nos. 1 and 2 with Nos. 3 and 4. You're allowing your personal opinion of him (whatever that is founded on) to cloud his background and qualifications. He is undoubtedly qualified for the job, and has the requisite experience, and would not be taking a "massive promotion" to come here. And, again, I don't know enough about the guy to know either way, and I'm certainly not promoting him for the position, but I don't think it's fair to besmirch the man and pretend that he's some podunk with no experience or qualifications.

 

[GoAUpher]

He is undoubtedly qualified for the job, and has the requisite experience

To be fair, he does not have the experience with fundraising. A metric ton of experience with media relations and contract negotiations, but not with direct donor fundraising.

 

[dpodoll68]

To be fair, he does not have the experience with fundraising. A metric ton of experience with media relations and contract negotiations, but not with direct donor fundraising.

Fair point.