Swarbrick is Angering Me. Jack, Stop Being Weak.
The Biscuit - 1:14 pm
I was starting to formulate a big, long rant on this. Instead, I’m making a few quick points, linking to an old post, and moving on. Because everything I’ll say has been said, and I’d just be SAYING IT IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I LIKE TO “INTERNET-YELL”!!!!
Anyway, Jack is being an idiot. For a few reasons.
First, there’s no reason to make these statements in public, unless you’re just testing the waters to see what kind of alumni/fan/stakeholder response you’ll get. And if that’s your goal, Jack, well here’s your response:
CONFERENCE AFFILIATION NO MATTER WHAT THE SHIFTS ARE IS IDIOTIC AND DESTROYS CORE PARTS OF WHAT MAKES ND ND. SO STFU ABOUT IT ALREADY PLEASE.
Clear enough?
If he’s not doing that, there’s literally no reason to keep saying these things. If ’seismic shifts’ happen, we may have to change? Well heck, if the world changes seismically tomorrow, the USA may have to annex Canada (or Mexico – I’d go with Mexico – warmer). I mean, yeah, if the world ends, things change. Do we really have to say it?
And even if it does change so dramatically, nothing forces our hand. ND decides what ND does. The BCS won’t shut us out – heck, we have a seat at the table OURSELVES. A SINGLE SCHOOL has a seat at the table with a bunch of conferences. They’re not shutting us out – we’re worth too much. There’s literally nothing that can ‘force our hand’. We are a powerful, powerful force in college football and in education – Jack seems to think we have no chips, when we have a lot. But he’d rather chop than play poker. Lawyer.
And that’s related to the core problem: We, as alums/students/fans, know how much ND is worth, and the conferences know. It just appears that Jack and John don’t know. HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW THIS JACK?????
And the crazy thing is this: if we join a conference, that value is forever tarnished, forever diminished. ND would be come a midwestern school with a midwestern focus. Gone would be ND as a national institution. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but trust me, we’d become Northwestern, and…ouch, it hurt just to type that.
I ripped a columnist a new one a while back about this, and that pretty much sums up my thoughts on it a lot. The crux of my argument is: National is better than Regional, and core to ND’s identity. ND is nothing like the other Big Televen schools, and our mission would be made more difficult if not impossible by membership, and BEING INDEPENDENT IS RIGHT SO DO THE RIGHT THING JACK FOR GOD’S SAKE SHUT UP ABOUT IT AND JUST CLOSE THE F-ING DOOR ALREADY. Making sure we make as much money as the next guy is not a compelling reason for joining a conference. We already make a ton of money that supports football and other sports and acadmemic scholarships, etc. Selling ND’s soul is the grossest thing I can imagine, and it sounds like Jack is considering just that.
Only way a conference makes sense is if there’s a super-conference across the country of the Top 16 or 20 schools, and ND gets concessions that allow the school to operate as needed.
And that ain’t happening. So, enough already, Jack.
Shut it.
The Biscuit
okay, i guess i did end up ranting.
March 11, 2010 at 1:15 pmJVH
I’m afraid ND will join a conference. They have run a model and the model tells them they will make more money in a conference. Every decision this administration makes has money at the forefront. Since ND makes more money joining a conference, ND is going to join a conference. Book it.
March 11, 2010 at 1:21 pmdomer.mq
That’s the most depressing thing about this, JVH. Not “ND may join a conference,” but “ND may join a conference because they perceive there’s more money in it.” So much for being different from the other guys.
March 11, 2010 at 2:10 pmThe Biscuit
Very afraid. 2 months ago, not at all. Now? Very. It’d be freaking horrible. In the late 90’s we marched on the Dome to end the flirtation. I hope the students get that rally planned ASAP.
March 11, 2010 at 2:21 pmdomer.mq
The thing about it the last time, was it was really the faculty that were driving it. Once it got to the BOT, it was pretty handily struck down. ND wasn’t “a breath away” from joining like so many columnists like to claim. This time, the noise about joining is coming from leadership. At this point, I can only cling to hopes that Swarby is proving to the BOT that the alumni and fans are adamantly against the idea.
March 11, 2010 at 2:25 pmThe Biscuit
These ‘leaders’ need to take Brand Management 101. And maybe look in the mirror a bit and try to figure out how much they understand the institution they’re ‘leading’.
March 11, 2010 at 3:01 pmPat
Well, like it or not, it comes down to money. There’s a lot more parity in the game today, and the NBC contract is much less exclusive than it once was — now all the teams party to the SEC and the Big Ten are making boatloads from TV deals, with the remaining major conference players probably soon to join them.
If Notre Dame can return to glory (for real this time) and do a lot more winning, being independent becomes much more viable. Play closer to .500 ball, however, and conference affiliation is much easier and the low-hanging fruit. I don’t think Swarbrick is a jerk for recognizing the realities of the current college football landscape; rather, he’s being a responsible risk manager with the school’s best interests at heart.
March 11, 2010 at 4:14 pmThe Biscuit
If you define ‘most money’ as ‘best interests’ for ND, then we disagree at that level, and the rest of this argument will be very difficult for us Pat.
March 11, 2010 at 4:19 pmThe Biscuit
And I never called him a jerk. Idiot? Yep. Stupid? Yes. I think his talking about it so much is either 1) very calculated to get a response out of the masses which is a bit shady at the least or 2) because it’s the long-run plan no matter what. I dont think either helps anyone though, so I think it’s foolish to talk about it either way.
With my new post, I’m thinking that the Athletic Dept is either incompetent, or really, really shady. And if that’s the case, then ‘jerk’ will become applicable.
March 11, 2010 at 4:23 pmPat
Right, ‘most money’ and ‘best interests’ aren’t necessarily compatible. I mean, they aren’t going to mortgage the Dome just to make a buck. But where does money rank in order of importance? It’s up there, for sure.
I think Swarbrick was just being candid about what he sees as an already very fragile college football world in which a big move by a major conference, a la Big Ten conference expansion, would totally change the landscape to the point that affiliation would suddenly look a lot more lucrative, yes, for money reason, but also competitive reasons.
March 11, 2010 at 4:56 pmThe Biscuit
Okay, but why be candid about it? To what purpose?
March 11, 2010 at 5:13 pmThe Biscuit
And I get that money is important, but is having the MOST money important? I mean, ND makes $ hand over fist from football right now (ever had a hot dog on game day?) – why do we have to make the MOST? I would be fine with making really good, solid money like to day and remaining Indie, over making the MOST and being partners with Eff-ing Michigan.
March 11, 2010 at 5:14 pmPat
To what end? Good question; I don’t know. I am merely suggesting he was answering questions earnestly. He might now be regretting his remarks considering all the coverage they have received.
It’s a fair point that ‘the MOST money’ shouldn’t necessarily be the primary goal. But a continuing viable revenue stream doesn’t automatically equate to greed either. There are two sports, football and men’s basketball, that pay for the entire athletic department, and likely much more. Maintaining the ability to do that is important and even good, too. Also, staying viable is a matter of staying competitive — in all sports and endeavors.
Lastly: “Partners with…Michigan.” Yeah, the same way Ohio State and Michigan are ‘partners.’ Come on.
March 11, 2010 at 5:30 pmThe Biscuit
But their release said specifically that it wasn’t planned – it was ‘all an accident’. So it was an accidental, earnest response? Just seems like there’s something screwy going on dont you think? And my point is the same I had with Weis – just keep your trap shut a bit. there’s no need to say these things, even if they’re true. Why reveal your hand if you have one? It just makes no sense to me. I hate the message, and I really dont get why he’s putting it out there in the first place.
And our revenue streams right now are way more than viable. I dont think it’s realistic to think that it’s conference or unviable revenue stream. We’ve done just fine on our own, and if we’re leaders and innovative and push for our brand and make it better, we’d be even better off on our own. I agree it’s important to make money, but how much do we really need? To me, we dont need to have 20 million a year instead of 15 if it means joining a conference.
And yes, partners. If you think that the only place that OSU and UM interact is on the football field, you’re not getting how conferences work. If we were to join, UM would have some kind of sway over very institutional things. because the conference members vote, and we’d be 1 (a hated 1 at that) vote against 13 or 15 others. We’d be voting on things WITH/AGAINST Michigan. We’d be in partnership with them on any number of issues. The institutions would be joined in a formal partnership that would be the Big 16-even or 12-even or whatever they’d call it. And that makes me want to puke.
March 11, 2010 at 5:38 pmJohn '07
I’m pretty sure that ND football brings in either the most, or second most money in college football. I seem to recall a magazine (Forbe’s?) that does a calculation of all the money that a school’s football team generates (tickets, tv, merchandise, ect.) and ND is always in the top 3. I will try to find the article. Anyway, if I am recalling this correctly, then ND already makes more than 99% of other football programs and joining a conference to make more money makes no sense.
March 11, 2010 at 6:09 pmPat
Yeah, Swarbrick could have merely answered a question with a bit more candor that he should have. And now they are doing a bit of damage control, albeit poorly.
You’re absolutely right — the current revenue streams, in the current environment, are completely viable. Swarbrick was not only responding to what he sees as the currently unstable CFB environment, but also to the ‘what if’ scenario, that being conference expansion by one or more major conferences. Under the latter scenario, and perhaps even under the current trend, he foresees the possibility where independence is not the best option. If the different, for example, is between 15 and 20 mil, I’m not sure how 5 mil, let’s say to academics, is anything to shake a stick at.
Fair point about institutional control, but I’m not sure to what extent conference affiliation has on administrative issues, if it’s a lot or next to nothing at all.
March 11, 2010 at 6:32 pmSka
Biscuit, normally you ask for patience/common sense, as in new coach, decency as in idiot/angry internet ND/coach haters, etc.
March 11, 2010 at 7:11 pmThis is one of those times to take a deep breath, say a few prayers that all turns out well for ND. And this may drag on for years.
The major conferences have $ in their eyes and the $ is tattooed on some of their ADs foreheads. The financial pressures at tax supported schools and gifts to private schools has to be intense. Notre Dame is a single entity and has to compete for media revenue. Can it do it alone is the question. It may be like an individual standing up to a gang or several different gangs in a fight.
Is ND a great university/brand? Can it be improved? Absolutely. Can we stand alone against several mega-conferences? That might be extremely tough. Especially when it comes to media revenue and scheduling. It may be that staying independent turns out to be very lucrative and the right path. I hope so. But the mop flops both ways.
Swarbrick is in a high stakes poker game with with a number of all for me universities and conferences. Some well known for cheating and forgetting about the student part of athletics. These mega-conferences will do everything they can to toss ND under the bus as an independent.
ND is much better as a national school agreed, but it is already in the Big East in all its other sports.
Lets say the B11 decides to increase to 16. The SEC, P10 and other major conferences will do 16 or 20, not to be out done. The Big East and some other conferences will probably not survive. BEast is tops in Basketball but not so in football, where the real money is.
We may see a lot of changes and consolidation in leagues. Should ND stay independent? That would be fantastic. It comes down to what is best for ND.
The Biscuit
I agree Ska – patience and measured steps. Swarbrick’s statements are the exact opposite of that. John, ND was #2 last year behind Texas.
I appreciate the good debate here, and I’ve definitely been on a rant. But, that’s what I do.
March 12, 2010 at 11:48 amMark Makers
It behooves Mr. Swabrick to make NBC think a loss of the ND contract is imminent. He would be a fool not to and I don’t think Mr. Swarbrick is a fool. Joining the big 10+1 may happen for all the reasons discussed, but the rhetoric will get even scarier before the decision is fianlized. In the end, I don’t think we’re joining. Jack is probably just making lemonade.
March 13, 2010 at 2:15 pm