College Sports=Business?

[huskyd]

From its earliest days, education included not only the mind but also the body. (See EDD photos elsewhere.) The idea of a "sound mind in a sound body" made sense and generally comported with what education was supposed to accomplish. Over time, some have argued that physical education has been minimized in the interest of classroom work. (The arts have suffered a similar fate, especially at the high school level).

Here BYers have batted around the question of what sports is or should be. Some of you reject the very idea that student athletes are "exploited" for their skills at games that make money for universities. What are sports supposed to be about? In the Washington Post this morning, an article makes the claim that college sports are increasingly about making money, reflected in the hiring of business persons to run athletic departments. The author sees this as a clear trend. Note the example of Syracuse:

What Syracuse’s hire of an ESPN executive tells us about college sports

Should only people with sports backgrounds be in charge of athletic departments, or do business people have a place at the table?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

For better or worse, I don't think many colleges really hide under anything other than that the major purpose of sports is to extend their brand. This has arguable benefits for the institution as a whole, but this article isn't about that. Even the non-profit sports (most of them, to be fair) are really not about having a random group of students walk on to fulfill their athletic desires. Even these folks are recruited.

As the article noted, former RU AD Tim Pernetti came from a business / media background, but before him their was Bob Mulcahey, for all his involvement in sports essentially a politician. I think the right model for AD depends on the school. Media savvy or able to surround himself with media savvy folk. A good fundraiser. Acceptable to the alumni. Etc., Etc., Etc.

 

[Husky25]

From its earliest days, education included not only the mind but also the body. (See EDD photos elsewhere.) The idea of a "sound mind in a sound body" made sense and generally comported with what education was supposed to accomplish. Over time, some have argued that physical education has been minimized in the interest of classroom work. (The arts have suffered a similar fate, especially at the high school level).

Here BYers have batted around the question of what sports is or should be. Some of you reject the very idea that student athletes are "exploited" for their skills at games that make money for universities. What are sports supposed to be about? In the Washington Post this morning, an article makes the claim that college sports are increasingly about making money, reflected in the hiring of business persons to run athletic departments. The author sees this as a clear trend. Note the example of Syracuse:

What Syracuse’s hire of an ESPN executive tells us about college sports

Should only people with sports backgrounds be in charge of athletic departments, or do business people have a place at the table?

Athletic Director is an administrative post. Sure he played football, but how much do Warde Manuel's skills as a pass blocker help him to revive the football series with Notre Dame?

 

[chuck.r]

For better or worse, I don't think many colleges really hide under anything other than that the major purpose of sports is to extend their brand. This has arguable benefits for the institution as a whole, but this article isn't about that. Even the non-profit sports (most of them, to be fair) are really not about having a random group of students walk on to fulfill their athletic desires. Even these folks are recruited.

As the article noted, former RU AD Tim Pernetti came from a business / media background, but before him their was Bob Mulcahey, for all his involvement in sports essentially a politician. I think the right model for AD depends on the school. Media savvy or able to surround himself with media savvy folk. A good fundraiser. Acceptable to the alumni. Etc., Etc., Etc.

From my perspective in academia, one of the primary purposes of a Dean (of a particular University unit, or School) is to "extend the brand" of the School he/she represents. In that sense, an AD is fulfilling the duties of a 'Dean of Athletics'.

 

[cabbie191]

Athletic Director is an administrative post. Sure he played football, but how much do Warde Manuel's skills as a pass blocker help him to revive the football series with Notre Dame?

I am writing from the perspective of someone who lives 12 miles from the University of Michigan campus and who followed closely the events that led to Manuel's hiring.

The previous full time AD, Dave Brandon was CEO of Domino's Pizza (headquartered in Ann Arbor, btw) before being hired here, and after being forced out as AD, is now CEO of Toys R Us. No doubt a brilliant businessman. His undoing is that he brought too much of a business perspective to Michigan, despite the fact he had been a Wolverine football play, and not enough "people" perspective. He was tone-deaf to the student body who led the charge to get him ousted.

Being AD at a major school is no easy task, especially since the time when the revenue has gotten so huge with television contracts. It calls for a lot of skill sets so it doesn't surprise me since 1988, Michigan has had 8 AD's (including Warde) with only one having a tenure lasting more than four years.

Trivia note: Brandon was a finalist on one of the early seasons of The Apprentice.

 

[UcMiami]

College sports is a business and even at the individual school level it is a lot larger than many 'small businesses'. The number of employees is quite large at a major university, the facilities are greater and more varied than a lot of mid-size businesses, and the customer base is significant. The AD is the 'CEO' of the operation and he needs the kind of corporate structure beneath him - a 'CFO', a COO, a Brand Manager, a Communications Manager, etc. And the AD like a CEO answers to a Board - whatever structure and name the school puts on its controlling advisory panel. To pretend otherwise is a recipe for disaster. And because of its product being in the entertainment milieu and its dependence on contributions from 'sponsors' (alumnae/supporters and corporations) there is a higher emphasis on public persona and interactions than for most businesses.

I don't think it really matters what background an AD has in terms of job performance - former collegiate athlete, professional sports involvement, or unrelated business experience - if they can assemble the right team and keep the various constituents happy they succeed, and if they don't they fail. And the failures can happen in any area of the endeavor, from poor hires, financial mismanagement, personnel mismanagement, poor PR, and poor product. It is probably a more difficult position to really succeed at than most CEO jobs, partly because a key component of the enterprise are the student athletes who are 'working' in their first 'job' surrounded by a community of equally inexperienced young adults experiencing their first freedom from parental control. Coaches of individual teams comment on the fear of the 2 AM phone calls, ADs are dealing with that multiple by 10 to 100.

 

[intlzncster]

College sports is a business and even at the individual school level it is a lot larger than many 'small businesses'. The number of employees is quite large at a major university, the facilities are greater and more varied than a lot of mid-size businesses, and the customer base is significant. The AD is the 'CEO' of the operation and he needs the kind of corporate structure beneath him - a 'CFO', a COO, a Brand Manager, a Communications Manager, etc. And the AD like a CEO answers to a Board - whatever structure and name the school puts on its controlling advisory panel. To pretend otherwise is a recipe for disaster. And because of its product being in the entertainment milieu and its dependence on contributions from 'sponsors' (alumnae/supporters and corporations) there is a higher emphasis on public persona and interactions than for most businesses.

I don't think it really matters what background an AD has in terms of job performance - former collegiate athlete, professional sports involvement, or unrelated business experience - if they can assemble the right team and keep the various constituents happy they succeed, and if they don't they fail. And the failures can happen in any area of the endeavor, from poor hires, financial mismanagement, personnel mismanagement, poor PR, and poor product. It is probably a more difficult position to really succeed at than most CEO jobs, partly because a key component of the enterprise are the student athletes who are 'working' in their first 'job' surrounded by a community of equally inexperienced young adults experiencing their first freedom from parental control. Coaches of individual teams comment on the fear of the 2 AM phone calls, ADs are dealing with that multiple by 10 to 100.

These days it makes sense for the AD to be a businessman. The key to his success is if he hires the right assistants (ie exectutives CFO/COO/CIO/CMO/CCO) to run the business and take care of the student athlete aspects of the job.