Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is one of the smartest and most persuasive people in the sports world. If he wasn't leading the nation's richest athletic conference, Delany, who has a law degree from North Carolina, could be a fearsome figure in the courtroom.
But Delany has a hard sell ahead of him, perhaps the hardest sell of his career. He will spend much of the next three months on the East Coast facilitating and promoting the additions of new Big Ten members Rutgers and Maryland, which officially join the league July 1.
Delany must get people excited about two schools that have barely moved the needle and, from my dealings with Big Ten fans, elicit more sighs and groans than the cheers that accompanied Nebraska's move to the league in 2011.
Hermann isn't helping.
To be fair, Hermann is a first-time AD working in a major media market. She arrived during an incredibly turbulent time at Rutgers. The pressure on her hasn't eased much during the past 10 months.
But you have to be smarter than this, especially at a time when the Big Ten wants people, including East Coast media, to get excited about Rutgers coming to the league.
Politi writes:
Maybe ripping The Star-Ledger is part of a plan to win over the Rutgers community, because a misguided faction of its fan base that blames the media for every problem in Piscataway will no doubt cheer her on.
But I'm betting more will see her comments as what they are: Unbefitting a person in a high-profile position at a major university, at a time when Rutgers needs a leader for its transition into the Big Ten.
She has declared war on the largest news gathering organization that covers her athletic department. What could possibly be gained by that?
Delany is probably asking the same question.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/98554/hermann-making-delanys-task-tougher
But Delany has a hard sell ahead of him, perhaps the hardest sell of his career. He will spend much of the next three months on the East Coast facilitating and promoting the additions of new Big Ten members Rutgers and Maryland, which officially join the league July 1.
Delany must get people excited about two schools that have barely moved the needle and, from my dealings with Big Ten fans, elicit more sighs and groans than the cheers that accompanied Nebraska's move to the league in 2011.
Hermann isn't helping.
To be fair, Hermann is a first-time AD working in a major media market. She arrived during an incredibly turbulent time at Rutgers. The pressure on her hasn't eased much during the past 10 months.
But you have to be smarter than this, especially at a time when the Big Ten wants people, including East Coast media, to get excited about Rutgers coming to the league.
Politi writes:
Maybe ripping The Star-Ledger is part of a plan to win over the Rutgers community, because a misguided faction of its fan base that blames the media for every problem in Piscataway will no doubt cheer her on.
But I'm betting more will see her comments as what they are: Unbefitting a person in a high-profile position at a major university, at a time when Rutgers needs a leader for its transition into the Big Ten.
She has declared war on the largest news gathering organization that covers her athletic department. What could possibly be gained by that?
Delany is probably asking the same question.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/98554/hermann-making-delanys-task-tougher