The analogy wasn't meant to be on point, merely to indicate that personal issues can and often do influence positions and votes on big decisions. These university and conference honchos weren't business moguls, they were heads of fiefdoms within a fraternity atmosphere. They didn't want to let in the school from the state who's AG had sued them personally. I could give you better analogies but why bother. And about that fantasy? It isn't.
I agree. It's a complete fallacy to assume that because people are in a position of great influence over a large number of people, like university presidents, and athletic directors, etc......that they don't behave in decision making and recommendations about other people and what they represent, regarding something like conference shifting.......as if they were considering who from the town to invite to their party at their house after their kid's little league game. You'd like to think that it's different, and for the people that are really good people, they do work hard to get things right.......but in reality, it's not that much different, human beings are human beings....... the same petty politics and he/said she/said, I like him or her, or I don't like him or her because of this or that - all apply. Blumenthal is just one player, and I'll go ahead and say that Calhoun didn't do that many favors or earn many favors with anyone outside of CT in positions of authority either.
How much you win and what sports, have nothing to do with all of this. It's all about being included and hanging out with the "in" crowd. Lew Perkins knew it in 1990 when college football changed dramatically for the first time around TV money. We went ahead with the upgrade in 1997 with the invite from the Big East - which was a no-brainer decision, really.....but took a lot of work to get done anyway, and we went past point of no return on upgrade in 2000 finally. In the meantime, right up through 2011, the Big East, and UCONN was regularly on top of the world in basketball, and failed to recognize that the rug could get pulled out on b-ball, at any time, just as easily as it could have been in 1990.
You learn from your mistakes and you move forward.
What we do now, is win our current conference championships in football, as much as we can, work to improve our own conference as much as we can in football, so that if we are still here in the next 6 years, that when the TV dollars are re-done, the programs in the conference are competiting and generating interest, up to market, and we can continue to thrive, and at the same time, maintain leadership in place at the school that understands the priorities and is working to keep every bridge out there open and ready to be crossed at any time. That means build relationships with people, that make decisions, and maintain those relationships throughout any and all changes.
