From South Point Hotel and Casino:
I’m a little surprised Georgia at LSU didn’t make the list.
As you can see, Georgia is favored in every game on the board. Every other SEC East team on the list is an underdog in at least one game: South Carolina 1, Florida 3, Tennessee 1 and Kentucky 1.
I’d say that quote would make a terrific epitaph for Greg McGarity’s tenure as Georgia’s AD, except it’s starting to sound like he’s not going anywhere, at least not any time soon.
Morehead was asked after Thursday’s meeting if he is planning on extending the contract.
“We’re not talking about anything but the current situation, but yes I have great confidence in Greg,” Morehead said. “He’s doing a tremendous job but you know we’re good where we are. …We haven’t had any of those kind of conversations.”
McGarity standing besides Morehead as the two answered reporters’ questions added: “There’s no urgency.”
“We’re in a good position,” Morehead added.
Later when the subject came up again with reporters, Morehead said: “Presidents operate on year to year contracts. I don’t think it’s a big issue.”
… Asked if he wants to be athletic director beyond his current contract, McGarity said: “I think it’s just the unforeseeable future, yeah. Yeah, I think so. So we’ll just see what happens. Trust me, we haven’t even talked about that in any way because it’s not urgent. It’s not an important matter. I think for the foreseeable future, I feel in great shape.”
Hell, why shouldn’t he? Nice contact with little accountability — sweet gig, if you can keep it.
Filed under Georgia Football
Interesting thread on Twitter yesterday that started with this news…
… continued with this observation…
… and climaxed with this breathless reaction.
First off, it’s always sad these days to see announcements of mass layoffs in the media industry, both from a personal perspective and as well as what it means for the consumer. I’m in my twelfth year of blogging (I know) and if there’s one thing that experience has illuminated for me, it’s that college football beat writers are, without exception, an underappreciated lot. I don’t see how I could do what I do here at the blog without being able to rely upon their insight and effort. I hope that’s something I never have to contemplate.
That being said, it’s hard to see what’s so offensive about Staples’ observation. I’ve certainly done my fair share of wading through what SEC Country and Land of 10 have produced, even linked to them occasionally, and while I’ve found a respectable amount of original product there, there’s also been plenty of “according to” material generated at those sites. Not that there’s anything wrong with aggregating information (as long as credit is properly given, of course), but I can aggregate as well as the next guy; Twitter, CSS RSS feeds and news services like Topix make that easy, once you know what you’re doing.
And if you’re making that part of your business plan as one way to generate steady quantity for the readership you want to reach, the risk you run is that it’s hard to monetize that over time. If I’m going to pay for online media, or visit regularly to generate ad revenue, there had better be plenty — hell, almost an exclusive amount — of original content and/or presentation. I expect insight and information for my hard earned coin and my attention. Passing on what a beat writer in a small college town writes about the local program provides neither, especially if I can go to the source for free.
As Andy noted, that’s not on the journalists. It’s on the editors and publishers who devised the business plans that forced the journalists down that path. Ignoring what your potential customers value is something you do at your peril, as Cox Media and its soon to be former employees have learned. Pointing out that sad reality is hardly reprehensible. Ignoring the lesson, though, is another story.
Filed under Media Punditry/Foibles
Honestly, just shoot me. Now.
The overarching question to Wednesday’s esports panel hosted by the Big 12 is one that one day could potentially result in millions of dollars for athletic programs.
During the 90-minute discussion including Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and knowledgeable people on the fast-growing industry, the panel wondered if a university’s esports program made sense to be governed by the NCAA. Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who sat two seats to Bowlsby’s right inside a ballroom at The Statler hotel in Dallas, didn’t think so.
And while Bowlsby believes esports do not align with traditional athletics, he’s aware of a potential payoff. For schools who are always looking to find ways to increase revenue, the topic is certainly worth exploring as esports continue to gain steam.
The last paragraph is college athletics these days.
Filed under It's Just Bidness, The NCAA
If you don’t own Duane Allman — an anthology, you should, if only for this:
The instrumental break at the five-minute mark is just the set-up for what’s to come three minutes later. Which is friggin’ otherworldly. As far as I’m concerned, the last three minutes of that song could go on forever.
In other words, if you haven’t, go buy the album already.
Filed under Uncategorized
The recent classroom performance of Arizona State athletes will look good for the university — and even better for athletics director Ray Anderson. He will get nearly $350,000 in bonuses based on how well Sun Devils teams did in the NCAA’s annual Academic Progress Rate figures it released Wednesday…
Among those also getting APR bonuses are:
North Carolina men’s basketball coach Roy Williams: $75,000 for a perfect 1000 APR that comes in the aftermath of an academic scandal at the university that included allegations of improprieties by men’s basketball players but resulted in no NCAA sanctions.
Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari: $50,000 that is only bonus he can received under the terms of his contract.
Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl: $150,000.
Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn: $75,000.
Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson: $100,000.
Florida State AD Stan Wilcox: $17,000 — a total based on him getting $1,000 for each team that had an APR above 950. 17 of FSU’s 18 teams were at 964 or greater. The football team was at 941.
Last fall, Louisville’s athletics department confirmed that football coach Bobby Petrino would be getting the $500,000 bonus called for under his contract if his team’s APR is at least 935 (the final figure, announced Wednesday, was 977). Petrino’s APR bonus, if he achieves it, increases the bonus he gets if the Cardinals go on to play in a bowl game.
If there was ever a time for a Steve Spurrier quip about Auburn academics, this would be it.
Filed under Academics? Academics., It's Just Bidness
Evidently, making it on ESPN is easier than we might think.
Pollack was hurt playing linebacker in his second season in the NFL, suffering a career-ending neck injury. It wasn’t until months later that he realized he had what it took, he thought, to be a college football analyst.
“While I was injured and recovering,” he said, “I would sit at home and watch ESPN and think to myself, ‘I can do that.’ I’m loud and I’m opinionated, that’s what they want, right?”
Since taking his job with ESPN, Pollack has worked hard to avoid being “a homer,” as he called it, for his former university. In his time as an analyst, Pollack has often picked against his old school in an effort to be honest in his analysis.
“I hear about (picking against Georgia) everywhere I go,” Pollack said. “But I remember when I was injured and studying broadcasting stuff, I vividly remember watching (former Notre Dame head coach) Lou Holtz on TV. I watched him pick Notre Dame every single time. I said, when I started my career on television, that I would never be a homer.
Works for me. LOL.
Filed under ESPN Is The Devil
Get The Picture 