Not only does Georgia walk away from paying Jim Chaney more than any other offensive coordinator in America, it gets a little ching ching back from the Vols.
That’ll put a smile on McGarity’s face.
Now that I think about it, that contract will probably do the same for Jimmy Sexton.
Columbia, South Carolina, the place where former Georgia players go to coach 8-5 teams.
Filed under 'Cock Envy, Georgia Football
In case you’re wondering about his future, you’re not alone. Here’s the first report I’ve come across on his future, via Dawgnation’s Jeff Sentell:
A source close to that situation has told DawgNation that Pittman plans to return as offensive line coach for the 2019 season.
Despite recent events, that source said that Pittman will remain in Athens.
It is not yet known what level of a financial package the Bulldogs might have offered to Pittman to ensure he remained with the team.
Back up the Brink’s truck, in other words. Whatever money they saved on not matching UT’s offer to Chaney is likely to be swallowed up with Pittman’s new deal. He’s worth it.
Filed under Georgia Football, It's Just Bidness
This (h/t) is a pretty sobering assessment of bond-financed stadium expansions.
Attendance is declining across the board (“Even the University of Alabama, a perennial powerhouse playing in Monday’s national championship game, is reducing capacity in 101,821-seat Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, White said.”), but spending on facilities continues at almost the same rate as ever.
About $3 billion of bond-financed college football stadium projects are underway or completed over the past five years, according to a Bond Buyer review. That’s down about $300 million from the height of the “stadium arms race” in 2013.
A report from Moody’s Investors Service five years ago found that on average, the athletic operating expenses of Division I universities had nearly doubled since 2004 compared to growth of 58% for total expenses. In that report, Moody’s itemized risk factors for college football, including the threats of lawsuits over head injuries, rising coaching salaries, the threat of disciplinary measures over recruiting and demands for player pay, among others.
What’s an athletic department to do? Why, that’s easy. Go upscale with the fan base and whore yourself out to Mickey.
Five years later, report author Dennis Gephardt, a Moody’s analyst, says that major colleges and universities have managed to maintain athletic revenues through sales of luxury boxes and premium seating along with lucrative television contracts, factors that make empty student seats a less urgent concern. Even the so-called Power Five Conferences — the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern Conference — have seen attendance fall in recent years.
How troubling are things getting? Take “even Tennessee” as your canary in the coal mine.
The University of Tennessee’s Board of Trustees approved a two-phase, $340 million renovation in November 2017. The work was to be completed by the start of the 2021 season, when Neyland celebrates its 100th year.
The $180 million first phase of the project was to be funded with bonds, fundraising, athletic department revenues and partnerships. Construction was to start this year, but Tennessee’s new director of athletics hit pause on the project.
On Nov.1, Athletics Director Phillip Fulmer, who’s been on the job less than a year, announced that his department is continuing to review the Neyland Stadium Master Plan Renovations.
“To be very clear, I am super excited about the Neyland Stadium project going forward in the near future,” Fulmer said at the time.
Construction on the first phase of the renovation project has been delayed to provide more time for two classes meeting in the south stadium hall to move out, Fulmer said, adding that renovation plans were also under review.
“We simply need time to study all ideas of scope and design as we seek to maximize the fan experience and our return on investment for the next 100 years of Neyland Stadium,” he said.
Attendance at games wasn’t mentioned as a factor that caused the project to be delayed.
Of course not.
Anyway, just think about the likely ramifications of game attendance becoming less financially significant. And despair.
Filed under College Football, It's Just Bidness
I’ll throw out two topics for you to chew on in the comments.
First, a political one. Is there anyone in the country, on the left or the right, that still has a shred of respect for Lindsey Graham?
Hell, does Lindsey Graham still have a shred of respect for Lindsey Graham?
The second topic is decidedly non-political and actually comes as a reader request: tell us how you came up with your username/moniker.
Those comments aren’t gonna write themselves, so get to it, peeps.
Filed under GTP Stuff
Put this in your playoff expansion pipe and smoke it.
The average attendance at bowl games rose by more than three percent in 2018-19, snapping a streak of seven consecutive seasons in which the industry saw an overall decline.
The average attendance for bowl games this season was 41,802. That’s up from last season’s average of 40,508 according to NCAA attendance figures.
I have no idea why. It comes in the face of declines in 20 of 38 games, including nine of which were by double-digit percentages. (Though some of that is no doubt attributable to the CFP’s curious insistence on dodging New Year’s Day, and, as the article notes, playing the title game in Northern California instead of Atlanta.)
In any event, don’t be surprised when people questioning the need for an expanded playoff cite this as a data point in expressing concern over how a larger playoff field would impact the bowls.
Filed under BCS/Playoffs
And if the Georgia program doesn’t already have enough on its plate, it’s now time to deal with Thomas Mars.
Tom Mars, the attorney who represented Patterson and more than 30 college athletes in the last six months, is doing the same for Fields in conjunction with Ohio State’s athletic department.
Outside speculation about a rationale for Fields’ case that would pass NCAA muster centers on an incident at the Sept. 29 Georgia-Tennessee game in which a Georgia baseball player, Adam Sasser, repeatedly yelled a racial slur invoking Fields.
“I’m very confident that the NCAA will grant Justin a waiver so he can play next season, but not just for the reasons people have speculated about on social media,” Mars said in a statement to The Dispatch. “There’s more to it than that.”
Mars did not elaborate on potential other factors.
Hey, it’s not just about racism! That’s a relief.
Filed under Georgia Football
