Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Sticking fingers in the 'Icing'

Here you go followers of the Tar Heel nation...Between my lunch-hour of NPR and "Howard Cosell at Large" on ESPN Classic in the background, I caught this interview link from my man, Frank Heath, and I thought about throwing a few words around..

My words today stem from a good exchange between A.J. Carr of the Raleigh N&O and UNC Athletic Director, Dick Baddour, who usually is under heavy fire from the Tar Heel nation. Check out the interview here.

After I checked the interview out, I pulled a few questions that I thought were pertinent to subjects other than wins and losses.

Although I agree with the problems that ensue with losses and short-term dismal performances, there are a helluva lot of outstanding issues with athletics today that no one is addressing because they're not as snappy of a topic as 'Did Carolina win, and did Duke and State lose?' Please, one should look deeper when you click on firedickbaddour.com.

My feeling is look at the bigger picture...Long-term son...long-term. So, without further adieu, I put my two-cents in parenthesis after Baddour's answers.

Good job, A.J. Carr from the NandO with "NCAA Title Icing"...Way to get in there.


------------------------------------------
Q: What are the biggest challenges you face now?

A: We need to get the football program stabilized at the highest possible level. I really believe that's going to happen with Coach [John] Bunting.

A major issue is facility renovation and how we are going to address issues in Carmichael and Boshamer for wrestling and sports medicine ... how to get the revenue and also how we can maintain the scholarship level that it has been.

(IronDog: Believe it or not, Bunting is a good choice to run this program. He knows the school, the beauracracy, the education, the Rams Club, which more or less shows he's not an outsider. That's huge at Carolina. It means he knows the school and the administration, which is incredibly bottlenecked and unique at the same time.

Note: Believe me, for those of you who would like a Steve Spurrier type figure in Chapel Hill, you would never have the same feelings for Chapel Hill again. And for those of you who are still pissy over what would have happened if Steve Spurrier would have came to UNC...It would have been the University of Steve Spurrier...

Plus, keep in mind, the athletic department can't afford a guy like that. Do the math, it can't happen. Why? Because we care about funding other sources of education such as sciences, facilities, events for students...That's good, right?

For people who really care about the university and the athletic department as a whole, Bunting is good. And I will argue with anyone who tells me that John Bunting is not one of the three best X and O head coaches in the ACC.

With Carmichael...That's a whole other ball to play with...Although funding for Olympic sports is needed immensely, (especially in terms of facilities), there is absolutely no reason why the interior of Carmichael Auditiorium needs to be renovated.

The Carmichael renovation project is a Title IX abuse gone bad. On a non-Duke game, it's tough to fill the place up. So, why does it need to be renovated?...When UNC Women's Basketball can reach or equal or the average amount of attendance and fervor than UNC Women's Soccer, then renovation should be considered.

Until then, I can't grasp how a renovated interior of Carmichael Auditorium is going to generate revenue. Especially, when you consider the last time that the place got flippy was when Vitale showed up for the first UNC Midnight Madness in '93.

Now with Boshamer...Boshamer Stadium is a renovation revenue vehicle that is dying to bloom. Tap it UNC...Tap it.

With the surroundings of dorms, hills, trees, and Carolina weather, you could have a crown jewel college baseball stadium to run NCAA tourney regionals, state high-school tournaments, and spring NCAA tournaments to generate reveune.

Lastly, in terms of sports medicine, great call...There's no excuse with the level of talent and high -level athletic performances that come through Chapel Hill year-in and year-out, why UNC Chapel Hill should not have the premier sports medicine program in the country...Yes, that would mean topping Stanford, Duke, Michigan, Cal...It's not at that level.

It's good to see that revenue will be pumped into advancing the program.

Q: How much will these projects cost?

A: If we include what we want to do in Kenan [Stadium], we are talking in excess of $30 million.

(IronDog: Believe me, $30M is needed. Especially, when you consider college athletics is really just a marketing tool veiled under academics.

Now, with Kenan...Don't let bad planning go rampant...You should have to win year in and year out to warrant more expansion...(Also, the memory of the 3/4 filled Springsteen concert should be etched into expansion funding plans.)...Let's address the issues that are needed that will benefit both men and women non-revenue sports programs first. Look at the facilities that students can utilize during off-seasons, a.k.a. Belk Track, practice facilities, natatorium improvements, and sports medicine programs as mentioned above.

Q: What are the plans in Kenan?

A: Completing the stadium on the other end. We are looking at the possibility of adding boxes on the south side, as well as in the end zone, and doing a major renovation there for things like academic support.

(IronDog: Tough one here, but I have to agree that the choice that a knockout is going to have to happen....Due to the most obstructive addition to the UNC campus in the past five years, the Alamo (The Western stucco-style building that rests in the South End Zone) is out of place...And yes, an academic support facility with a new athletic weight room would be very, very, hip.

However, if they're going to do it. Please take taste into consideration...What made Kenan incredible were the incredible surroundings of North Carolina cedar pines...Don't knock out the last sections that are in the corners.

Note: The exterior expansion that was driven by Mack Brown is cool. But if you're going to do it, please hire architects or urban designers who actually went to UNC, and they'll understand this important facet when rendering new expansion plans.

Find a way to design an enclosure that will incorporate the last of the original forest ring surrounding the stadium...Believe me, it's cool and innovative...And that's OK.

Football stadiums and gameday atmospheres can be unique. They don't have to look and be like everyone else, which Tar Heel Sports Marketing seems to have a struggle with in terms of identifying cool things to do on gamedays...That's a whole other post though.

Q: Is it fair to increase the student fee?

A: The student fee was significantly lower than everybody else's in the conference except for N.C. State and significantly lower within the UNC system -- way off the mark, in some cases $400 off the mark. The fee is still low. It's still next-to-the-lowest fee in the UNC system.

The students did not object to the fee increase. The student leadership objected to the fact that it was a last-minute request and had not gone through the normal process.

(IronDog: The fee is more than reasonable...And Baddour is correct. The only backlash was that it was pushed down students' throats in a sly way. The fee is also more than reasonable when it applies to renovation of facilities that students and the community can use during off-seasons such as the resurfacing of Belk Track, the turfed Hooker soccer fields, the renovated outdoor Naval pool behind Woollen Gym, and the Indoor Track.)

Note: All of the mentioned above were renovated facilites have either been renovated during Baddour's time...That's a huge plus.

Quick request: Can we get a restroom/public changing room at Belk Track?

Q: Was consideration given to dropping any of the 28 sports?

A: Not now. There was. But our people have responded, with increased fund-raising from the [Educational] Foundation [the booster club]. We will be asking for another student-fee increase, $50 next year.

The third thing was what the legislature did for us, making out-of-state, full grants being considered in-state [costing the same amount].

(IronDog: The tangible disappointment is when you watch programs like UNC Wrestling struggle because of athletic funding...It's an absolute tragedy...It's even worse when you watch programs like Women's Tennis or the Track program not attracting athletes because of facility or staffing issues.

Here's a plea. If you're an UNC Alumni, give to non-revenue sports. Olympic sport athletes are the truly special ones that bring an intense amount of flavor to the school.

Yes, the big-four revenue programs such as basketball, football, baseball, and soccer are sexy donations, but your Educational Foundation dollars mean a lot more to the non-revenue sports. Steer your gifts toward those sports. You're helping in a big way, and bringing a lot more flavor to the school.

Q: Is there any change you would like to see that would be beneficial to UNC and college athletics?

A: I think the NCAA could allow [full-scholarship] students additional benefits without paying them or making them professional athletes. I would like to see an allowance.

(IronDog: Agreed, and let it be known that this blogga is in favor of 7K/year.)

Q: How much allowance?

A. A couple of thousand dollars [per year for each athlete].

(IronDog: Well, that's fine. But that's if you allow student-athletes to work more freely during the summer...A nice two-part question may be: 'Do you think that allowances will ever happen, and with tuition, fees, and living expenses, do you think allowances could be over 5K?')

That's it for me until next time on TarheelDaily...Believe me, I'll hit these issues up again. Now, let Dick Baddour do his job. He's doing a good one. Leave him alone.

Off to Belk Track,
IronDog

posted by IronDog at 4:16 PM

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home