UAB going to re-evaluate dropping football.

outoftown · January 18, 2015

Well, I agree with those saying this is empty posturing by the president to apiese screaming alumni. And it is mostly risk free for him.

If UAB gets thrown out of C-USA, then they will need an invite to an FBS program to start an FBS team again. So they would need all of this done before C-USA decides, negatively on their fate, or invites someone better. And frankly if you look primarily at football, there are sseveral better programs than UAB out there for the taking. This was honestly not that tragic a loss for C-USA which means it is unlikely the conference will move heaven and earth to get UAB back in. So if C-USA does not invite them or bend the rules to keep them, it is the Sun Belt or the end of the program as FBS. At which point even if it was found that football had been sustainable in C-USA it will probably not matter anymore, because there will be no way to revive the program anyway.

oldguystudent · January 18, 2015

....and in a related matter...........http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12171249/uab-faculty-senate-votes-no-confidence-president

Here's my question. If the same thing happened here (shutting down the FB program after our 9-4 season) would our faculty have done the same thing? Or would they have given him a standing ovation/

Probably neither. Just because they're indifferent, doesn't mean they're maliciously out to cause harm to athletics at every possible corner. The reality would probably be no response, no change in syllabus, wouldn't get mentioned in faculty senate at all. It would be a complete non-event.

SilverEagle · January 18, 2015

Probably neither. Just because they're indifferent, doesn't mean they're maliciously out to cause harm to athletics at every possible corner. The reality would probably be no response, no change in syllabus, wouldn't get mentioned in faculty senate at all. It would be a complete non-event.

You are probably right. But even no response at all would be a significant event.......and typical of our culture.

oldguystudent · January 18, 2015

One of my best friends is a tenured professor at LSU. He has been there since the late 90s. He has been to one athletic event in that time -- the time I showed up because my school was playing LSU in the baseball playoffs. He can't tell me who LSU's coach is, can't tell me if the teams are good or bad, only that the stadium is HUGE and that the students wait in line for tickets. But he personally could not care less because all he sees is funding and grants shrinking to nothing and his graduate students teams shrinking from 20 to 2 because the funding isn't there.

A culture of faculty indifference to athletics is most certainly not unique to UNT. Faculty aren't at any given school because of the athletic program. They are at a given school because A) That's the school who would hire them. B ) They're tenured and not leaving that sweet, sweet gig. C) They're highly sought after academics who get free houses and bajillions of research dollars because the university has an endowment bigger than a Kardashian internet breaking ass.

Direct the culture at the administration and the board of regents. Faculty aren't here to be supporters or cheerleaders.

Edited January 18, 2015 by oldguystudent

NT03 · January 18, 2015

One of my best friends is a tenured professor at LSU. He has been there since the late 90s. He has been to one athletic event in that time -- the time I showed up because my school was playing LSU in the baseball playoffs. He can't tell me who LSU's coach is, can't tell me if the teams are good or bad, only that the stadium is HUGE and that the students wait in line for tickets. But he personally could not care less because all he sees is funding and grants shrinking to nothing and his graduate students teams shrinking from 20 to 2 because the funding isn't there.

A culture of faculty indifference to athletics is most certainly not unique to UNT. Faculty aren't at any given school because of the athletic program. They are at a given school because A) That's the school who would hire them. B ) They're tenured and not leaving that sweet, sweet gig. C) They're highly sought after academics who get free houses and bajillions of research dollars because the university has an endowment bigger than a Kardashian internet breaking ass.

Direct the culture at the administration and the board of regents. Faculty aren't here to be supporters or cheerleaders.

This reminded me of something

https://twitter.com/wwno/status/245216392985579520