NT Daily: UNT Athletics Department is more than $63.19 million in debt as of the end of 2017

[peanuts104]

3 minutes ago, Salsa_Verde said:

Well...if that’s how you feel. I just don’t like these stories being posted without a rebuttal. This university has 38,000 students plus....the NT Daily does not speak for the student body. 

You know they can delete comments they don't like, right?  It's a rag.  Even acknowledging this **** is more than they deserve.  They're doing a great job if they want to be journalists though.  Stir up a pot about **** they don't understand and then laugh their asses off while they get all the clicks.  MSNBC or Fox should hire 'em.

[FAU Connoisseur]

13 hours ago, Cerebus said:

NT isn't running an athletics programs as a charity.  The only reason they are doing it is because they are convinced it helps elevate their brand and value.  Like it or not a successful athletic programs raises the University's value with perspective students, business partners, staff, and faculty. 

 

True!  The year after the few years we have had a good football season the number of freshman applications go through the roof and more importantly the quality of the applications goes up exponentially (test scores, gpa's, etc.).  Not financially quantifiable, but never would happen otherwise.  Also, donations go up not just to athletics but academics as well.

The problem of student reporters is that they have no real viewpoint of the world from actually experience; unfortunately as we all get older they keep staying the same age (quote kinda stolen from "Dazed and Confused).  

It gets kind of cold up there in North Texas...I would use that paper to start a nice fire.

[Aldo]

So what I've learned is that

One subpar writer at NT Daily = ALL OF MAINSTREAM MEDIA

[UNTFan23]

11 hours ago, Mrs. Esterhouse said:

Exactly. They should be spending more money on their most reliable program. 

Yeah, the AD could spend more money on marketing the soccer program but will they get a decent return? Soccer isn't a popular sport.

[MeanGreenTexan]

7 minutes ago, UNTFan23 said:

Yeah, the AD could spend more money on marketing the soccer program but will they get a decent return? Soccer isn't a popular sport.

Not asking them to drop a million dollars on them...   But those ladies deserve to be championed a little more.   They're the standard the rest of the Athletics Department should look up to.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

1 minute ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Not asking them to drop a million dollars on them...   But those ladies deserve to be championed a little more.   They're the standard the rest of the Athletics Department should look up to.

Agreed. I've always wanted to get out to one of their games. Never have been able to. I'm going to make an asserted point of it next season. 

[aztecskin]

20 hours ago, meangreenJW said:

This explains a lot. One of the writers was a student who filed a petition against the athletic fee. This is why journalism is losing credibility and is susceptible to being attacked as "fake news." This clearly isn't fair or accurate reporting. Link below 

https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/sites/default/files/organizations/student-government-association/documents/Spring 2018 Athletic and Student Service Fee Referendum RESULTS.pdf

I think it is silly to attack journalism as a whole for one failed piece by student journalists. It's like attacking the game of football as a whole because a senior QB throws a bad interception. 

This is one writer failing, and the paper's EIC that effed in making sure the whole piece was solid. Failure is part of learning. 

Does it suck? Yes. Is it reflective on journalism as a profession? That's a giant reach, and an entire standard deviation of an overreaction. 

[Huff]

When you build a house for your family to live in you borrow some money from a bank (or S & L or loan shark), you pay your contractors, and you have a place to live.   You move in and start making payments to repay the loan plus some interest.   Owing the money is not a problem as long as you can pay it back.   The same would be true of an athletic department.   Owing the money to build facilities is not a negative in any way - as long as you can pay back the money.   It is the way the world works.   I hope that someone will take the time to explain this process to the writer who did this article.   He has a long way to go in order to know how the world works.    

On a different note, my granddaddy once told me that "them that is drawing interest is doing better than them that is paying interest".  How very true......

[Censored by Laurie]

1 hour ago, aztecskin said:

I think it is silly to attack journalism as a whole for one failed piece by student journalists. It's like attacking the game of football as a whole because a senior QB throws a bad interception. 

This is one writer failing, and the paper's EIC that effed in making sure the whole piece was solid. Failure is part of learning. 

Does it suck? Yes. Is it reflective on journalism as a profession? That's a giant reach, and an entire standard deviation of an overreaction. 

it helps to fit a certain type's pre-conceived narrative. 

there was a similar story run in the Jüdischer Periodika in 1933 stating that Hertha BSC was millions in debt, but not referencing their mortgage on the Stadion am Gesundbrunnen. one local politician subsequently really ran with the bad journalism motif in his speeches to good effect. 

[NorthTexan95]

1 hour ago, aztecskin said:

I think it is silly to attack journalism as a whole for one failed piece by student journalists. It's like attacking the game of football as a whole because a senior QB throws a bad interception. 

This is one writer failing, and the paper's EIC that effed in making sure the whole piece was solid. Failure is part of learning. 

Does it suck? Yes. Is it reflective on journalism as a profession? That's a giant reach, and an entire standard deviation of an overreaction. 

If it was one writer, one time, no one would say anything.  When you see the state of journalism as it is now then this is simply yet another data point on that trend. 

[DentonLurker]

In reference to marketing Soccer, this number is probably misleading. I bet this doesn't account for salaries and time staff spend on things like graphics, social media, game scripting, etc. The problem is that there is probably money and time spent on Soccer that doesn't get "charged directly to Soccer." I bet that if you were able to carve out all that stuff it tells a completely different story.

[MeanGreenTexan]

25 minutes ago, DentonLurker said:

In reference to marketing Soccer, this number is probably misleading. I bet this doesn't account for salaries and time staff spend on things like graphics, social media, game scripting, etc. The problem is that there is probably money and time spent on Soccer that doesn't get "charged directly to Soccer." I bet that if you were able to carve out all that stuff it tells a completely different story.

What a very diplomatic, well-worded answer!    Hope you guys are enjoying the collective sighs of relief from the Mean Green fans today.   Looking forward to picking up my bowl game tickets tomorrow.

And dangit, give the soccer ladies more funds!

[aztecskin]

2 hours ago, Censored by Laurie said:

it helps to fit a certain type's pre-conceived narrative. 

there was a similar story run in the Jüdischer Periodika in 1933 stating that Hertha BSC was millions in debt, but not referencing their mortgage on the Stadion am Gesundbrunnen. one local politician subsequently really ran with the bad journalism motif in his speeches to good effect. 

The foundation of democracy is a well-informed public. The news media does try to perform that function but ultimately it is our responsibility to not be stupid and not fall in love with the sweet nothings whispered in our ear by opportunistic politicians, company presidents, or snake oil salesmen. 

[Aldo]

34 minutes ago, aztecskin said:

ultimately it is our responsibility to not be stupid 

This part is really really hard for some people

[GrandGreen]

A few years back most were praising the Daily for their great athletic coverage.  It all has to do with the staff, both the writers and editors. 

This year seems very weak both in understanding and enthusiasm for sports.   

[MeanGreenTexan]

1 hour ago, aztecskin said:

The foundation of democracy is a well-informed public. The news media does try to perform that function but ultimately it is our responsibility to not be stupid and not fall in love with the sweet nothings whispered in our ear by opportunistic politicians, company presidents, or snake oil salesmen. 

I don't agree with this.  That is an old principle that is no longer true.
News media has rapidly changed over the past 2 decades (as has everything else).

There are stupid people, sure...  and there are gullible (NOT stupid) people who are simply used to decades & decades of trusting their news being delivered to them in an unbiased way via TV & newspaper.   Just straightforward information.   

That has unequivocally changed.  It is very difficult to read/hear news being delivered WITHOUT opinion now... from anywhere.

[greenminer]

31 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

That has unequivocally changed.  It is very difficult to read/hear news being delivered WITHOUT opinion now... from anywhere.

Well informed AND opinionated?

[MeanGreenTexan]

7 minutes ago, greenminer said:

Well informed AND opinionated?

Some are.  Yes.    Some aren't.

[Hall Eagle 2011]

On 12/6/2018 at 12:41 PM, meangreenJW said:

This explains a lot. One of the writers was a student who filed a petition against the athletic fee. This is why journalism is losing credibility and is susceptible to being attacked as "fake news." This clearly isn't fair or accurate reporting. Link below 

https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/sites/default/files/organizations/student-government-association/documents/Spring 2018 Athletic and Student Service Fee Referendum RESULTS.pdf

These results/"minutes" are terribly difficult to read. I even tried to skim to understand bits and pieces more, and could not even make it through all the way. 😬

[Censored by Laurie]

49 minutes ago, Jessica M Hall said:

These results/"minutes" are terribly difficult to read. I even tried to skim to understand bits and pieces more, and could not even make it through all the way. 😬

Lake Louise? 

[MattMakesLoans]

7 hours ago, Huff said:

When you build a house for your family to live in you borrow some money from a bank (or S & L or loan shark),  fellow alumni and GMG.com member, Matt with www.mattmakesloans.com you pay your contractors, and you have a place to live.  

FIFY

[jtm0097]

I pissed off some of the Journalism professors on Facebook for trying to explain how long term debt works. I probably shouldn’t have said the school needs to cancel the joke of a paper. However, the kids are just trying to reach for a story here. 

[UNTLifer]

On 12/7/2018 at 12:33 PM, aztecskin said:

The foundation of democracy is a well-informed public. The news media does try to perform that function but ultimately it is our responsibility to not be stupid and not fall in love with the sweet nothings whispered in our ear by opportunistic politicians, company presidents, or snake oil salesmen. [\b]

And biased journalist. 

[Hall Eagle 2011]

On 12/7/2018 at 4:23 PM, Censored by Laurie said:

Lake Louise? 

You know it! We (my siblings/their wives and my parents) went this past summer for our first family vacation in like 10 years. That Lake is amazing - We canoed out there as well. It’s unreal! 

[VideoEagle]

On 12/7/2018 at 1:15 PM, GrandGreen said:

A few years back most were praising the Daily for their great athletic coverage.  It all has to do with the staff, both the writers and editors. 

This year seems very weak both in understanding and enthusiasm for sports.   

You're right! I hadn't thought about it before, but just like athletic teams based on students will have down years so do other areas run by students. It's not ideal, but some semesters there just aren't any star students in some of the programs. It appears this is a down year for Journalism.