President Kennedy Message on Athletics

[AJS]

I'm absolutely stunned. For how big of a sh*t show everything is at UND, I didn't think anything they could do would surprise me, well this has. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Kennedy = Kelley Part II.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dagger]

I  guess I don't think it is a gong show(Bison fans might think so).     With today's economic climate in North Dakota  it is always going to be important to  try and stay on top of the  financial situation in your athletic department(which is  what they are doing).    The bottom line is budgets are going to need to be reduced.. I tend to think that the University has "just"  found out that there is going to be a real good chance  that a change   in athletic conferences is going to happen  and that will take care of most   of the budge shortfalls.   I could be wrong but I think it is what is  going to happen. 

[UNDBIZ]

[AJS]

4 minutes ago, Dagger said:

I  guess I don't think it is a gong show(Bison fans might think so).     With today's economic climate in North Dakota  it is always going to be important to  try and stay on top of the  financial situation in your athletic department(which is  what they are doing).    The bottom line is budgets are going to need to be reduced.. I tend to think that the University has "just"  found out that there is going to be a real good chance  that a change   in athletic conferences is going to happen  and that will take care of most   of the budge shortfalls.   I could be wrong but I think it is what is  going to happen. 

You didn't think the IAC Committee was a gong show? How about when the head asked about going D2 or moving to independent? Or how about when Kennedy made a not cut list and made every other program go in front and beg for their sports? Yep, definitely not a gong show at all.

[nodak651]

So far.... Kelley > Kennedy

What a pointless distraction that was.

[SiouxVolley]

1 hour ago, jdub27 said:

So you are saying that the WAC will change its core sport requirements?

It won't get Idaho and the Montanas to join if it doesnt.  The NCAA rules are more lenient with non football conferences anyway, as they require them for bball autobids.

[homer]

I'm hoping Kennedy knows something the rest of us don't.  Funding 20 sports is not sustainable for an athletic dept the size of UND's.

[AJS]

I do agree however that this most likely points towards the Summit League, which will take care of a lot of the budget deficit in travel cost. As long as that / increase revenue, ect... takes care of it, then I'm good.

I just can't comprehend what took place the past 3 months with the IAC meetings. If you thought there was any way to solve the budget crisis without cutting sports, wouldn't you first look at all those possibilities? Conference affiliation, other ways to increase revenue, ect. After you exhausted all other options, then announce you are looking to cut sports. If you thought there was any way that this could be handled w/out cutting sports, why even bring it up, until absolutely necessary? Putting the "non cut" sports thru hell these past 3 months for nothing?

Growing up, did anybody think leaders could be this dumb?

 

[Hambone]

There has to be something else going on.  In the updated Herald article Kennedy is saying that this was a "once in a Kennedy tenure" type of decision, so he will not revisit it in the future.  If that's the case, there has to be something else.  Seems to me we're looking forward to mediocrity in most sports.

[AJS]

4 minutes ago, Hambone said:

There has to be something else going on.  In the updated Herald article Kennedy is saying that this was a "once in a Kennedy tenure" type of decision, so he will not revisit it in the future.  If that's the case, there has to be something else.  Seems to me we're looking forward to mediocrity in most sports.

Yep, his quote about wanting to make sure they have the right amount of sports for a school this size, so that they can fund them at a championship level was complete garbage. I don't know why I would have thought any differently. UND leadership has been and will continue to be trash.

[CMSB95]

Is it possible that by taking the financial part away from the Athletic Dept. and the AD, they happened to "find" money?  Maybe a new conference is on the horizon.  I still find it odd that the decision of cutting sports had to be made in two months.  Such huge decisions and too many other possibilities that couldn't be made in such a short time.  I would welcome them going to the Summit.  The travel costs alone in savings would make up the shortfall 3 times probably.

 

[Oxbow6]

Bottom line......if you were a coach or player that poured your passion and emotions out in an attempt to save your sport in the public dog and pony spectacle last week you deserve to punch every committee member in the gut one time.

[CMSB95]

1 minute ago, Oxbow6 said:

Bottom line......if you were a coach or player that poured your passion and emotions out in an attempt to save your sport in the public dog and pony spectacle last week you deserve to punch every committee member in the gut one time.

It has been gut wrenching and I can tell you that from personal experience.  I have a child in sports.  It's been a long two months with tears and stress.  I can envision the entire team crying out of relief, including the coach.  It's been hard as a parent watching from 1,000 miles away. 

[Oxbow6]

37 minutes ago, nodak651 said:

So far.... Kelley > Kennedy

What a pointless distraction that was.

To point #1... that fact that I had to pause to even think if actually agree or disagree with that is bothersome in itself.

Point #2 is not even arguable.

[homer]

15 minutes ago, CMSB95 said:

Is it possible that by taking the financial part away from the Athletic Dept. and the AD, they happened to "find" money?  Maybe a new conference is on the horizon.  I still find it odd that the decision of cutting sports had to be made in two months.  Such huge decisions and too many other possibilities that couldn't be made in such a short time.  I would welcome them going to the Summit.  The travel costs alone in savings would make up the shortfall 3 times probably.

 

I understand you have a child currently enrolled so I apologize with how this is going to come across but it really shouldn't have taken two months to see that some sports had to be cut. 

I still question how we are going to deal with future costs that are going to rise regardless of how many sports we offer.  We may be good today but Kennedy needs to have some vision and look ahead to 2021 and beyond.  I thought the question he was asking was what does he want this athletic dept. to look like in 5, 10, 25 years.

[CMSB95]

Just now, homer said:

I understand you have a child currently enrolled so I apologize with how this is going to come across but it really shouldn't have taken two months to see that some sports had to be cut. 

I still question how we are going to deal with future costs that are going to rise regardless of how many sports we offer.  We may be good today but Kennedy needs to have some vision and look ahead to 2021 and beyond.  I thought the question he was asking was what does he want this athletic dept. to look like in 5, 10, 25 years.

I'm not offended by any of this.  Everyone has their opinions and ideas of how things should be run, what sports could/should be cut, etc.  I too am a little confused at how we had a huge deficit of millions of dollars and the impending doom feeling of we have to cut now or we can't survive...that's why I think there's more to this than they are letting us know.  Perhaps there has been plenty of money and it's been misappropriated?  Maybe there's too much spending somewhere that shouldn't be?  Somehow, someone found something and now no sports get cut.  When in fact, we were told 2-4 would be cut and that was from the president.  Something happened and we don't know yet, but I would venture to guess it will come out at some point.

[UNDBIZ]

25 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

Bottom line......if you were a coach or player that poured your passion and emotions out in an attempt to save your sport in the public dog and pony spectacle last week you deserve to punch every committee member in the gut one time.

Pouring out their emotions may be what saved their programs.  It certainly appears Kennedy is making an emotional decision, rather than one based on numbers.  I'm holding out some hope he has something going on behind the scenes, but it's a very faint hope.

[UNDBIZ]

So baseball is gone and men's golf is still on the chopping block in 2 years.  Potential Title IX lawsuit?  Or are only women's athletics protected there?

[SWSiouxMN]

4 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

So baseball is gone and men's golf is still on the chopping block in 2 years.  Potential Title IX lawsuit?  Or are only women's athletics protected there?

No, it goes both ways.  See WKU Football

 

[zonadub]

56 minutes ago, CMSB95 said:

I'm not offended by any of this.  Everyone has their opinions and ideas of how things should be run, what sports could/should be cut, etc.  I too am a little confused at how we had a huge deficit of millions of dollars and the impending doom feeling of we have to cut now or we can't survive...that's why I think there's more to this than they are letting us know.  Perhaps there has been plenty of money and it's been misappropriated?  Maybe there's too much spending somewhere that shouldn't be?  Somehow, someone found something and now no sports get cut.  When in fact, we were told 2-4 would be cut and that was from the president.  Something happened and we don't know yet, but I would venture to guess it will come out at some point.

Really hope you are right!!!

[fightingsioux4life]

2 hours ago, Hambone said:

There has to be something else going on.  In the updated Herald article Kennedy is saying that this was a "once in a Kennedy tenure" type of decision, so he will not revisit it in the future.  If that's the case, there has to be something else.  Seems to me we're looking forward to mediocrity in most sports.

Like I've said, they are looking at running it like high school. Have as many sports as possible and who cares if more than half of them don't have winning records. That is unacceptable. There had better be something else going on we don't know about or I will have a serious bone to pick with President Kennedy.

And if there is a decision coming to not fund FCOA to balance the budget, I will be calling for heads (Kennedy's and Faison's).

[AJS]

Besides the IAC's recommendation of not cutting any sports, every other revenue generating idea the IAC recommended requires third-party approvals (which Kennedy acknowledged). My question is what if the Ralph / Alerus say no to reviewing their contracts, the student body senate (or whoever would vote on it), vetoes raising student fees? What if the Summit league decides not to accept UND (if that was a route they were counting on going to save on travel).

When would the three recommendations by the IAC be voted on / reviewed? When would conference affiliation be ironed out?

Making such a definite this will not happen under my watch while there are so many unknowns at this time seems extremely short sided. Why wouldn't you get the answers to all of the unknowns before making a decision?

I'll go back to his original comment about making sure the University has the right amount of sports for a University of its size to fund each one at a championship level (aka what NDSU does). Kennedy is all bark and no bite. When it came down to making tough decisions he folded. What's he going to do in other areas of the University when budgets get tight? This is very concerning.

 

[fightingsioux4life]

Another thought.....what if this is a back-door, clandestine attempt to get us back into Division 2?

[SIOUXFAN97]

5 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Another thought.....what if this is a back-door, clandestine attempt to get us back into Division 2?

bring on winona state in the quarter finals of the d2 playoffs!!!! heck bring on the gorillas of pitt state...love it!

[AJS]

5 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Another thought.....what if this is a back-door, clandestine attempt to get us back into Division 2?

This is a genuine concern of mine as far fetched an idea as I think it is. My concern originally started when the idea was floated in the first IAC meeting (then shot down in the 2nd meeting). Is the reason Kennedy hasn't come out and said himself this isn't a possibility, is because it's so insane that why would he even need too? Now my fear is what happens if the "revenue generating" ideas don't pass and the Summit (believe there is mutual interest) doesn't come to fruition? What happens if at the end of all of this there is still a deficit? 

As unlikely as I think it still is (especially when they were quick to go FCOA), I wouldn't put anything past the University of North Dakota. They've always thought small, no matter who has been in charge. Kennedy just made it clear today that he'd rather run this athletic department like a high school. I wasn't worried about Kennedy until today, now I'm terrified.