A serious analysis of the wider problem. Trouble, trouble and more trouble. And in the current circumstance a good possibility top PAC 12 athletes will be transfering . . . certainly some from the the California schools unless the severe lockdow is lifted. The PAC 12 is problematic, badly managed, not competitive and hurting the ability of UCLA to become what it might aspire to be even though its problems are mostly of its own making.
This is really really important stuff, Dimitri. I remember reading Wilner's columns discussing U.C.L.A.'s budget deficit a few months ago when they initially came out and being disgusted (but not entirely shocked) by the financial irresponsibility in the Conference office. The amount of money lost on bureaucratic mismanagement, especially when compared to other conferences that are both financially and competitively more successful, is a damning indictment on Larry Scott's poor guidance. Every one of the 12 teams in the conference is being harmed by the Conference's ineffectual leadership. Certainly Guerreror's failures were our primary problem, but that has been addressed. Now the PAC 12 needs to clean house, strike a deal to get the network on every television, and then relocate its offices.
First step is getting rid of Larry Scott. Then getting rid of the SF office, etc. Then they can focus on the Network deal. My thinking for getting better air time is scheduling a few non-conference games later in the year and in prime time. It was embarrassing to see how we were losing to Texas A&M, but imagine if that had happened mid-season during peak viewing hours?
Obviously they can't predict which games are going to be exciting to watch. But you can put our best against some of there best at the right time. Later in the season would have bowl ramifications as well. Just a thought.
I think that's an interesting solution. The SEC does something similar to this idea with the unofficial SEC-SoCon Challenge, where a ton of SEC teams play a team from the Southern Conference late in the year (usually before rivalry week). This helps inflate their records and gives them an extra bye week. The big problem is getting other conferences/schools on board with the idea. Typically, the only non-conference games you see late in the year either involve Notre Dame or a rivalry game outside of the conference (think Georgia/GT and Clemson/South Carolina for examples here).
I think one of the biggest roadblocks will be getting schools to agree to earlier kickoffs. Most schools are against an early kickoff out of principle, with the earliest usually being something like a noon PST kickoff, with most going later in the day. The conference should look at adding a weekly game in that first kickoff window, with the ability to flex a low to mid-tier game into the slot. Then work to have your biggest games kick off in that 5 PM primetime slot, throw a low tier game at 7, and run more games at 2:30/3:00 PM. Doing something like this would involve getting a better deal from a TV network, and perhaps one of the best options is to partner with CBS now that they've lost the SEC.
Good thinking. Part of this would be having uniformity in schedules, which might not be possible with SEC being the reigning conference and not wanting to change things. In our case, the Pac-12 plays 3 conference games to start the year. What if a select few played their 3rd non-conference game mid-to late in the year. If we are "down" as a conference, we could use that to get non-conference teams to play one of our teams (what are you afraid of).
I like your thinking about CBS, it's at least an option worth exploring. I'm not overly savvy when it comes to broadcasting right, etc. But it seems CBS is still a major network and we could be a solution to both our problems.
OC Register -- via Maggie Vanoni, SCNG -- published an interview with Jarmond that might be of interest. Some quotes:
"From around 7:30 in the morning until about 4:30 in the afternoon, he works on wrapping up his responsibilities as BC’s athletic director. It’s a role he’s had for the past three years and a position he officially concluded on Monday, June 1. After a break for dinner, he starts the UCLA portion of his day lasting from about 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. It’s during this time he reads articles, contacts coaches and staff and educates himself on all things Bruins."
“I think about UCLA. The opportunity to be at a place like UCLA that is leading academically and athletically, there are not many institutions first of all that are like UCLA. It’s the No.1 public institution in the country.."
[QUESTION] UCLA has its fair share of challenges right now, including a $19-million deficit from 2019, a decrease in fan attendance and a football program that has yet to live up to expectations. What are your thoughts in tackling these challenges? What are your first steps in doing so?
[ANSWER]“Everybody has challenges as far as budget. UCLA is no different than other schools. The numbers may be a little different but everybody in this environment – especially post COVID or during COVID – is having financial challenges and having to really look at how they operate business in a more efficient or effective way to afford. I would say UCLA is not unlike any other institution right now as they grapple with how the ball moves and what the finances are...
..The best way to eat an apple is one bite at a time. It’s no quick fix, it’s no easy solution. But it’s just the work and it’s just understanding to be able to attack it one bite at a time.”
“First order of business is to listen and learn, listen and learn and repeat. That’s the most important thing because you can’t affect change or impact anything unless you understand how it got there. You have to get a sense of why we are here whether ‘here’ is good or bad, whether it’s a national championship program or a program that needs to do better. You gotta understand how we got there, where are we going and what are the challenges ahead.”
A serious analysis of the wider problem. Trouble, trouble and more trouble. And in the current circumstance a good possibility top PAC 12 athletes will be transfering . . . certainly some from the the California schools unless the severe lockdow is lifted. The PAC 12 is problematic, badly managed, not competitive and hurting the ability of UCLA to become what it might aspire to be even though its problems are mostly of its own making.
This is really really important stuff, Dimitri. I remember reading Wilner's columns discussing U.C.L.A.'s budget deficit a few months ago when they initially came out and being disgusted (but not entirely shocked) by the financial irresponsibility in the Conference office. The amount of money lost on bureaucratic mismanagement, especially when compared to other conferences that are both financially and competitively more successful, is a damning indictment on Larry Scott's poor guidance. Every one of the 12 teams in the conference is being harmed by the Conference's ineffectual leadership. Certainly Guerreror's failures were our primary problem, but that has been addressed. Now the PAC 12 needs to clean house, strike a deal to get the network on every television, and then relocate its offices.
First step is getting rid of Larry Scott. Then getting rid of the SF office, etc. Then they can focus on the Network deal. My thinking for getting better air time is scheduling a few non-conference games later in the year and in prime time. It was embarrassing to see how we were losing to Texas A&M, but imagine if that had happened mid-season during peak viewing hours?
Obviously they can't predict which games are going to be exciting to watch. But you can put our best against some of there best at the right time. Later in the season would have bowl ramifications as well. Just a thought.
I think that's an interesting solution. The SEC does something similar to this idea with the unofficial SEC-SoCon Challenge, where a ton of SEC teams play a team from the Southern Conference late in the year (usually before rivalry week). This helps inflate their records and gives them an extra bye week. The big problem is getting other conferences/schools on board with the idea. Typically, the only non-conference games you see late in the year either involve Notre Dame or a rivalry game outside of the conference (think Georgia/GT and Clemson/South Carolina for examples here).
I think one of the biggest roadblocks will be getting schools to agree to earlier kickoffs. Most schools are against an early kickoff out of principle, with the earliest usually being something like a noon PST kickoff, with most going later in the day. The conference should look at adding a weekly game in that first kickoff window, with the ability to flex a low to mid-tier game into the slot. Then work to have your biggest games kick off in that 5 PM primetime slot, throw a low tier game at 7, and run more games at 2:30/3:00 PM. Doing something like this would involve getting a better deal from a TV network, and perhaps one of the best options is to partner with CBS now that they've lost the SEC.
Good thinking. Part of this would be having uniformity in schedules, which might not be possible with SEC being the reigning conference and not wanting to change things. In our case, the Pac-12 plays 3 conference games to start the year. What if a select few played their 3rd non-conference game mid-to late in the year. If we are "down" as a conference, we could use that to get non-conference teams to play one of our teams (what are you afraid of).
I like your thinking about CBS, it's at least an option worth exploring. I'm not overly savvy when it comes to broadcasting right, etc. But it seems CBS is still a major network and we could be a solution to both our problems.
OC Register -- via Maggie Vanoni, SCNG -- published an interview with Jarmond that might be of interest. Some quotes:
"From around 7:30 in the morning until about 4:30 in the afternoon, he works on wrapping up his responsibilities as BC’s athletic director. It’s a role he’s had for the past three years and a position he officially concluded on Monday, June 1. After a break for dinner, he starts the UCLA portion of his day lasting from about 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. It’s during this time he reads articles, contacts coaches and staff and educates himself on all things Bruins."
“I think about UCLA. The opportunity to be at a place like UCLA that is leading academically and athletically, there are not many institutions first of all that are like UCLA. It’s the No.1 public institution in the country.."
[QUESTION] UCLA has its fair share of challenges right now, including a $19-million deficit from 2019, a decrease in fan attendance and a football program that has yet to live up to expectations. What are your thoughts in tackling these challenges? What are your first steps in doing so?
[ANSWER]“Everybody has challenges as far as budget. UCLA is no different than other schools. The numbers may be a little different but everybody in this environment – especially post COVID or during COVID – is having financial challenges and having to really look at how they operate business in a more efficient or effective way to afford. I would say UCLA is not unlike any other institution right now as they grapple with how the ball moves and what the finances are...
..The best way to eat an apple is one bite at a time. It’s no quick fix, it’s no easy solution. But it’s just the work and it’s just understanding to be able to attack it one bite at a time.”
“First order of business is to listen and learn, listen and learn and repeat. That’s the most important thing because you can’t affect change or impact anything unless you understand how it got there. You have to get a sense of why we are here whether ‘here’ is good or bad, whether it’s a national championship program or a program that needs to do better. You gotta understand how we got there, where are we going and what are the challenges ahead.”
(More at link.)
Oops!
https://www.ocregister.com/2020/06/01/qa-with-uclas-new-athletic-director-martin-jarmond/