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7/9/04-
Preferred Seating Plan- Part 4
The Preferred
Seating Plan is here to stay. In part 1, I addressed the
'benefits' of the new program. In part 2, I addressed the
circumstances that have contributed to the current budget crisis.
In part 3, I addressed the harsh practical truth of PSP. In part 4, I'll
address why I think the plan is disappointing.
Where's the Vision?
So I've read the PSP program brochure and sat through the public
question and answer session. And after careful consideration
here's what I have to say about it...
Is that all you've
got?
No long term plan for
creating endowments to subsidize scholarship costs?
No revenue generating facility upgrades?
In fact, at
the first public meeting about the PSP one of the athletic
department representatives said that there was no plans for what to do
with the extra
revenue after 2006 season. Now either this is a lie or it's
the truth. Either way the answer is scary.
Isn't that how we got here?
The larger question is whether or not anything has really changed at the
athletic department. They keep throwing around phrases like
'we need to make a business decision' or 'it's not good business to
do X or Y.'
Well, I have a question that I'd like
someone in the Athletic Department to answer for me-
WHAT THE HELL HAVE
YOU PEOPLE BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS?
Any 'business'
that planned this poorly
would be OUT OF BUSINESS. Fortunately for them, the current
athletic administration has the luxury of inheriting a near monopoly
created by over a hundred years of tradition.
How can people who
"choose" to participate in the PSP program have any confidence that
the athletic department is being run any better than in the recent
past? Will the revenue generated by the PSP be invested or
just frittered away?
Business-Like But Not a Business
Well, repeat after me- the athletic department is not a business.
They can run like a business and it wouldn't hurt them to treat their
customers like a business but the athletic department, is in fact, not
a business.
This distinction
is important. A real
business is only truly accountable to its owners or shareholders.
A real business is free
to set its prices at whatever the market will bear. Indeed, a
real business should extract
the greatest price possible for its product.
The athletic
department is a non-profit organization which has the following
mission:
The mission of the
Athletic Department is to support and supplement the mission of the
University of Michigan by providing intercollegiate and recreational
sports programs. The development of successful teams and quality
recreational sports programs, with a focus on the welfare of our
student-athletes, is inherent to our mission. The Athletic
Department is dedicated to the principle that the pursuit of
excellence in intercollegiate athletics must be accomplished within
the framework of an academic community committed to providing
equitable opportunities for all student-athletes, students, and
faculty.
As an extension of
the University, the athletic department is ultimately responsible to
the citizens of the State of Michigan. The Athletic Department
is also responsible to other constituencies. The alumni are a strong
worldwide marketing presence which helps maintain the University's
reputation. Season ticket holders generate a large percentage
of revenue and many of whom have been supporting the program for
decades.
Why does this
distinction matter? Because the athletic department refuses to
acknowledge the mistakes of the past. If the athletic
department were a private company that would be fine. But as a
public institution, it is responsible to each every citizen of the
State of Michigan who pays taxes, every Alumnus of the University
who donates money, and every season ticketholder.
The REAL Michigan Tradition
Fielding Yost and Fritz Crisler not only were successful coaches but were administrators of great vision. Don Canham
revolutionized the marketing of collegiate athletics.
Where is
the innovation now?
Why is the current administration content
to follow in the steps of other institutions when the the REAL
tradition of Michigan is to lead?
Wolverines on the Field but Sheep in
Administration
We're hearing a lot about Michigan catching up to other schools.
It was Fielding Yost who said of an opponent, "Who
are they that they should beat a Michigan team?"
I ask the athletic department,
"Who is Michigan to be catching up to other programs?"
Get your act together. The
on-the-field success of Wolverine sports teams is being put in
jeopardy by the mismanagement and poor planning of the past athletic
directors. Ohio State and Michigan State are beginning to get
ahead in team facilities and revenue generation capability. If
these trends continue Michigan will be hard pressed to maintain its
elite athletic status.
So What Do We Do now?
Well, if you're a season ticket holder whose seats now are taxed by
the PSP program you have a decision to make. Do you pay or
give up your seats? Most will find a way to pay and keep their
seats. Some won't. Either way it stinks. No matter
what decision people make it's clear that the average fan needs to
take a serious interest in how the athletic department manages the
revenue generated by the PSP. One lesson of the last 15 years
is that we can't depend on the local media to hold the athletic
department accountable for fiscal issues. If you truly care
about the future of Michigan Athletics here's what you need to do:
-
Pay the PSP but watch how money is spent and
hold the athletic department accountable.
-
Donate money to Michigan Athletics BUT
earmark your donation towards the endowment of scholarships in
your favorite sports
(NOTE: Unfortunately if you do this your donation WILL NOT count
towards the PSP program.)
-
Evaluate the regents, many of whom are
complicit in the past mismanagement of the athletic department.
Conclusion?
The next couple of years will be interesting for the future of
Michigan athletics. The athletic department will need to
develop a vision of where it wants to be 25 years from now.
Hopefully it will be a vision that fans can rally around support
rather around. Hopefully 10 years from now the athletic
department won't come back to its fans and have to admit that
financial mismanagement of the late 1990's never really ended...
Go Blue!
Phil
Callihan
UMGoBlue.COM, Editor-in-Chief
phil@umgoblue.com
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Phil Callihan is the Editor-in- Chief of
UMGoBlue.COM. Phil graduated from the University of Michigan
in 1993 and has been a football season ticket holder since 1994.
Full Bio
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