Oregon State: America's Team?

[Charles Fischer]

Have you seen the tweets and postings claiming that the Beavers are America's Team? Well that marketing is a bit late, and well--everyone knows that they are not even the team of the Willamette Valley!  

 

 

 

Poor Beavers...

[Charles Fischer]

So would I, but would they for us?

 

I do not like what has happened, but a ton of my sympathy was lost when they began blaming Oregon for their troubles.  
 

Loser logic, and while I will feel a little sorry for them, I will also have some fun with it all.

[Steven A]

On 8/27/2023 at 10:46 AM, cartm25 said:

“IF”

Ain't gonna happn.

[Drake]

The Beavers problems are not marketing. Beavers are in trouble. 

 

The Reser stadium +$160 million project required $45 million in bond debt. They projected that the stadium would generate an additional $5 million in revenues…before the PAC 12 imploded…..

 

They need $2.5 million in annual payments over 35 years to service that debt. That number really isn’t that daunting. 
 

However, the Beavers athletic budget still has a $33 million revenue deficit due to the COVID pandemic that needs attention. They also will probably receive a future sport media package substantially less than anticipated. 

 

Well, let’s just say that their athletic departments ability to financially sustain what they have in place gets very blurry. 
 
You can blame the Ducks, but that doesn’t pay your bills. 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Drake

[Charles Fischer]

On 8/27/2023 at 1:03 PM, cartm25 said:

Fortunately the Beavers fans I’ve interacted with in person recently have all directed their ire at Larry Scott and USC/UCLA.

That is accurate, but incomplete.  Winners acknowledge when they've blown it, own it, and apologize.  They need to blame the prior Athletic Directors who hired the bad coaches, and their Presidents that let Larry fiddle the conference away.

 

It comes down to their leadership and decisions; in the 1970s....the two teams were equal in their problems and public perception.  But the Ducks had better decisions made, thankfully, and OSU fans did not.  They should acknowledge their own failings which created this instead of looking outside for blame.

[Triphibius]

The news of Oregon's departure to the Big 10 (or whatever it will now be called) broke just as I was leaving on a trip to Europe. I expressed my deep regret in my post, but was not able to follow much of the discussion afterward. Perhaps everyone is weary ot the topic, but I  want to get something off my chest. 

 

I am bothered by three things. 

 

The first is the plight of student-athletes in non-revenue sports. Chip Kelly is not a perfect man, but I think he has integrity of a certain sort. He was right about this. This will make the lives of volleyball and tennis players much worse. 

 

The second is what this is doing to college football. The traditions and rivalries defined the sport. As Mr. Fishduck has noted, few or none of the fans anywhere wanted this outcome. College Football as we have known it for decades is being sacrified to add dollars to the budgets of athletic departments. Many OBD participants have a busines background, which I do not. I must defer to their expertise about some things, but I remain highly skeptical that the financial gain is worth what is being lost. Is this increased revenue going to be used to lower ticket prices? Or will it simply boost the already enormous salaries paid to coaches and administrators, or eventually find its way into the hands of athletes, who will cease being students in any meaningful sense? College Football may become a less interesting version of professional football. 

 

The third is my regret about what is happening to OSU and WSU. They have competed very well considering their location and resources. Jonathan Smith and the WSU coaches have my respect. They deserve better than this.The reaction of their fans may not be fair or reasonable, but fans will be fans. I would not expect them to be grateful. It is only "by the grace of Good Gosh" that the U of O is not in the same position. Were it not for some fortuitous hires (such as the ex-Beaver Rich Brooks, or Chip Kelly) and the odd combination of circumstances that led to the birth Nike, the U of O would be yet another small market team doomed to "relegation" to the MWC, as they would call it in the UK. 

 

Most of the time, the desire for profit leads to socially desirable results. In this case it has not. FOX and ESPN have destroyed something unique and beaufiful. That is their legacy. 

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Triphibius

[Jon Joseph]

Great post. But doing what to student-athletes? The student-athletes at Hawaii have been traveling like this for decades. Last seen the Hawaii football team was opening the season in Nashville. Crickets. 

 

In post-season play, the NCAA has had athletes going hither and yon for decades. Now it's an issue? 

 

I feel for the Beavers and Cougars but both schools took the big-time media money. There are no 'clean hands' here.

 

CFB realignment is the result of any business that is capitalized and long ago surrendered collegiality and student 'welfare' for money. The Pac-12 did not have to go for the BCS and the need for 1 True Champion. The Pac-12 could have decided to be the Ivy League II. 

Didn't happen.

 

Money is not evil. The love of money is evil. 

 

IMO, OREGON made the right move and is headed to exactly where it is supposed to be. And J. Smith's multi-million dollar+ salary will not be reduced when OSU migrates to the MW or to the AAC. 

[KCDuck1]

On 8/27/2023 at 4:41 PM, cartm25 said:

EXCELLENT points!!!!

" It is only "by the grace of Good Gosh" that the U of O is not in the same position." - Quote from Triphibius. Who in the h*ll is "Good Gosh"? Just express yourself in a non-Business background way! You mean the Grace of Good Gosh, right? That is what it is. ;-))  Otherwise, well stated. Thanks and VR, KCDuck1