I find this situation to be beyond hopeless. See folks money talks and emails and protests walk in Amerika today. While we don't have a Daddy Warbucks like PBJr, we do have a whole bunch of little Warbucks who could FORCE a change and FORCE independence from the BOT by letting UAB and the BOT know that ALL money's we were going to send to UAB to be used in ANY capacity will be held back in a separate account and not released to UAB until action is taken and we are completely free of the UA BOT. We must take a tough stand for independence if we are to ever have any hope of reversing this decision and re-establishing UAB as a world class athletic program and undergraduate school. I hate losing my football team and I really hate having my undergraduate degree de-valued by those bastards.
Not one more red cent or butt in the seats for ANYTHING until we are FREE. We can no longer play this patty cake game with these people. They are NEVER going to see it our way NEVER. No matter how many rally's and emails and calls we make. Every time they hear from us they just tell themselves that there are 1000 x more people who couldn't care less about UAB or support UAT and are glad this has happened to us.
The only weapon we have is our COMBINED money. Please let them know we will not stand for this any longer.
A war was never won when the fighters walked away from a battle.
(12-05-2014 08:36 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]A war was never won when the fighters walked away from a battle.
I agree!
The protests and such made a big difference, and they still are. We need that for the PR battle that can help sway politicians and powerful people.
We also need the money people to do their work (which they did), and yet Watts STILL destroyed football. That goes to show you that he was hired for this purpose.
Plan A is to try to turn this quickly and save us via miracle.
Plan B is to begin the process of getting football reinstated. That may take legislation and new trustees, but it is not impossible. It'll just be an uphill fight. We're used to uphill fights at UAB.
By the way, I agree with pulling donations, especially to the Campaign for UAB. I'm torn over the butts in seats idea, but I'm still grieving, so I'll have to wait to think that through some more. At some point, that may be counter-productive.
I know this: Watts must be fired!
I think we pull ALL donations but still put butts in seats for the other sports.
(12-05-2014 09:28 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote: [ -> ]I think we pull ALL donations but still put butts in seats for the other sports.
+1
(12-05-2014 09:28 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote: [ -> ]I think we pull ALL donations but still put butts in seats for the other sports.
Completely agree.
The butts need to be marching around during the games not cheering during some meaningless sporting event like nothings wrong. Being superfans is what you do before your program is murdered. After the execution you must change your strategy! Think negative reinforcement, You hurt us we hurt you. How is any of this rah rah from the seats hurting Ray Watts? I taped the broadcast from last nights game and watched the first 30 minutes after returning from Bartow and there was ZERO discussion about why the students were there in Black. Doug Bell even said that the students were excited about the basketball team being back in town after being out of town! The entire situation was depicted as a big happy pro basketball student body and nothing about a battle taking place for the heart and soul of the University. FreeUAB was not even discussed just a bunch of Rah Rah Rah. Watts and the administration will probably use footage from last nights game to recruit future students by telling them that UAB has a wonderful student body with a great campus and sporting tradition. Makes me sick.
It isn't a meaningless sporting event to those players playing in it. They still deserve support.
(12-05-2014 11:58 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]It isn't a meaningless sporting event to those players playing in it. They still deserve support.
I believe that any activity that takes the focus off the issue of #freeuab is meaningless. If the players can't see that this issue is greater than the playing of a sporting event then they are selfish and care little about UAB as a whole. While their work on the court is laudable it pales in comparison to the effort of the football program, Rifle team, Bowling team, student marches, business leaders speaking out and elected leaders taking a stand over the past month.
Anything Doug Bell says is meaningless. He's a moron, and the fact that he said the student section looked like that because the team was back from out of town proves how utterly out of touch and clueless he is.
(12-05-2014 12:49 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote: [ -> ]Anything Doug Bell says is meaningless. He's a moron, and the fact that he said the student section looked like that because the team was back from out of town proves how utterly out of touch and clueless he is.
He was so clueless the only thing missing was his spacesuit.
(12-05-2014 08:59 AM)the Dragon Wrote: [ -> ]By the way, I agree with pulling donations, especially to the Campaign for UAB. I'm torn over the butts in seats idea, but I'm still grieving, so I'll have to wait to think that through some more. At some point, that may be counter-productive.
I know this: Watts must be fired!
Ditto to all of this! Just finished my letter to Blazer Boosters and to Coach Clark.
I think the donations should go to a trust set-up to generate compounding interest for a future UAB that meets certain pro-undergraduate criteria. Donations to the individual women's sports funds can also be encouraged.
If the Foundation stays up and running, move your monetary support there. Watts can not get to it there. It will take time to force out Watts and bring the BOT to heal. Change comes slowly to UAB; it took the bad guys more than 19 years to murder UAB football. The money can be built up over time, and when we are ready to get UAB football up and running again, we can have a comprehensive plan and money in place to give it a head start (unlike the first time).
Ever seen Chinatown? Remember the ending? That's how I feel right now.
Forget it Jake, it's Birmingham.
(12-05-2014 09:28 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote: [ -> ]I think we pull ALL donations but still put butts in seats for the other sports.
The Blazer Women of all sports including spirit teams have absolutely
been there for all of this.
No, it's "Birmingham, City of Perpetual Promise".
http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/City_of_Perpetual_Promise
"City of Perpetual Promise is an appellation which has been sometimes used to describe Birmingham. The "promise" refers principally to the mineral resources which many expected to to fuel the growth of the Birmingham District into one of the world's great industrial centers. The qualification refers both to the calculated retardation and suppression of that potential for the benefit of outside interests, and to the shortage of progressive local leaders capable of reversing such damaging exploitation.
The phrase was used as the subtitle of a detailed analysis of Birmingham's conditions undertaken by Harpers Magazine editor George Leighton and published in August 1937. It was reprinted in his book Five Cities in 1939."
I've read the Harper's article from 1937.
Ya know, everything changes, and nothing changes.
The women's athletes, the coaches, the golden girls, the cheerleaders, the band, the UAB Police, the students, there are a whole lot of people who have.
Stay at it. Don't let up. Keep fighting.