https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

Vanderbilt to the Big East confirmed!

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

We may end up seeing that Magnolia Conference after all.
Duke has the cash to compete, but refuses to spend it on football.....sounds familiar.

(07-07-2020 08:22 PM)XLance Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

We may end up seeing that Magnolia Conference after all.
Duke has the cash to compete, but refuses to spend it on football.....sounds familiar.

It would solve a lot of issues. Still there are too many moving parts. But, maybe strange times call for ambitious measures.

Maybe the Ivy has decided to participate in realignment and wants to expanding south.

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

Huh? Vandy has an endowment close to $7 billion. In 2018-19, Vandy turned a profit of $2 million on athletics according to EOA data. The debate at Vandy is that the school is spending $600 million on campus revitalization. Athletics are/were mad that they were told they should not court major donors for the new/remodeled football stadium project while the school is fundraising for other projects. Its a debate that happens on every campus in America. Vandy finished 45th in the Learfield Director's Cup in 2018-19 out of the 295 schools that earned points. Football may suck, as it has for decades, but Vandy is not re-evaluating athletics.

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

Nah - Vandy’s value to the SEC is very similar to Northwestern to the Big Ten: elite academic schools that are directly in fantastic urban locations within their conference footprints. Those are the types of schools that still are invaluable even if they go 0-12.

On the flip side, P5 membership is what allows Vandy and Northwestern to win a lot of student cross-admit battles with the Ivy League or the University of Chicago/MIT-types. Their targets are extremely smart sociable kids that also want school spirit. From everything that I’ve seen, Vandy is consistently ranked as the happiest and most fun school in the country for *really* smart students and their SEC membership is an integral part of that.

(07-07-2020 08:29 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

Nah - Vandy’s value to the SEC is very similar to Northwestern to the Big Ten: elite academic schools that are directly in fantastic urban locations within their conference footprints. Those are the types of schools that still are invaluable even if they go 0-12.

On the flip side, P5 membership is what allows Vandy and Northwestern to win a lot of student cross-admit battles with the Ivy League or the University of Chicago/MIT-types. Their targets are extremely smart sociable kids that also want school spirit. From everything that I’ve seen, Vandy is consistently ranked as the happiest and most fun school in the country for *really* smart students and their SEC membership is an integral part of that.

Well my cousin wasn't "really smart" and he went to Vanderbilt with his 3.7 gpa in high school.

Its what they call a "Junior Ivy" school, not a full equivalent like MIT or Cal Tech.

(07-07-2020 07:57 PM)CenterSquarEd Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

Vanderbilt to the Big East confirmed!

This isn't anything new with them. I've forgotten what it was, but they were the first Division I school to merge a particular athletic function into the general administration. Fund-raising, medical, really don't remember what it was. But it was a big deal 10 years or so ago. This is just something else along those lines.

(07-07-2020 08:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 08:22 PM)XLance Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

We may end up seeing that Magnolia Conference after all.
Duke has the cash to compete, but refuses to spend it on football.....sounds familiar.

It would solve a lot of issues. Still there are too many moving parts. But, maybe strange times call for ambitious measures.

Well it would lead to a lot of new, interesting realignment scenarios.

(07-07-2020 08:29 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

Nah - Vandy’s value to the SEC is very similar to Northwestern to the Big Ten: elite academic schools that are directly in fantastic urban locations within their conference footprints. Those are the types of schools that still are invaluable even if they go 0-12.

On the flip side, P5 membership is what allows Vandy and Northwestern to win a lot of student cross-admit battles with the Ivy League or the University of Chicago/MIT-types. Their targets are extremely smart sociable kids that also want school spirit. From everything that I’ve seen, Vandy is consistently ranked as the happiest and most fun school in the country for *really* smart students and their SEC membership is an integral part of that.

Frank you are likely right about this, but you have to remember that Tennessee gives the SEC the Nashville market and while Vanderbilt is the academic bell cow of the conference and certainly has great value in that regard, we are talking about a conference which unlike the Big 10 looks at athletics and academics through separate lenses and not as a whole package. And that way of looking at athletics may be a reality everywhere sooner than we think.

Now that said dynamics for what makes a school profitable to other schools has changed and is changing still. In an era where brand power multiplies the national audience and when actual viewers may determine payouts more exclusively in the future, at some point the other 13 schools of the SEC and Big 10 may start to ask what exactly does this small viewership school that is not competitive in the revenue sports offer us besides wins on the schedule? Academic associations are nice, but Vanderbilt doesn't see itself as a peer to the Mississippi schools, or even Georgia. So their impact upon those schools academically is marginalized through nobody's fault. It simply is what it is.

Under the market model, especially if you couldn't adequately claim Nashville, Dallas/Ft. Worth / Atlanta / Chicago, etc with another large state school then having a physical presence in such a place was essential. I'm just saying that I'm not so sure that is going to be a factor in an age where technology counts precisely who it is that is watching.

We also don't know yet how some of these long established privates are going to handle the pay for play angle and the rights to image issues. So I don't just have my eye on Vanderbilt, though I consider Northwestern much less likely to make other choices than their Big 10 membership, I have my eye all all privates. Their circumstances are so unique compared to a lot of large state schools that while they may be benefitting from the social life of a big time athletic conference, many of them are more dedicated to their other missions more than they are athletics.

The space of a football field and parking for at Vanderbilt can earn the University so very much more if turned into research space. I know there is talk of using the professional stadium, but with the other issues all in a state of flux legally I think all of these administrations are having to do some very forward thinking about what to do if the relationship with athletics changes further.

Five years ago I would be right there with you in confidently proclaiming they aren't going anywhere. Now I'm simply not as sure. If they did not compete in football they would still be every bit in the hunt for the non revenue sports, bowling included, and with a lot more space on campus for research.

(07-07-2020 07:57 PM)CenterSquarEd Wrote:  This isn't anything new with them. I've forgotten what it was, but they were the first Division I school to merge a particular athletic function into the general administration. Fund-raising, medical, really don't remember what it was. But it was a big deal 10 years or so ago. This is just something else along those lines.

Yeah I recall that as well. According to Wikipedia,

In September 2003, Vanderbilt disbanded its athletic department. Intercollegiate athletics are now administered as a part of the university's Division of Student Life, which oversees all student organizations and activities. Vanderbilt is currently the only Division I school without a separate athletic department. In making this decision, Chancellor Gordon Gee cited a need to reform college athletics, returning the emphasis to the student half of student-athletes.

Actually other schools have done some of that as well, merging athletics with the campus recreation department for example.

But merging communications is a different deal - that's merely financial. Campus PR is nothing like sports PR. Staffing sporting events is a completely different deal than staffing a press conference to announce a new campus building or massive donation.

Hopefully their folks don't lose their jobs.

(07-07-2020 09:03 PM)JRsec Wrote:  The space of a football field and parking for it at Vanderbilt can earn the University so very much more in research space. I know there is talk of using the professional stadium, but with the other issues all in a state of flux legally I think all of these administrations are having to do some very forward thinking about what to do if the relationship with athletics changes further.

But is that really feasible though? The stadium is already pretty booked up during a large portion of football season with the Titans, Tennessee State, and for at least a little while the Nashville MLS franchise. Even before the MLS team started they were having to do a midseason re-sod because of the wear and tear of the NFL season and TSU. A friend of mine is a project coordinator for a relatively small athletic field construction crew and they are a sub-contractor that gets pulled in to help with the project every year at Nissan Stadium. He's tried to get me to come up and help but that interferes with hunting and Clemson football season for me.

Looking at schools that have to compete with the NFL in their home market:

BC, NW, Miami, UGa, GT, Vandy, TCU, UCLA, USC, Washington, ASU, MD, Minnesotta, Houston, Rice, Cincy, Navy, USF, Buffalo, Stanford, Cal, Colorado, Tulane, etc.

It's a real challenge to compete with the NFL in your home market. If Memphis had the Titans, Vandy might be healthier. When they hired Todd Turner 20 years ago they collapsed the AD because of problems. He ran NC State's programs into the ground and supported the move FBS football at UConn.

The above list represents the cities of Boston, Chicago, Miami, Buffalo, Dallas, Los Angeles, DC, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Tampa, Buffalo, Denver, New Orleans, Seattle, Houston, Atlanta, and San Francisco. It's one thing if you are a large public school like UGa, Washington, Cal, or Colorado, it's also one thing to be a historic football power like GT, Miami, Washington, and USC. Vandy is neither.

As the lone Vanderbilt fan (or at least seemingly so) on the board and as a member of the Nashville media, I'll weigh in:

My understanding is that eight people have lost their jobs in the VU athletics communications office. The beginning of the end for that department came in late 2016 when director of athletic communications Rod Williamson retired after a stellar 34-year career. The man was a superstar and the department has not been the same since.

The general VU communications office underwent an overhau about two years ago. For my job, I work with three folks in the department and those three (among some others, I'm sure) will now handle sports too. It will take some adjustment time and who knows if they have much interest in sports. My ex-girlfriend (and still wonderful friend) worked 17 years in VU communications before taking a buyout four weeks ago. She made the correct choice.

Vanderbilt is undergoing a massive, multi-building residential project on the north side of the campus, so cost-cutting moves such as eliminating the athletics communications dept can seemingly "ease the blow" of the expense of that effort (or at least I suppose). Of course, the department may have been axed even if now major construction were underway.

VU has a new athletics director (Candice Lee) and, like many high-profile universities ... lots of uncertainties.

My brother is a full-time instructor at VU and is wondering about his new/future role (he had overseen three choirs). He is a bit concerned. On of our nephews is a VU student.

My mother, father and I previously worked part-time at VU (and each of us received hospital care as infants there), another nephew has taken classes at the school and we have four other family members (one living and three deceased) who have worked at and/or attended the university. We are hopeful all will be well at a place that is very special to our family.

Strange times we are living in. And academia is being hit hard.

(07-07-2020 09:18 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 09:03 PM)JRsec Wrote:  The space of a football field and parking for it at Vanderbilt can earn the University so very much more in research space. I know there is talk of using the professional stadium, but with the other issues all in a state of flux legally I think all of these administrations are having to do some very forward thinking about what to do if the relationship with athletics changes further.

But is that really feasible though? The stadium is already pretty booked up during a large portion of football season with the Titans, Tennessee State, and for at least a little while the Nashville MLS franchise. Even before the MLS team started they were having to do a midseason re-sod because of the wear and tear of the NFL season and TSU. A friend of mine is a project coordinator for a relatively small athletic field construction crew and they are a sub-contractor that gets pulled in to help with the project every year at Nissan Stadium. He's tried to get me to come up and help but that interferes with hunting and Clemson football season for me.

It doesn't. It's a go to hypothetical every time the SEC wants to know about facilities upgrades. The issue is they don't have the space and visiting crowds keep the stadium 3/4's full for SEC games.

(07-07-2020 09:20 PM)Statefan Wrote:  Looking at schools that have to compete with the NFL in their home market:

BC, NW, Miami, UGa, GT, Vandy, TCU, UCLA, USC, Washington, ASU, MD, Minnesotta, Houston, Rice, Cincy, Navy, USF, Buffalo, Stanford, Cal, Colorado, Tulane, etc.

It's a real challenge to compete with the NFL in your home market. If Memphis had the Titans, Vandy might be healthier. When they hired Todd Turner 20 years ago they collapsed the AD because of problems. He ran NC State's programs into the ground and supported the move FBS football at UConn.

The above list represents the cities of Boston, Chicago, Miami, Buffalo, Dallas, Los Angeles, DC, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Tampa, Buffalo, Denver, New Orleans, Seattle, Houston, Atlanta, and San Francisco. It's one thing if you are a large public school like UGa, Washington, Cal, or Colorado, it's also one thing to be a historic football power like GT, Miami, Washington, and USC. Vandy is neither.

Vandy football would likely be no better off in terms of fan support if Nashville did not have the Titans. It is what it is.

We have a very unusual fan base. It's small and not hard-core (we don't travel to other SEC stadiums), with lots of students of color, far more (by percentage) African-Americans than many other fan bases, some wealthy West Nashville types, a combo of conservatives and progressives, and some remnants of blue-collar Nashville (from working class areas such as Madison, DuPont, Joelton, Donelson, etc.) Our fan base is the exact opposite of, for comparison, that of Tennessee (which is massive, almost all white, noticeably Republican leaning, and rabid).

(07-07-2020 09:03 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 08:29 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

Nah - Vandy’s value to the SEC is very similar to Northwestern to the Big Ten: elite academic schools that are directly in fantastic urban locations within their conference footprints. Those are the types of schools that still are invaluable even if they go 0-12.

On the flip side, P5 membership is what allows Vandy and Northwestern to win a lot of student cross-admit battles with the Ivy League or the University of Chicago/MIT-types. Their targets are extremely smart sociable kids that also want school spirit. From everything that I’ve seen, Vandy is consistently ranked as the happiest and most fun school in the country for *really* smart students and their SEC membership is an integral part of that.

Frank you are likely right about this, but you have to remember that Tennessee gives the SEC the Nashville market and while Vanderbilt is the academic bell cow of the conference and certainly has great value in that regard, we are talking about a conference which unlike the Big 10 looks at athletics and academics through separate lenses and not as a whole package. And that way of looking at athletics may be a reality everywhere sooner than we think.

Now that said dynamics for what makes a school profitable to other schools has changed and is changing still. In an era where brand power multiplies the national audience and when actual viewers may determine payouts more exclusively in the future, at some point the other 13 schools of the SEC and Big 10 may start to ask what exactly does this small viewership school that is not competitive in the revenue sports offer us besides wins on the schedule? Academic associations are nice, but Vanderbilt doesn't see itself as a peer to the Mississippi schools, or even Georgia. So their impact upon those schools academically is marginalized through nobody's fault. It simply is what it is.

Under the market model, especially if you couldn't adequately claim Nashville, Dallas/Ft. Worth / Atlanta / Chicago, etc with another large state school then having a physical presence in such a place was essential. I'm just saying that I'm not so sure that is going to be a factor in an age where technology counts precisely who it is that is watching.

We also don't know yet how some of these long established privates are going to handle the pay for play angle and the rights to image issues. So I don't just have my eye on Vanderbilt, though I consider Northwestern much less likely to make other choices than their Big 10 membership, I have my eye all all privates. Their circumstances are so unique compared to a lot of large state schools that while they may be benefitting from the social life of a big time athletic conference, many of them are more dedicated to their other missions more than they are athletics.

The space of a football field and parking for at Vanderbilt can earn the University so very much more if turned into research space. I know there is talk of using the professional stadium, but with the other issues all in a state of flux legally I think all of these administrations are having to do some very forward thinking about what to do if the relationship with athletics changes further.

Five years ago I would be right there with you in confidently proclaiming they aren't going anywhere. Now I'm simply not as sure. If they did not compete in football they would still be every bit in the hunt for the non revenue sports, bowling included, and with a lot more space on campus for research.

1) The Vols may deliver television screens in Nashville but the road trip to Nashville for other SEC East teams is always more attractive than a trip to Knoxville. The presence in Nashville also helps with Music Bowl affiliation.
2) Vandy is very good at baseball, which is more important in the SEC than in most leagues.
3) Vandy, despite being in the East Division, is not undoable for many SEC West schools and an attractive long weekend trip.
4) The Predators Arena is an attractive site for SEC men’s and women’s basketball tourneys.
5) Dichotomy between keeping the football stadium, and thus the sizable SEC network payout, or demolishing that facility to built research labs which will bring in big bucks is false. Vandy can build significant research facilities without bulldozing their field.
6) Vandy is, by virtue of their presence in a party city, an elite academic school and being in the SEC, had recruiting and revenue advantages that make them equally if not more attractive to other Southeastern/Southern FBS private schools who lack one or more of those three criteria: Duke, Wake, Tulane, Miami, TCU, SMU, Rice, Baylor and Tulsa.
7) A Tulane, Miami, TCU, SMU, Rice, Vandy, Duke and Wake league would have very desirable travel destinations in 7 of 8 conference towns. Sorry Winston-Salem. Baylor and Tulsa don’t get in because the only reason people want to visit Waco is Fixer-Upper fever and Tulsa is, well, Tulsa.

It

(07-07-2020 07:50 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 06:51 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://twitter.com/chrislee70?ref_src=t...is-is-fine

They're going to handle athletic communications within the main campus communications department. Possibly the folks in the SID office can get jobs within the main communications office, but it's also possible some are out of a job.

That's sadly going to be happening elsewhere in colleges too. If sports aren't being played, there is no need for an SID staff.

Or they may be revaluating sports altogether, at least in regard to what maintaining a P5 level Athletic Department means. I'm not saying this is it, and I'm not saying it's not, but Vanderbilt has been scaling back prior to this and refuses to renovate venues to bring them up to SEC standards. They don't currently offer all of the required SEC sports and due to their long history with the SEC they get a pass.

I'm just saying that they are very pressed for space on campus, and they love their baseball and basketball. If there was to ever be a partial member of the SEC Vanderbilt would be the perfect test subject to make that transition.

It's worth watching.

They did a "restructuring" in 2003-04 under Gorgon Gee as he combined athletics with campus recreation and the facilities were to be run by newly created Office of Facilities and Conferences.
https://www.nashvillepost.com/home/artic...-athletics

The late David Williams became AD as Todd Turner did not like the changes and quit to end up at Washington. Granted, that was nearly two decades ago, but as SEC distributed more money, the department likely became bloated like many departments have since 2010 in adding staff to keep up with the bloat of others.