David Teel write up
https://richmond.com/sports/college/will...8df46.html

(09-04-2020 05:07 AM)bubbadog57 Wrote:  ... at least the basketball teams will be able to use the court for practice any time they want!

And hey, since that new practice space in the expanded Kap won’t be needed with those meddlesome gymnasts and volleyball players out of the way, maybe those parts of the building can be reconfigured into something that’s still needed. For example, I hear the current administrative office space really isn’t up to snuff for a program of national caliber.

(09-03-2020 07:14 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  

(09-03-2020 05:58 PM)Tribal Wrote:  Facebook responses to W&M Athletics' post is worth the cuts. Comedy gold.

Talk of with these sports eliminated, the athletics department GPA will take a nose dive. I took that as a veiled jab at the bball and football programs.

Veiled? I saw that one as a direct hit.

(09-04-2020 07:07 AM)ScottyB757 Wrote:  

(09-03-2020 07:14 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  

(09-03-2020 05:58 PM)Tribal Wrote:  Facebook responses to W&M Athletics' post is worth the cuts. Comedy gold.

Talk of with these sports eliminated, the athletics department GPA will take a nose dive. I took that as a veiled jab at the bball and football programs.

Veiled? I saw that one as a direct hit.

I said veiled, because neither sport was mentioned directly. I also think it's bs because these are all W&M student athletes and the majority thrive in the class room. It's not a contest of which sport has the smartest kids. These are very smart athletes, but It's not fair to imply that these 7 sports propped up the revenue sports.

(09-04-2020 06:24 AM)nj alum Wrote:  It’s a helluva thing, when an institution of hiring learning, cuts programs that were models about everything that W&M stands for .... just because of money. Not low GPA’s. Not bad students. Not bad citizens, etc., etc., etc. .... money. Pure and simple. Money.

Let that sink in every time someone associated with W&M sends you something ... Christmas from the Wren .... ties that bind .... Crim Dell in the Fall .... etc, etc, etc. ... pulling at your heart strings.

It’s all an illusion.

There is only one set of strings being pulled, and they belong to your purse.

Money. Money talks. Money walks.

So ...

IMO, there should be an economic boycott of the school until the direction of this ship is forced to change.

My economic boycott started in March of 2019.

(09-04-2020 07:10 AM)mrjoolius Wrote:  

(09-04-2020 07:07 AM)ScottyB757 Wrote:  

(09-03-2020 07:14 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  

(09-03-2020 05:58 PM)Tribal Wrote:  Facebook responses to W&M Athletics' post is worth the cuts. Comedy gold.

Talk of with these sports eliminated, the athletics department GPA will take a nose dive. I took that as a veiled jab at the bball and football programs.

Veiled? I saw that one as a direct hit.

I said veiled, because neither sport was mentioned directly. I also think it's bs because these are all W&M student athletes and the majority thrive in the class room. It's not a contest of which sport has the smartest kids. These are very smart athletes, but It's not fair to imply that these 7 sports propped up the revenue sports.

You're right. My response was definitely influenced by my trip over to Facebook and Instagram to read the banter regarding GPAs. (And thank you all for writing thoughtful, coherent responses here. Scary to think some of those posting on Instagram are actually WM grads.)

Lord have mercy, I sound like such an old man now.

I'm still waiting to read about the staff cuts in the AD's office.

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(09-04-2020 04:58 AM)Rocco Wrote:  2) The problem with doing a public campaign is it might work, and then the school would be saddled with a program it doesn't want.

Well put Rocco. Frankly, I think this decision is a philosophical change cloaked in financial garb. If we wanted to raise the money, we could probably raise the money. Or we could at least reallocate funds. I think this is a message from the AD that there is a focus going forward on the sports most likely to raise our profile.

Wow. Most powerful tweet on this subject. Speaks directly to NJ's post about trusting this administration:


"Tribe Athletics really had me get up in front of the whole school and all our donors to promote the new strategic plan for athletics. Didn’t realize that plan secretly included the cutting of my own program. So much for serving the student athletes" - Autumn Brenner


Student-Athletes are the core of Tribe2025.

Tune into Tribe Talks ...

https://t.co/gy9LPwLmOI

Tribe2025https://t.co/dPBgiz003I

#BoldlyPursuingExcellence https://t.co/prRMZhyS6n

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(09-04-2020 08:05 AM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(09-04-2020 04:58 AM)Rocco Wrote:  2) The problem with doing a public campaign is it might work, and then the school would be saddled with a program it doesn't want.

Well put Rocco. Frankly, I think this decision is a philosophical change cloaked in financial garb. If we wanted to raise the money, we could probably raise the money. Or we could at least reallocate funds. I think this is a message from the AD that there is a focus going forward on the sports most likely to raise our profile.

Exactly right. This can be seen even in the language of the letter and in the FAQs. Much verbiage is given to explaining why they can't use any of the For The Bold endowment money (which is total bs, of course, because they could and would use that general money if they wanted to; likewise, NJAlum is right when he observes not a mention of needing money to sustain 7 sports was heard when For The Bold and One Tribe One Day were going on) and, if you read it carefully, it appears that the $150M endowment funds needed are what are needed for sustaining the full 23 sports, not just the 7 sports. So, it has been clear for a long while now (NJAlum said read posts 24 and 26 in the "W&M Swim Team" thread; hey, read post 28 too ("Personally, I believe that it is the intent of the AD to eliminate swimming")) that Huge has wanted to do away with a bunch of non-revenue sports and concentrate only on the high visibility, national recognition sports.

(09-04-2020 08:05 AM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(09-04-2020 04:58 AM)Rocco Wrote:  2) The problem with doing a public campaign is it might work, and then the school would be saddled with a program it doesn't want.

Well put Rocco. Frankly, I think this decision is a philosophical change cloaked in financial garb. If we wanted to raise the money, we could probably raise the money. Or we could at least reallocate funds. I think this is a message from the AD that there is a focus going forward on the sports most likely to raise our profile.

I think this is exactly it. Budget shortfalls triggered by Covid were the catalyst, not the reason. From advice from within and outside, the wheels have been in motion to cut sports for a number of years. I'm in agreement with Tribal about the administration staff. The number of hires there over the last few years was always a head scratcher to me as well.

(09-04-2020 07:40 AM)NC Tribe Wrote:  

(09-04-2020 06:24 AM)nj alum Wrote:  It’s a helluva thing, when an institution of hiring learning, cuts programs that were models about everything that W&M stands for .... just because of money. Not low GPA’s. Not bad students. Not bad citizens, etc., etc., etc. .... money. Pure and simple. Money.

Let that sink in every time someone associated with W&M sends you something ... Christmas from the Wren .... ties that bind .... Crim Dell in the Fall .... etc, etc, etc. ... pulling at your heart strings.

It’s all an illusion.

There is only one set of strings being pulled, and they belong to your purse.

Money. Money talks. Money walks.

So ...

IMO, there should be an economic boycott of the school until the direction of this ship is forced to change.

My economic boycott started in March of 2019.

I've been doing that, too, and since that same date. What a coincidence!

I don't know all of the donors/key players, or how much funding they currently have, but covering a 3.6 million shortfall doesn't seem like an impossible task fundraising wise. If they think the shortfall is just going to be a short term thing, like 7 million dollars gets you covered for 2 years.

That said, Tribe athletics does rely on about 15 million of student fees already, so the fundraising wells may have been tapped dry.

(09-04-2020 08:22 AM)mrjoolius Wrote:  

(09-04-2020 08:05 AM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(09-04-2020 04:58 AM)Rocco Wrote:  2) The problem with doing a public campaign is it might work, and then the school would be saddled with a program it doesn't want.

Well put Rocco. Frankly, I think this decision is a philosophical change cloaked in financial garb. If we wanted to raise the money, we could probably raise the money. Or we could at least reallocate funds. I think this is a message from the AD that there is a focus going forward on the sports most likely to raise our profile.

I think this is exactly it. Budget shortfalls triggered by Covid were the catalyst, not the reason. From advice from within and outside, the wheels have been in motion to cut sports for a number of years. I'm in agreement with Tribal about the administration staff. The number of hires there over the last few years was always a head scratcher to me as well.

It's been on the horizon since Driscoll was here, but he decided to retire and leave the tough decisions to his successor.

There is a petition, FYI - https://www.change.org/p/william-mary-sa...e_petition

Not sure how much it'll help, unless it comes with some significant financial pledges. Some of the schools that announced they were cutting programs, like UAH Hockey, brought them back after enough donors stepped up.

It’s been on the horizon since Randolph and Sullivan were here. I know. I sat in on the “first pitch” to the baseball alumni in the 80’s.

Since then:

Look at what the football folks have done.

Look at what the baseball folks have done.

I do not know what the folks in the seven terminated sports have done over 40 years, but I’d like to see the figures.

So, what happens to all of the endowed money for the seven terminated sports?

Personally, until there is a public accounting for all of the steps taken to attempt to preserve the seven terminated sports, I will not accept the company line.

IMO, this is just another step in the process of elevating men’s hoops. The first carcass was Tony Shaver. We now have seven team carcasses, with thousands of individual carcasses. This is too high a price to pay for the elevation of men’s hoops.

While William and Mary’s body may be alive, it’s proverbial soul is now dead.

It profit not a man to sell his whole soul for the world, but for a ticket to the Dance?

They did state it would take a $150 mil endowment to cover the $3+ mil/ year needed. Somebody with more refined financial skills than me can comment on that validity. $150 mil is not chump change. 15% of the For the Bold.

The lead paragraph in the Pilot article stated due to recent dramatic increases in athletic department costs. The question would be, what specifically were the dramatic increases. If the proportionate increase was across all sports, then so be it. If the increases were specific sports, then be transparent about what drove the decision.

Anyone know why they cut men's indoor and outdoor track but not women's?

(09-04-2020 10:56 AM)TribeFan88 Wrote:  Anyone know why they cut men's indoor and outdoor track but not women's?

Spitballing, but my guess would be they could fit it in by looking at Financials (money brought in/money spent) while also retaining a certain number of women's athletes needed for title ix compliance. I'm pretty sure if the women's numbers weren't needed, it would have been an easy call to cut that too.