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FSU announces plans to privatize its athletics department
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Transic_nyc Offline
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FSU announces plans to privatize its athletics department
I have no idea if the federal government would have any say in this, being that Florida State University is a public institution. This might become a test for federalism at a later date. According to the article, the programs at UF and UCF have similar set-ups. Would the program be allowed to promote itself as Florida State or would they have to change the name?

Anyway...

Quote:Florida State University is privatizing its athletics department, shielding it from public-records requests and treating it like a corporation rather than a traditional state university department.

The school touted the move as an opportunity to streamline the relationship between the athletics department and Seminoles Booster, Inc., the fundraising arm of the athletics department. The change alters a set-up that gave a booster group an unusually prominent role in fundraising for an athletic department, granting considerable power to a third-party group.

FSU's board of trustees voted Friday to create Florida State University Athletics Association, a direct-support organization that will run the athletics department.

Seminole Boosters, Inc., signed a memorandum stating its chair will report to the FSU athletics director and the FSU AD will serve on several Seminole Boosters’ committees.

The University of Florida and University of Central Florida have long operated their athletics departments as direct-support organizations. FSU officials said they had discussed the move for years and saw it as a chance to make their relationship with Seminole Boosters clearer and more efficient.

The switch will also give FSU athletics all the privileges of a private corporation, including declining any public-records requests while still preserving its sovereign immunity. The immunity clause for state agencies caps any jury judgments or settlements reached by the athletics department at $200,000. Any further settlements would have to be approved by the state Legislature to avoid undue burden on taxpayers, a privilege not enjoyed by traditional corporations.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/f...story.html
06-11-2019 07:10 PM
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Wedge Offline
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RE: FSU announces plans to privatize its athletics department
The service academies have already done this, and they stiff-arm anyone in the media who asks for financial data on their athletic departments, choosing to release only a minimal sketch of information about their finances.

Secret services: The hidden sports finances of Army, Navy and Air Force

Quote:► Army athletics has refused to reveal the contract terms of football coach Jeff Monken, including his pay or even the length of his new deal announced in September.

► Air Force athletics declined a request for the contracts of its football and basketball coaches, saying such information wasn’t subject to public records laws.

► Likewise, Navy athletics has rejected requests for detailed information about its revenue and expenses, including how much it spends on administrative pay and team travel. Navy athletics said its policy is “to not release confidential data of this matter.”
06-11-2019 07:28 PM
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johnintx Offline
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RE: FSU announces plans to privatize its athletics department
(06-11-2019 07:10 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  I have no idea if the federal government would have any say in this, being that Florida State University is a public institution. This might become a test for federalism at a later date. According to the article, the programs at UF and UCF have similar set-ups. Would the program be allowed to promote itself as Florida State or would they have to change the name?

Anyway...

Quote:Florida State University is privatizing its athletics department, shielding it from public-records requests and treating it like a corporation rather than a traditional state university department.

The school touted the move as an opportunity to streamline the relationship between the athletics department and Seminoles Booster, Inc., the fundraising arm of the athletics department. The change alters a set-up that gave a booster group an unusually prominent role in fundraising for an athletic department, granting considerable power to a third-party group.

FSU's board of trustees voted Friday to create Florida State University Athletics Association, a direct-support organization that will run the athletics department.

Seminole Boosters, Inc., signed a memorandum stating its chair will report to the FSU athletics director and the FSU AD will serve on several Seminole Boosters’ committees.

The University of Florida and University of Central Florida have long operated their athletics departments as direct-support organizations. FSU officials said they had discussed the move for years and saw it as a chance to make their relationship with Seminole Boosters clearer and more efficient.

The switch will also give FSU athletics all the privileges of a private corporation, including declining any public-records requests while still preserving its sovereign immunity. The immunity clause for state agencies caps any jury judgments or settlements reached by the athletics department at $200,000. Any further settlements would have to be approved by the state Legislature to avoid undue burden on taxpayers, a privilege not enjoyed by traditional corporations.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/f...story.html

IIRC, I believe the Georgia athletic department is an independent entity called the University of Georgia Athletic Association. The plaintiffs in the 1984 football rights case were the University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia Athletic Association.

As mentioned, UF also has a similar arrangement through the University of Florida Athletic Association.
06-11-2019 08:52 PM
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RE: FSU announces plans to privatize its athletics department
(06-11-2019 07:10 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  I have no idea if the federal government would have any say in this, being that Florida State University is a public institution. This might become a test for federalism at a later date. According to the article, the programs at UF and UCF have similar set-ups. Would the program be allowed to promote itself as Florida State or would they have to change the name?

Anyway...

Quote:Florida State University is privatizing its athletics department, shielding it from public-records requests and treating it like a corporation rather than a traditional state university department.

The school touted the move as an opportunity to streamline the relationship between the athletics department and Seminoles Booster, Inc., the fundraising arm of the athletics department. The change alters a set-up that gave a booster group an unusually prominent role in fundraising for an athletic department, granting considerable power to a third-party group.

FSU's board of trustees voted Friday to create Florida State University Athletics Association, a direct-support organization that will run the athletics department.

Seminole Boosters, Inc., signed a memorandum stating its chair will report to the FSU athletics director and the FSU AD will serve on several Seminole Boosters’ committees.

The University of Florida and University of Central Florida have long operated their athletics departments as direct-support organizations. FSU officials said they had discussed the move for years and saw it as a chance to make their relationship with Seminole Boosters clearer and more efficient.

The switch will also give FSU athletics all the privileges of a private corporation, including declining any public-records requests while still preserving its sovereign immunity. The immunity clause for state agencies caps any jury judgments or settlements reached by the athletics department at $200,000. Any further settlements would have to be approved by the state Legislature to avoid undue burden on taxpayers, a privilege not enjoyed by traditional corporations.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/f...story.html

Colleges and universities have DSOs or auxiliary corporations set up away from the school directly. Schools in the Cal State University system have them with regularity. It's the ability to not apply to FOIA requests is the odd thing, but Florida along with Pennsylvania and most recently Georgia all have statutes to assist athletic departments.

SI's Michael McCann details what went on and how it works in the state of Florida.
https://www.si.com/college-football/2019...ganization
(This post was last modified: 06-11-2019 09:18 PM by Renandpat.)
06-11-2019 09:16 PM
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The Cutter of Bish Offline
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RE: FSU announces plans to privatize its athletics department
Yeah, I bet FSU reached out to its former president and asked them how PSU does it, since their athletic department is an independent entity. Of course, PSU is a state-related institution; it's neither fully public or private.

Schools have these multiple tax entities for any number of reasons. Property holding is a biggie.

But, this stuff with athletics is really starting to bug me. And it just shows no heart or reason to what's happening in these places with transparency and accountability. Yes, we know the public schools desperately want to be more like their private Ivy bretheren, but that isn't the way it is. Not on my dime, it isn't. And while athletic departments can claim they don't need university funding, I've never fully bought into this. Money moves between the entire operation. Be it a cent or millions, this is about control.

I can only laugh at this. We can't solve the issues of schools making a mint off of players but throwing the book at kids for taking a cut. No movement. We won't let it through. But, when it comes to making sure the school can have ALL of the control, by god, that's a priority item.

Eff these places. Truly.
06-12-2019 08:47 AM
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RE: FSU announces plans to privatize its athletics department
(06-12-2019 08:47 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Yeah, I bet FSU reached out to its former president and asked them how PSU does it, since their athletic department is an independent entity. Of course, PSU is a state-related institution; it's neither fully public or private.

Schools have these multiple tax entities for any number of reasons. Property holding is a biggie.

But, this stuff with athletics is really starting to bug me. And it just shows no heart or reason to what's happening in these places with transparency and accountability. Yes, we know the public schools desperately want to be more like their private Ivy bretheren, but that isn't the way it is. Not on my dime, it isn't. And while athletic departments can claim they don't need university funding, I've never fully bought into this. Money moves between the entire operation. Be it a cent or millions, this is about control.

I can only laugh at this. We can't solve the issues of schools making a mint off of players but throwing the book at kids for taking a cut. No movement. We won't let it through. But, when it comes to making sure the school can have ALL of the control, by god, that's a priority item.

Eff these places. Truly.

I agree with you on this. But, I have a sneaking suspicion that the NCAA is part of the hold up on letting the kids receive anything. Alter amateurism and you make the NCAA mostly obsolete. The schools are complicit because it's less they have to payout, at least above board. The hypocrisy here is astounding, but it usually is among those claiming the moral high ground on everything else.

Motivation? Money and exposure with the least possible overhead.

If there is any level of pay for the kids then W-2's are all you need to make it above board, drop the hypocrisy and have enforcement that comes from the government and not the feckless NCAA. What's really so hard about that? And why not let the kids enjoy learning how to be taxpayers with the pride of having done it on the up and up instead of having to keep it on the down low, cuz!
06-12-2019 09:05 AM
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