What Makes a Winning Program? Part II

[CajunFun]

The lead article is one that I ported over from the old ultoday.com website, reprinted from last Summer.

The topic is still relevant, and it even links to a poll here on RP...

http://ultoday.com

[DestinCajun]

Adequate revenue allows the athletics program to build and maintain quality facilities and employ quality coaching and administrative staffs which in turn attracts quality student-athletes.

There is no way around it.

I hope we have reached the point where we embrace a "winning program" and have chosen to compete.

The pay back in terms of positives for the university is enormous.

[CajunFun]

_ Adequate revenue allows the athletics program to build and maintain quality facilities and employ quality coaching and administrative staffs which in turn attracts quality student-athletes.

There is no way around it.

I hope we have reached the point where we embrace a "winning program" and have chosen to compete.

The pay back in terms of positives for the university is enormous. _

I'm confused. The article is about fans' attitudes.

????

[DieHard1280]

_ I'm confused. The article is about fans' attitudes.

???? _

I don't think he is commenting on the article- only giving his opinion about the question posed by the article. Of course, I could be wrong.

[CajunFun]

_ Adequate revenue allows the athletics program to build and maintain quality facilities and employ quality coaching and administrative staffs which in turn attracts quality student-athletes.

There is no way around it.

But the programs that have huge (or even 'adequate') revenues didn't start off that way, they build it. So revenues can't come first. Then what should?

Some people argue that it has to be W's that come first. That is the most common way... but those who believe that W's come first and character & loyalty will follow, don't really understand character & loyalty. Those qualities are internal, they're first person; someone else doesn't impart them to you. You have to choose them.

You have to live them.

There are some schools that built their programs on character & loyalty. A&M & USC are good examples, win, lose, or draw, their fans support their program. The revenues and the W's come later.

So my question is, other than give money and show up, what can you and I contribute to UL? Character & loyalty.

Attitude on the field is paramount; without it, the best talent will lose, and with it, the worst talent will surprise the heck out of everyone. So is attitude in the bleachers. And attitude in the bleachers greatly influences attitude on the field.

We can begin building a great athletic program by looking at ourselves.

[zephyr]

_ But the programs that have huge (or even 'adequate') revenues didn't start off that way, they build it. So revenues can't come first. Then what should?

Some people argue that it has to be W's that come first. That is the most common way... but those who believe that W's come first and character & loyalty will follow, don't really understand character & loyalty. Those qualities are internal, they're first person; someone else doesn't impart them to you. You have to choose them.

You have to live them.

There are some schools that built their programs on character & loyalty. A&M & USC are good examples, win, lose, or draw, their fans support their program. The revenues and the W's come later.

So my question is, other than give money and show up, what can you and I contribute to UL? Character & loyalty.

Attitude on the field is paramount; without it, the best talent will lose, and with it, the worst talent will surprise the heck out of everyone. So is attitude in the bleachers. And attitude in the bleachers greatly influences attitude on the field.

We can begin building a great athletic program by looking at ourselves. _

I disagree, the teams that have massive athletic budgets have had them for years and have large fanbases for which they receive lots and lots of private funding. Resources such as recruiting budgets to reach kids across a broader range and keep in contact with them and facilities and various other resources come from money. Success and finances are synonymous with one another without a doubt.

I agree that there are many schools have a fanbase that supports them all the time but that support was built through success on the field which established the base of a rich and flavorful tradition that both of the schools that you mentioned have. I agree that character and loyalty of the fanbase will have a positive effect on the players but if the players don't have a similar mindset, it doesn't matter. Do you remember the players we had during the Baldwin era? I do. The most positive attitude in the world by all fans couldn't have kept some of those guys out of trouble or out of the bar.

[Cajunsmike]

_ But the programs that have huge (or even 'adequate') revenues didn't start off that way, they build it. So revenues can't come first. Then what should?

Some people argue that it has to be W's that come first. That is the most common way... but those who believe that W's come first and character & loyalty will follow, don't really understand character & loyalty. Those qualities are internal, they're first person; someone else doesn't impart them to you. You have to choose them.

You have to live them.

There are some schools that built their programs on character & loyalty. A&M & USC are good examples, win, lose, or draw, their fans support their program. The revenues and the W's come later.

So my question is, other than give money and show up, what can you and I contribute to UL? Character & loyalty.

Attitude on the field is paramount; without it, the best talent will lose, and with it, the worst talent will surprise the heck out of everyone. So is attitude in the bleachers. And attitude in the bleachers greatly influences attitude on the field.

We can begin building a great athletic program by looking at ourselves. _

USC's support overall is not as strong as you think. They don't sell out the Coliseum when they are not playing a name team. For an early season basketball game last year they had 1000 fans. As far as character is concerned, the Reggie Bush and Tim Floyd situations indicate to me they are not running a clean program. I agree that character and loyalty from the fans, players, and coaches are important to become a winner. The fans need to have enough loyalty to provide enough financial support to make the team's facilities competitive. As Destin said, that helps you recruit the athletes you want and good things then follow. Whatever happened in the past as far as schools establishing the winning tradition may not be valid today. Today, you need the dollars.

[cajunnexile]

_ But the programs that have huge (or even 'adequate') revenues didn't start off that way, they build it. So revenues can't come first. Then what should?

Some people argue that it has to be W's that come first. That is the most common way... but those who believe that W's come first and character & loyalty will follow, don't really understand character & loyalty. Those qualities are internal, they're first person; someone else doesn't impart them to you. You have to choose them.

You have to live them.

There are some schools that built their programs on character & loyalty. A&M & USC are good examples, win, lose, or draw, their fans support their program. The revenues and the W's come later.

So my question is, other than give money and show up, what can you and I contribute to UL? Character & loyalty.

Attitude on the field is paramount; without it, the best talent will lose, and with it, the worst talent will surprise the heck out of everyone. So is attitude in the bleachers. And attitude in the bleachers greatly influences attitude on the field.

We can begin building a great athletic program by looking at ourselves. _

You believe that USC's program is built around character?
It is pretty clear that Bush received at $750k worth of benefits from various sources and the coaching staff knew and turned a blind eye. That's character to you?

If USC were UL, the program would be on restrictive probation imposed by the NCAA.

The truth is simple, ALL major college sports program are based on money and tv exposure, anything else is secondary. The students, the fans, the players. All of secondary importance.

This includes ND, Mich, USC and all of the SEC teams.

[HoustonCajun]

_ You believe that USC's program is built around character?
It is pretty clear that Bush received at $750k worth of benefits from various sources and the coaching staff knew and turned a blind eye. That's character to you?

If USC were UL, the program would be on restrictive probation imposed by the NCAA.

The truth is simple, ALL major college sports program are based on money and tv exposure, anything else is secondary. The students, the fans, the players. All of secondary importance.

This includes ND, Mich, USC and all of the SEC teams. _

Seems like he might have been referring to South Carolina rather than Southern Cal. They haven't won much in any sport, but attendance is outstanding. They fill up their 80,000+ stadium every week, regardless of schedule, weather, won-loss record, etc. They are truly the exception for BCS programs and maybe for any school for that matter.

[Just1More]

We can begin building a great athletic program by looking at ourselves. _

I just stripped down and stared at myself in the mirror... if I'm required to build a great athletic program... we are in some serious trouble.

[CajunZ1]

Lol!! +2

I just stripped down and stared at myself in the mirror... if I'm required to build a great athletic program... we are in some serious trouble.

igeaux.mobi

[zephyr]

_ I just stripped down and stared at myself in the mirror... if I'm required to build a great athletic program... we are in some serious trouble. _

I don't doubt it....