Boston College All About The Money, UConn About "Student-Athletes," Graduation Rates
by Brian Favat on Oct 13, 2011 10:21 PM EDT
in Conference Expansion
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PrintThe editorial spin coming out of the UConn camp now borders on the absurd.
"The BC-UConn clash is just a reminder of what nearly everyone already knows: Big-time college sports are consumed by hunger for TV revenue, and it appears unlikely anything will change. BC's athletic director, Gene DeFilippo, said as much when he told the Boston Globe this week that "football money" was driving the decision-making.
"We won't forget that they are student athletes,'' Herbst gamely told members of the MetroHartford Alliance gathered at The Bushnell. "That seems to have gotten lost with all the discussion about the conference and football."
Lost is right. Just as UConn and the NCAA are in the middle of a campaign to convince the world that "student athletes" and graduation rates really do matter to big-time men's basketball and football, the athletic director at Boston College says it's all about money and control of Division I football in New England. When even the Jesuits are playing this game, that's truly depressing.
"It's awful,'' Herbst said when I asked her what kind of damage an episode like this does."
I don't have to explicitly spell out to you what the Courant's Rick Green is implying here, but instead present you with a simple analogy.
UConn : Student-Athletes, Graduation Rates :: Boston College : Money, Market Share
Positioning UConn and new president Susan Herbst as the voice of reason in a sea of money-grubbing, college athletic program whores rings hollow when you consider:
1) Boston College's academic reputation (and consistently high APR scores and graduation rates of its student athletes)
2) UConn administrators are practically falling over themselves trying to get an ACC invite, chasing the very same dollars that come with the ACC's higher TV rights contract with ESPN.
But in case this wasn't clear after you read Green's pro-UConn, anti-BC's article, I have compiled the average multi-year APR score for each of Boston College's and UConn's athletics programs below. Of the 25 sports where both Boston College and UConn field varsity programs (which excludes BC's men's fencing, men's skiing and women's skiing programs, which have all averaged a perfect 1000 score), the average multi-year APR score from 2004-2010 was higher for UConn in just two of those sports -- women's ice hockey and men's golf. Good on ya, Huskies.
For the other 23 sports, BC consistently maintains a higher APR in each of those sports over the time period. Clearly those Jesuits in Chestnut Hill only care about money and market share, and can't be bothered to put the "student-athlete" first.
| Program | Boston College | Connecticut | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Track, Indoor | 989.7 | 938.0 | 51.7 |
| Men's Cross Country | 987.3 | 936.8 | 50.5 |
| Women's Volleyball | 996.3 | 947.8 | 48.5 |
| Men's Track, Outdoor | 997.7 | 950.0 | 47.7 |
| Women's Cross Country | 991.5 | 959.2 | 32.3 |
| Women's Track, Indoor | 992.8 | 963.7 | 29.2 |
| Women's Track, Outdoor | 992.8 | 964.0 | 28.8 |
| Men's Basketball | 950.5 | 921.8 | 28.7 |
| Men's Swimming | 984.8 | 963.2 | 21.7 |
| Women's Swimming | 995.8 | 978.7 | 17.2 |
| Men's Ice Hockey | 979.2 | 962.7 | 16.5 |
| Football | 973.0 | 956.7 | 16.3 |
| Women's Soccer | 998.7 | 982.5 | 16.2 |
| Men's Soccer | 967.3 | 953.0 | 14.3 |
| Grand Total | 980.4 | 967.6 | 12.8 |
| Baseball | 970.2 | 958.7 | 11.5 |
| Softball | 992.8 | 985.5 | 7.3 |
| Women's Tennis | 1000.0 | 992.7 | 7.3 |
| Field Hockey | 998.8 | 993.0 | 5.8 |
| Women's Rowing | 996.5 | 992.7 | 3.8 |
| Women's Basketball | 981.8 | 978.3 | 3.5 |
| Men's Tennis | 965.2 | 963.0 | 2.2 |
| Women's Lacrosse | 994.7 | 993.5 | 1.2 |
| Women's Ice Hockey | 982.7 | 986.7 | (4.0) |
| Men's Golf | 966.5 | 1000.0 | (33.5) |
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o rly?
“According to Sports Illustrated, Walker appears to have gone through college having only recently completed reading an entire book for the first time.”
"An offensive lineman from BC comes with a guaranteed pedigree stamp" - Wash. Post
Huh
So…who is this post directed at? :)
2011 National Champs in Men's Basketball
START NEBRICH
18-1
1967: Embrace it
by derbyguy on Oct 13, 2011 11:21 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Rick Green and anyone who bought any part of his story.
It was an embarrassing piece of “journalism”
My Twitter @totheights
Rick Green and anyone who bought any part of his story
Herbst as well for feeding quotes to this specious arguement
by Eagle in Brighton on Oct 14, 2011 7:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Fire GDF today!
Neither BC nor UConn looks great in this affair, but GDF really embarrassed BC twice in one week. First by giving that stupid interview saying ESPN directed the ACC to raid the Big East. And second, admitting he still holds a grudge over UConn’s lawsuit 7 years later. It shows that GDF is a spiteful child, and also that he has selective memory since Pitt was a plaintiff in that same lawsuit and called BC “the fox in the henhouse.”
GDF is sullying BC’s reputation and I’m really tired of it. He’s a mean, nasty person and it’s really shameful for the school that he’s in such a high position. Get rid of him!
I agree, it doesn’t matter how wrong a story may be about BC’s obvious commitment to academics and student-athletes (not athlete-students). The problem is GDF has shown exactly how much more foot his mouth can handle. GDF made BC a target, and if you don’t know anything about APR or graduation rates (or if you’re Joe Six Pack and don’t feel like looking it up), who are you probably more inclined to believe— a guy who made his grudge public, or a guy who champions academics?
Joe Six Packs don’t read newspapers.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Oct 14, 2011 8:07 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Agree, GDF needs a media filter. With that said, I still don’t think there was anything wrong with what he said (if it was his personal directive, and kept internally), it’s just not a tactful thing to mention to a reporter.
If tldr: nothing wrong with GDF’s position, just shouldn’t have become public.
by Eagle in Brighton on Oct 14, 2011 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions
So you don’t have a problem with the absolute inconsistency of holding a grudge against UConn for suing BC and Calhoun saying “I will never again play BC”, but not holding a grudge against Pitt for suing BC and Nordenberg calling BC “the fox in the henhouse”?
GDF should’ve stuck with the “I want to be on the only team in New England” shtick. While apparently BS, and certainly childish and whiny, at least it didn’t show him to be a hypocrite.
I hope it was a good read.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Oct 14, 2011 8:06 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Kemba Walker - Illiterate
UConn, never change.
by Eagle in Brighton on Oct 14, 2011 8:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Herbst's new academic reform program
No Laptop Left Behind
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Oct 14, 2011 8:20 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Hah
Missing Computer? Mission Accomplished.
by Eagle in Brighton on Oct 14, 2011 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Connecticut’s program-wide goal to enhance athlete academic performance is laudable; however somehow connecting UConn’s need to enhance the poor performance of their student athletes as if a foil to BC is logically suspect.
by Eagle in Brighton on Oct 14, 2011 8:03 AM EDT reply actions
$$$ and student-athlete academic success aren't mutually exclusive
It’s GDF’s fiduciary duty to pursue “[a more lucrative annual payout] and control of Division I football in New England” for BC! There is no greater indicator of proper academic priorities than a sterling academic record, which we already have.
What a joke.
by Eagle in Brighton on Oct 14, 2011 8:08 AM EDT up reply actions
If UConn is really committed to the student-athlete ...
Make a go of it in the Big East. Stay in Camelot.
Vote to increase the Big East exit fee, stabilizing an already reeling conference. If Herbst truly wants to stop talking conference expansion and TV and get back to discussing cost containment strategies, UConn would commit to the Big East instead of having one foot out the door (to where though, I have no idea).
Vote to add our nation’s fine service academies — with quality academics! — to the conference. If you are that hard up to strike up a rivalry with a regional Catholic school, support Villanova’s move to Division I-A.
Herbst and UConn can take steps to put an end to all this realignment and get back to more important issues, but they choose not to. Instead, they continue to publicly leak their frustrations with the Big East and tell any “journalist” that’s willing to listen that they should be atop the list of future ACC expansion candidates.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Oct 14, 2011 8:14 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Football road games at Rutgers, Villanova, Temple, Army and Navy … your players can be up and back with plenty of time to spare to study for midterms.
Think about it, Susan.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Oct 14, 2011 8:16 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Exactly. The Service Academies are fine schools that, save for AF, are already within the BE’s footprint.
by Eagle in Brighton on Oct 14, 2011 8:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Buy low, sell high
Twenty one schools have a $0 valuation because the programs lack sufficient cash flow to warrant a positive valuation, Brewer said. And eight schools on the list have a negative valuation because they suck funds from the larger university to support operations.
College football program valuations … http://www.ibj.com/the-score/2011/10/12/college-football-financial-listing-reveals-winners-losers/PARAMS/post/30084
72. Arkansas State $0
73. Ball State $0
74. Central Michigan $0
75. Colorado State $0
76. Kent State $0
77. Marshall $0
78. Miami of Ohio $0
79. Middle Tennessee $0
80. Buffalo $0
81. Temple $0
82. Akron $0
83. UConn $0
84. Louisiana Lafayette $0
85. Louisiana Monroe $0
86. Memphis $0
87. New Mexico $0
88. North Texas $0
89. Southern Miss $0
90. Toledo $0
91. Western Kentucky $0
92. Western Michigan $0
93. Rutgers -$19
Love those ACC expansion stock valuations!
Editor, BC Interruption
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