Athletic Director Tom O'Connor Announces Retirement

[Pablo]

I stand by the fact the athletic department is basically broke. I don't care what any accounting, shifting of money, etc says.

Mason athletics needs more money.

Perhaps, you need to read the following link to understand that most athletic departments (including Mason's) rely on subsidies - see http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2013/05/07/ncaa-finances-subsidies/2142443/.

 

[gmujim92]

I stand by the fact the athletic department is basically broke. I don't care what any accounting, shifting of money, etc says.

Mason athletics needs more money.

Two ways to get this done -- one fairly simple, one far more difficult.

Simple: Raise student fees by $100 a year. Instant impact.

Not so simple: Hire an AD who can connect more effectively with potential athletic department donors and motivate those people to give.

IMHO, we need both to have consistently successful athletic programs.

Unquestionably, alumni need to take a more active role in financially supporting the department. Our giving levels are awful for a school that has 32,000 students and churns out thousands of new alums every May.

 

[The Great PATSby]

Unquestionably, alumni need to take a more active role in financially supporting the department. Our giving levels are awful for a school that has 32,000 students and churns out thousands of new alums every May.

I completely agree with you. You would think that the largest university in VA could produce some dollars. However here is why I think our overall donations blow:

- While having a diverse and international university is one of our best strengths, but it's also our weakness. At least in terms of athletics. I'll get a lot of heat for saying, but I give zero f*ucks. Ethnics don't donate. Just look at the names on the Patriot Club donor list.

- Of the 32K, a third are graduate students. Most donors pay allegiance to their undergrad institution.

- Mason's Alumni base is very young. It's usually when people are in their retirement years with when they make large donations. It also doesn't help that a majority of our alumni live in one of the highest cost-of-living area's in the nation. Not very much excess funds to throw around.

- We've had too many commuter students over the decades. The common commuter student/alumni has far less school spirit and attachment to Mason than one who has lived on campus. Therefor they are less compelled to donate.

 

[GMUgemini]

Two ways to get this done -- one fairly simple, one far more difficult.

Simple: Raise student fees by $100 a year. Instant impact.

Not so simple: Hire an AD who can connect more effectively with potential athletic department donors and motivate those people to give.

IMHO, we need both to have consistently successful athletic programs.

Unquestionably, alumni need to take a more active role in financially supporting the department. Our giving levels are awful for a school that has 32,000 students and churns out thousands of new alums every May.

Our annual giving to the academic side is actually quite healthy, it's the athletics side which has lagged far behind.

I think the best way till get more donations is to get more people out to the games, which is a two-fold project. One, we need to put teams on the field/court/floor who are worth seeing. And we need to ramp up the atmosphere at our games (and this includes facilities upgrades).

Four sports I think we can focus on increasing attendance and why:

Men's and women's basketball (reason: obvious)

Men's soccer (Reason: Northern Virginia is a hotbed for soccer support -- majority of DC United season ticket holders come from NoVa, youth soccer is huge in the area and a lot of high school talent comes from area schools. We absolutely should he working with DCU, not only as a way to poach academy players, but for cross promotional opportunities to bring out some fans).

Women's volleyball (men love women's volleyball. Just ask PiKapp. If we put a consistently competitive product out there, I bet we could double attendance to the matches -- currently average 230 a game. The men average 280 a game currently by the way).

Baseball (Reason: interest in college baseball is on the rise. We should tap into that by finally upgrading our middle school field into something worthy of a division I program. I think we could get decent crowds to come out if we had, say, bathrooms, real concessions and comfortable seats to sit in).

I know people want to focus exclusively on basketball, but not everyone is a basketball fan. If we focus on these 4/5 sports I think we can reel in a bigger donor base and have more self-sufficiently funded teams, which will ultimately free up more money for basketball.

 

[Walter]

For the non-revenue sports (everything except men's basketball) we should focus on those where we might have a competitive advantage and the Power Five schools aren't throwing millions at to win championships. I agree with men's and women's soccer and men's and women's volleyball. Baseball does not, unfortunately, make the cut based on my criteria. Track and Field, yes but only because historically we have been successful. What other sports? Not sure.

 

[A.-Siegfried]

Perhaps, you need to read the following link to understand that most athletic departments (including Mason's) rely on subsidies - see http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2013/05/07/ncaa-finances-subsidies/2142443/.

Of course they do. Does that change the fact the athletic department needs money?

Perhaps you should slow down and actually think about what I'm saying.

The department is broke. They need to raise more money. Am I talking to a wall? Do you disagree and think the department is swimming in cash? I'm really struggling to see what part of "Mason is broke" you disagree with.

Mason needs subsidies, tickets sale increases, corporate donations, more boosters with more cash...they need all of it...because the current level of support, frankly, isn't getting it done.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

We're broke. That's the truth. we need more money brought in, somehow, someway.

Cold, hard facts people.

This is the bottom line. This is why I cant stand talk of practice facilities when we currently can't even fund the much cheaper baseball field improvements.

Now, there are some ways to improve in this regard, certainly. But its also likely the new, younger "energetic" AD might take a while to get familiar with the area and land those Lockheed Martin donations we're all craving.

 

[Pablo]

[

Of course they do. Does that change the fact the athletic department needs money?

Perhaps you should slow down and actually think about what I'm saying.

The department is broke. They need to raise more money. Am I talking to a wall? Do you disagree and think the department is swimming in cash? I'm really struggling to see what part of "Mason is broke" you disagree with.

Mason needs subsidies, tickets sale increases, corporate donations, more boosters with more cash...they need all of it...because the current level of support, frankly, isn't getting it done.

No, I'm not taking your word that the AD is broke. I don't have a clue who you are, so why I should accept everything you write as the truth? While I agree that the AD needs to generate more revenues, I also believe TOC that the school has the resources to successfully compete in the A10.

 

[A.-Siegfried]

[


No, I'm not taking your word that the AD is broke. I don't have a clue who you are, so why I should accept everything you write as the truth? While I agree that the AD needs to generate more revenues, I also believe TOC that the school has the resources to successfully compete in the A10.

Being able to successfully compete in the A-10 (and I believe, outside of basketball, the department has won a few conference titles this year) and having money to upgrade facilities, travel, etc are two separate issues.

So you want it both ways: "AD needs to generate more money" (that was my point...they need money) and "the school has the resources to successfully compete in the A-10".

Doesn't matter who I am. Ask coaches, support staff, etc if they think the department brings in enough money. Study some of the lesser sports scheduling and see if you notice a trend in playing as many home games as possible to save money. It may not be obvious year 1, but this move was not inexpensive. The department is not swimming in cash. It is broke.

As far as believing me...don't care if you do or not. I'll let my record on other things I've commented on speak for itself. Other people can decide if they think I am credible or not.

As far as TOC goes...what AD in their right mind is going to commit the PR blunder of saying "yeah...we are going to the A-10...but man...I don't think we can afford it..."

 

[GSII]

Mason has always had to do more with less. It may never have "enough" money. Does any University?

 

[masonjoe]

The largest university in VA, with no football program, and no recent new expensive athletic facilities has an athletic dept that is broke? OKAY

 

[Pablo]

Other than A-Siegfried, does anyone believe that the AD is broke?

 

[gmujim92]

Other than A-Siegfried, does anyone believe that the AD is broke?

If it is, somebody broke it and we need to find out who.

Seriously, I don't think it's a stretch when you consider what Siegfried was referencing -- funding (or lack thereof) for facilities improvements and other upgrades that would help us be more competitive across the board.

As noted earlier in this thread, Mason has always done more with less. Hell, we can't even come up with the cash to give our baseball program a decent facility; obviously more needs to be done on the fundraising end.

Whether that means we're "broke" is likely open to how you define "broke."

 

[Pablo]

Whether that means we're "broke" is likely open to how you define "broke."

If you want to discuss an AD that is actually "broke", check out UMD's.

 

[gmujim92]

If you want to discuss an AD that is actually "broke", check out UMD's.

A couple years in the Big 10 will fix that. Mucho dinero.

 

[Harry]

A couple years in the Big 10 will fix that. Mucho dinero.

And people were questioning why Maryland left the ACC...

 

[GSII]

A couple years in the Big 10 will fix that. Mucho dinero.

To a degree, same could be said for Mason. We are getting a new revenue stream with the A10 Tv deal that we didn't have in Caa. 340k per year i believe. In addition, if Mason spent to renovate PE Bldg, Pat Center, and field House, then i doubt we are broke. That's over 20 million in construction. I think the school controls the money and lets the AD have what it needs to get buy.

 

[gmujim92]

I think the school controls the money and lets the AD have what it needs to get buy.

This is right, I think -- and under Merten's leadership, the flow of donor dollars to the athletic department was more like a trickle.

Now that we're no longer breaking ground on a new academic building or dorm every other month, I hope Cabrera will require the new AD to be much more aggressive in terms of seeking out donations.

 

[GMUgemini]

If you want to discuss an AD that is actually "broke", check out UMD's.

UMD is broke because they spent big on a new basketball arena and football expansion and no one showed up to the games. And funny enough the whole justification for the stadium expansion was because demand was out pacing supply...whoops


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[A.-Siegfried]

Other than A-Siegfried, does anyone believe that the AD is broke?

Maybe not on this board...but people in the field house know it to be true.

Again, I invite you to ask around. Don't care if you believe me or not. But on the other hand...why should we believe they AREN'T broke? Because you say they aren't? Not good enough.