Dr. Lynn Lashbrook

You don’t have to be a business to feel the crunch of the chilly economy. For that matter, you don’t have to see it in the cuts to services, be it jails, police, or fire staffing. As the world goes, so do sports.

At the collegiate level, the concern has been about how much money pours into athletic programs. One look at the increase in funding that have been used for the Oregon athletics program (one, mind you, that had been saying was self-sufficient), it’s clear that, at least for now, it’s costing more to run athletics than the revenues they pull in. Look no further than Cal who is seeing baseball, men’s and women’s gymnastics, ruby, and lacrosse axed from their program in order to cut $4 million and keep Cal in compliance with Title IX gender equity requirements.

With every university in the country feeling the turmoil of an economy as chilly as the winter snow, the funding of college athletics becomes an easy target for faculty and the media.  As a longtime faculty member with over 40 years experience, as well as a former academic advisor and director of athletics, I feel college presidents must stand up to the pressures that their faculty continue to pile on college athletics.  The issue is one of bureaucracy, as much as anything.

Simply put, when academic departments drop their  tenure policy and are willing to evaluate each professor on their latest accomplishments and terminate those who have become complacent and ineffective then they will realize how a strong vibrant athletic department has be accountable to their performance and an annual basis.  Maybe it is time for Professors to Face the Scrutiny Coaches Face Every Weekend!  Talk about Pressure!

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The New NCAA Head Coach Academic Progress Rate (APR) Portfolio where graduation rates of student athletes will be tracked to the head coach is a long overdue idea. The database (see it here) allows anyone with internet access to search the grad rates by school, sport, year, and thine coach’s first and/or last name. The fact that these numbers are open and readily available will place extra accountability on the programs to make sure that along with scoring points for a university on the field of play, the students are gaining the education in college that will serve the majority of the student athletes far more than a paycheck in the pros… if they ever get that far!

Simply put, when I as Assistant AD at University of Missouri as the Academic Advisor I jaw-boned and arm-twisted the coaches to require mandatory attendance for their athletes. My reason was that attendance is easily measured, cut-and-dry, and even though I couldn’t guarantee they will learn or will graduate someday I knew if they were held accountable, good things would happen.

Not only did we lead the Big 8 in graduation rates for football program during my five year tenure from 1980-85, I was also elected President of the N4A (National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics) in 1985. When I pushed what I termed the Never Miss; Never Fail mantra as the president, it was astonishing how many colleagues were skeptical of being able to get their coaches to require attendance of their student athletes.

But, experience proves otherwise. In my over 40 years of being a professor, I can’t recall ever having to flunk a kid who came to class every day. Hopefully the new NCAA Head Coach APR portfolio becomes the catalyst for Never Miss: Never Fail. Most coaches do not realize if they enforce this rule and bench those who break it that eventually no athletes will miss and few athletes will fail to graduate, an extremely important matter of life after sports.

Now with online education, it makes Never Miss; Never Fail even more attainable!

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Late Thursday, free agency got underway in earnest in the NFL, with Sports Management Worldwide watching closely. In the eight years that SMWW has been operating, the day saw our most high profile players tendered contracts in the league.

I’ve always said reaching out through the internet would open doors for those looking to break into the business of sports, and we continue to do so.

The Carolina Panthers gave Matt Moore a first- and third-round tender offer, the highest tender as a restricted free agent, and in doing so will earn more than $3 million.

Moore played in 7 games last season, with a QB rating of 98.5, 8 TDs and 2 picks. The Panthers, seeing Moore as a clear option for the future, cut Jake Delhomme

The Sports Management Worldwide connection is that Moore is represented by Agent Advisor Joe Aloisi who completed the Athlete Management course with us in 2006.

The other player that SMWW sees a contract offer to is Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Akeem Jordan. As a second-level restricted free agent, the Eagles have the right of first refusal on his contract, and any club that signed him would forfeit a second -round pick.  In 12 games last season, 10 of which were starts, he had a total of 60 tackles, and 2 INTs for 14 yards. Jordan is represented by Agent Advisor Al Thomas, a 2005 grad of SMWW’s Athlete Management Course.

Both Moore and Jordan were undrafted, showing the ability of these former students to see value where others did not.

These two deals mark a clear sign that we continue to make in-roads for those looking to break into the world of sports business. I’m proud of Aloisi and Thomas as they represent these players as Agent Advisors and have no doubt that this marks what will be more of the same for SMWW graduates in the near future.

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I grew up in Kansas City and watched Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett successfully lead the Chiefs through some wonderful seasons.

But as a former university athletic director myself, I’ve watched Garrett during his career as the AD at the University of Southern California and I have to say, once again amidst a possible scandal under his watch, he’s come up very short in so many ways. Where is he? Why isn’t he out front, answering questions and dealing with these problems? Where is the leadership required of his job?

There are too many questions at USC and there’s nobody standing there as the face of the department with any answers.

How many more unsolved mysteries (Reggie Bush, O.J. Mayo, Matt Leinart) remain under investigation as we receive news of Trojan tailback Joe McKnight’s mystery car deal involving a booster and a girl friend?

As a long-time administrator in college athletics (professor, academic advisor, compliance officer and AD) I worked closely with the NCAA and like them. But I’m totally frustrated about how pathetic their investigations have been in regard to USC. Why is it they seem to have all the answers when it comes to Oklahoma State, but USC remains such a mystery?

With a bowl game upcoming, McKnight needs to sit out now — not later.

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I may be the only agent in the country who supports Jake Locker’s decision to stay at the University of Washington another season, rather than enter the NFL Draft.

Even though some experts are saying Locker is potentially as high as the No. 1 pick in that draft, he’s ultimately probably doing what’s best for him. For the past 15 years as an NFL agent I have found myself usually leaning toward players staying in school and continuing to grow as players and people.

I will never forget my extensive recruitment experience with Washington State’s Ryan Leaf (whom I eventually lost to Leigh Steinberg). In the case of Leaf, it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to come out after his junior season with the Cougars.

After all, he was going to be either the No. 1 or No. 2 choice in the draft! I supported that decision at the time.

But I also remember meeting with Leaf’s parents in Great Falls, Mont., and I’ve never forgotten how concerned Ryan’s mother was about her son turning pro. It was very emotional and I was taken aback.

We all know what happened to Ryan’s career — on and off the field.

I will always wonder what would have happened if Ryan Leaf had hung around for another collegiate season. We will never know for sure — but looking back, I wish we’d have found out.

You made the right call, Jake.

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In light of his recent “transgressions,” a major company jumped off the Tiger Woods bandwagon this week, while two others announced they’ll stay with him.

It’s pretty clear that while Tiger may return to his sport and continue to be the No. 1 golfer in the world, it’s unlikely he’ll be the King of Endorsements, as he once was. That title is probably going to pass on to Peyton Manning.

Tiger can make an endorsement comeback, because his impact on the PGA Tour when he returns from his self-imposed exile will be huge. Television ratings for his comeback will be monstrous and whichever corporation is fortunate enough to be sponsoring that tournament will benefit in a big way.

Which goes to show you that sponsoring events, rather than individuals, has always been the safest bet. Tiger was considered a low-risk, safe spokesman — up on his pedestal, safe and secure from controversy.

But no longer.

Event sponsorship, on the other hand, is dependent on a collection of people and the drama of the event itself. And as Tiger has taught us, sometimes that person up on the pedestal has feet of clay. And if he falls, a lot of endorsement money is at risk.

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As families around the country gather for their Thanksgiving feasts Thursday, they’ll likely gather in record numbers around their TV screens, too.

The technological evolution in television has been huge for sports. High-definition and larger screens are the norm now. You used to buy a new television set only when the old one gave out. Now, people are dumping those old sets to move up in quality, even in a bad economy.

And that means huge screens and beautiful high definition pictures that make you feel you’re at the game. And sporting events have never looked better. Or even sounded better — there has even been improvement in sound, too, where rich stereo is becoming the norm.

And so, with money tight — and much of it already spent on that gorgeous new television — fans are going to start to decide to stay home from the game. Why worry about weather, traffic or hassles of being there when you can watch that new TV — with its pristine picture quality and sound — rather than spend more money on tickets?

It’s going to change the dynamics of sports in a fundamental way. And also put a premium on people who can figure new, creative and effective ways of luring those fans out from in front of those plasma screens and back to the stadiums and arenas.

But in the meantime — enjoy the games on turkey day! And isn’t that HD picture beautiful?

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The Rooney Rule was developed by a small committee of courageous NFL owners headed by Dan Rooney, who believed that for every open head coaching position in the league, a minority candidate must be interviewed.

And guess what? It has worked to create a diversity in the NFL that wasn’t there even a decade ago. African-American head coaches are so common in the NFL these days nobody even thinks much about it anymore.

My life’s journey in higher education as an assistant football coach, assistant athletic director, athletic director and NFL agent has given me a front-row seat to watch the big impact the Rooney Rule has had on head coaching at the NFL level. As I reflect on the difference between the pros and college, it’s apparent that politics of hiring at the college level — committees of alumni, boosters, boards of regents, etc. — influence the final selection process for head coaches.

The result is that seldom can an athletic director or university president unilaterally make a controversial or out-of-the-box choice. What follows is usually the “safe” (and usually white) pick.

The beauty of the Rooney Rule is that it is designed to get qualified candidates who otherwise would never have the opportunity to be in front of the right people for an interview. Amazing things happen during this mandated process. Word is that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, an African American, came out of nowhere as a longshot candidate to win  his job by blowing away Steelers brass with his interview.

So often in the college ranks a new coach must serve as a graduate assistant first, then many years as a roving journeyman assistant coach. It’s often a long road before someone finally gives an assistant a shot at a head-coaching job. But I think minorities feel they have a better chance to become a head coach in the NFL based on the lack of institutional courage in the college ranks.

Leadership positions at the top level of college football are largely held by white men, even though a majority of the athletes they supervise are not white, according to a study released this week by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida.

The study found that, in the 2009 season, there were nine minority head coaches at colleges in the Football Bowl Subdivision, commonly known as Division I-A. Seven of those were African-American, one is Hispanic and one is Asian-American. By contrast, the study found that 50.4 percent of Division I-A athletes are African-American, 2.1 percent are Hispanic and 2.3 percent are Asian-American.

The NCAA and the university presidents have been negligent for too long in dealing with this disparity. More diversity is necessary in the coaching ranks and I’m not sure there’s a better way to encourage it than by enacting a Rooney Rule in college football. The state of Oregon has done it and all universities in the state must now interview a minority candidate for coaching vacancies.

The NCAA needs to make it a universal rule as soon as possible. College athletics would be a much better environment if the diversity on the field is reflected on the coaching staffs and administration.

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By now, you’ve heard the story of the three Tennessee Volunteer freshman football players who have been charged with attempted armed robbery. Two of the three were kicked off the team Monday by coach Lane Kiffin while he awaits “more information” on the third player.

Meanwhile, after four days why didn’t we heard from the school’s athletic director, Mike Hamilton, on this subject?

As the CEO of the department, he should have stepped in immediately, to take heat off his head football coach, if nothing else. Certainly Kiffin has had several things happen already in less than a year on the job that have pushed him into the spotlight. Hamilton could have helped him here but did not. Instead, he has left him adrift.

As a former director of athletics I would intercede many times when a crisis was bigger than a specific sports program. An armed robbery by three football players was an obvious embarrassment to the athletic department, the football team and the entire school.

The athletic director has a responsibility to show firm leadership in these situations — and often that also means taking punitive responsibilities off the shoulders of his coach. If Hamilton steps in, makes the announcement of the players’ dismissal right away, and does so “after consultation and agreement with Coach Kiffin,” it immediately gets Kiffin off the hot seat.

It is no secret that coaches get caught up in the controversy and have a lot of other things going on in season and sometimes don’t see the big picture when it comes to the negative impact of these incidents on the athletic department and the school. He should have gotten support here from his boss.

To not act decisively in such cases casts doubt about the integrity of the entire athletic department.

I was critical of Oregon after waiting almost a full day in announcing the LeGarrette Blount suspension. But that incident was telecast coast to coast on ESPN. I guess if the robbery had played out on video everywhere it would have been perceived as a bigger public relations nightmare? Are we saying if we can’t see it, it didn’t happen?

This was a perfect time for an athletic director to step up and show the people in Tennessee that someone is in charge of that athletic department — with swift and decisive action that in this case should have been a no-brainer.

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As a college professor for many years and former athletic director at the NCAA Division I level, I can tell you that there are some things wrong with the way universities pay people.

And the faculty — and everyone else upset about this — can look inward before complaining about the athletic department. Coaches, you see, don’t have tenured positions. They are subject to losing their jobs at the drop of a football. They are responsible, basically, for running a multi-million dollar corporation. They have little job security and much personal scrutiny. They are paid like a lot of Americans are — on their market value.

Yes, a lot of athletes, coaches and entertainers of all stripes make more money than the president of the United States. So what? That’s what a free country is all about. There is nobody sitting on a council somewhere deciding what we all should earn for our jobs. It’s the market that decides it.

On the other hand, university faculty, often envious of the large salary major-college coaches receive, are tenured after a period of time and often can’t lose their jobs and continue to get raises even if they’re incapable of doing their assigned tasks at their school.

I would suggest this: faculty and university presidents have every right to demand academic accountability of their coaches. They should demand coaches not only bring quality people and motivated student-athletes to their campus but that they be responsible for those people getting a college education. In return, coaches should be offered tenure as full-fledged faculty.

And oh yes, if faculty isn’t happy with the way things are done, those people should consider a new way of paying themselves: How about paying them — like coaches are — on their market value? And then they could dump that archaic system of tenure.

I doubt they’d be real excited about that.

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