Not sure if it is fair to keep saying the UC Berkeley admin does not support athletics. We got a pricey seismic upgrade of Memorial, a new and expensive high performance center, a $30 million kick to the AD budget, etc. Yes we lack a dedicated practice facility for MBB, but given everything that happened with ticket sales and the stadium…
Not sure if it is fair to keep saying the UC Berkeley admin does not support athletics. We got a pricey seismic upgrade of Memorial, a new and expensive high performance center, a $30 million kick to the AD budget, etc. Yes we lack a dedicated practice facility for MBB, but given everything that happened with ticket sales and the stadium financing, it's sort of understandable. A few years ago the vibe on the football program was trending upwards and then a couple of disappointing seasons (with extenuating circumstances) derailed everything. I do think Mark Fox has worn out his welcome, but the idea that men's basketball can't succeed without an expensive new practice facility is bullshit. There is so much wasted money spent at universities on flashy new facilities and associated support staff, and it rarely has a transformational impact. Did the HIgh Performance Center that we so desperately needed really make that big of a difference? We are worse off now than we were before.
I think it's safe to say the resources admin have provided is robust enough to field competitive revenue teams. We've shown we have when we've had the right administrators in place. I think it's more a case of priorities, management and decision-making for how those dollars get spent. I agree that we over-emphasize the practice facilities. Although, as someone who still occasionally plays hoops at RSF, I sure wish they would get one, so it doesn't also impact court availability for the rest of us just trying to get our runs in.
Instead of spending $150 million, or whatever, for an on-campus practice facility shoe-horned next to Haas, why can't we acquire long-term control of a site off campus, renovate it, buy a few vans, and ferry the teams back and forth to practice? That would have to cost much less than $150 million, wouldn't it?
Also, quit focusing on the CS dude and the faculty on campus that were critical of athletics. Given the larger picture, they have a right to be....but more importantly, casting all of the faculty as disliking sports is inaccurate. There are lots of faculty on campus that like it. It's like painting a whole state as a partisan monolith when most states have lots of people with different views. There is love for Cal athletics across campus.
Not sure if it is fair to keep saying the UC Berkeley admin does not support athletics. We got a pricey seismic upgrade of Memorial, a new and expensive high performance center, a $30 million kick to the AD budget, etc. Yes we lack a dedicated practice facility for MBB, but given everything that happened with ticket sales and the stadium financing, it's sort of understandable. A few years ago the vibe on the football program was trending upwards and then a couple of disappointing seasons (with extenuating circumstances) derailed everything. I do think Mark Fox has worn out his welcome, but the idea that men's basketball can't succeed without an expensive new practice facility is bullshit. There is so much wasted money spent at universities on flashy new facilities and associated support staff, and it rarely has a transformational impact. Did the HIgh Performance Center that we so desperately needed really make that big of a difference? We are worse off now than we were before.
I think it's safe to say the resources admin have provided is robust enough to field competitive revenue teams. We've shown we have when we've had the right administrators in place. I think it's more a case of priorities, management and decision-making for how those dollars get spent. I agree that we over-emphasize the practice facilities. Although, as someone who still occasionally plays hoops at RSF, I sure wish they would get one, so it doesn't also impact court availability for the rest of us just trying to get our runs in.
Instead of spending $150 million, or whatever, for an on-campus practice facility shoe-horned next to Haas, why can't we acquire long-term control of a site off campus, renovate it, buy a few vans, and ferry the teams back and forth to practice? That would have to cost much less than $150 million, wouldn't it?
Also, quit focusing on the CS dude and the faculty on campus that were critical of athletics. Given the larger picture, they have a right to be....but more importantly, casting all of the faculty as disliking sports is inaccurate. There are lots of faculty on campus that like it. It's like painting a whole state as a partisan monolith when most states have lots of people with different views. There is love for Cal athletics across campus.