I liken Oregon's ascendancy to that of MTV or Google or Facebook - it was the right idea done well at the right time. Around the same time as Phil opening the wallet for UO, T Boone Pickens was throwing a similar amount of dough at the Oklahoma St program, and they made many of the same moves as the Ducks - uni's, lux locker room, etc, b…
I liken Oregon's ascendancy to that of MTV or Google or Facebook - it was the right idea done well at the right time. Around the same time as Phil opening the wallet for UO, T Boone Pickens was throwing a similar amount of dough at the Oklahoma St program, and they made many of the same moves as the Ducks - uni's, lux locker room, etc, but with modest results. As brewer mentioned, Texas A&M has been throwing cash at its program, and they haven't risen accordingly. You do need a billionaire, but that's not all.
You also need to make entertainment that ESPN will want to showcase and profit from at a time when they're hungry for it. From the innovative fast paced offense to the Joey Harrington 10-story banner in Times Square, to the uniforms - it all made a great story for television, therefore ratings for ESPN.
Since we don't have a Phil Knight-like billionaire, or a few hundred-millionaires (like A&M's "Champions Council") to spread out the pain, it's very unlikely to happen here. As previously mentioned, we can aspire only to the levels of success attained by schools like WSU or OSU (and then only if our academics are lightened and NIL soars).
Oregon is a black swan, and as relevant an example in this discussion as asking "what does Shasta Cola need to do to achieve the success of Coke"? i.e. - barring raining frogs, it ain't gonna happen.
I find it hard to believe Cal doesn't have at least as many millionaires as A&M. It's more a matter of targeting them with the right messaging to get them to participate.
I also believe that the Athletic Dept's marketing has been atrocious. We need to get more butts in seats, and the Bear Growl just isn't the answer. With the promise of an exciting new basketball coach and upgraded talent on the roster, why didn't Cal offer something like a $20 Peet's gift card for every five games a student attends? Or if a student attends every game, they're entered into a raffle to win $1,000 off their tuition? You can't build a strong alumni base (who will attend games and contribute to the program) without first getting students interested. If it's part of their college experience, they'll want to come back as alumni.
Not just sports, Cal is terrible at alumni relations in general. I feel no incentive to ever donate to my alma mater for any cause, academic or athletic
Those millionaires never had a strong football or basketball attachment while they were in school, like you mentioned, should have been part of college experience. That's hurting now.
"Oregon is a black swan, and as relevant an example in this discussion as asking "what does Shasta Cola need to do to achieve the success of Coke"? i.e. - barring raining frogs, it ain't gonna happen."
This is the best, most complex sentence I've read in the comments in a while! Thanks for that. If I wasn't a native speaker of English, I'd be confused AF. 😆
I liken Oregon's ascendancy to that of MTV or Google or Facebook - it was the right idea done well at the right time. Around the same time as Phil opening the wallet for UO, T Boone Pickens was throwing a similar amount of dough at the Oklahoma St program, and they made many of the same moves as the Ducks - uni's, lux locker room, etc, but with modest results. As brewer mentioned, Texas A&M has been throwing cash at its program, and they haven't risen accordingly. You do need a billionaire, but that's not all.
You also need to make entertainment that ESPN will want to showcase and profit from at a time when they're hungry for it. From the innovative fast paced offense to the Joey Harrington 10-story banner in Times Square, to the uniforms - it all made a great story for television, therefore ratings for ESPN.
Since we don't have a Phil Knight-like billionaire, or a few hundred-millionaires (like A&M's "Champions Council") to spread out the pain, it's very unlikely to happen here. As previously mentioned, we can aspire only to the levels of success attained by schools like WSU or OSU (and then only if our academics are lightened and NIL soars).
Oregon is a black swan, and as relevant an example in this discussion as asking "what does Shasta Cola need to do to achieve the success of Coke"? i.e. - barring raining frogs, it ain't gonna happen.
I find it hard to believe Cal doesn't have at least as many millionaires as A&M. It's more a matter of targeting them with the right messaging to get them to participate.
I also believe that the Athletic Dept's marketing has been atrocious. We need to get more butts in seats, and the Bear Growl just isn't the answer. With the promise of an exciting new basketball coach and upgraded talent on the roster, why didn't Cal offer something like a $20 Peet's gift card for every five games a student attends? Or if a student attends every game, they're entered into a raffle to win $1,000 off their tuition? You can't build a strong alumni base (who will attend games and contribute to the program) without first getting students interested. If it's part of their college experience, they'll want to come back as alumni.
Not just sports, Cal is terrible at alumni relations in general. I feel no incentive to ever donate to my alma mater for any cause, academic or athletic
Those millionaires never had a strong football or basketball attachment while they were in school, like you mentioned, should have been part of college experience. That's hurting now.
"Oregon is a black swan, and as relevant an example in this discussion as asking "what does Shasta Cola need to do to achieve the success of Coke"? i.e. - barring raining frogs, it ain't gonna happen."
This is the best, most complex sentence I've read in the comments in a while! Thanks for that. If I wasn't a native speaker of English, I'd be confused AF. 😆