October 8, 2013

Stop Treating College Athletics Like High School SportsA tale of fear, ignorance and missed opportunity

Think Different

1. Ignorance, antiquated thinking and fear limit people and programs

2. Not managing athletics properly fuels the futility

3. Underutilized resource with huge missed opportunity costs

Mis-understood

✤ After school sports program

✤ Student-athletes are privileged and don’t really belong

✤ The power of the media

Mis-managed

✤ ‘If we have it, they will come’

✤ ‘Resources should support our core mission’

✤ Desperate times call for desperate measures

Missed Opportunities

✤ Enrollment Management

✤ Recruiting, retention, graduation

✤ Visibility, Brand Identity/Equity

✤ Who are you rubbin’ elbows with?

✤ Campus Culture, Community & Spirit

✤ Where you’re all on the same team

Three Things You Can Do

Clarify, Define & Articulate Impact✤ Anecdotes are powerful, but not enough

✤ Reach out and embrace every part of campus

✤ Share goals, progress, successes and struggles

Don’t Focus on the ‘Haters’✤ Educate and convert the middle ground

✤ ‘A little bit of knowledge is dangerous’

✤ Engage your biggest supporters

Use Student-Athletes

✤ Messages

✤ Events

✤ Invitations