[chrisk]

Well, if you look up Mike Bohn on the internet, there's no shortage of articles detailing the toxic work environment and his lack of fitness for leadership positions.  And yet that was the U$C AD who shoved the Trojans across the conference alignment Rubicon.  He definitely could have been double-dealing, and maybe the big donors were exerting leverage.

Martin Jarmond, a UNC-Wilmington guy, is the UCLA athletic director.  Both he and Bohn have masters in sports administration from Ohio University, albeit from different decades.  Was he pushed into realignment by big donors?

Carol Folt, the U$C president, has degrees from UCSB and UC Davis.  Gene Block, the UCLA chancellor, has degrees from Stanford and Oregon.  He did his postdoc work under Donald Kennedy at Stanford.  Both presidents don't seem like they have the kind of personalities to seek out Big 10 football money at the expense of all other athletics and student experience.  It feels like they were outmaneuvered and forced into these positions.

It's a rotten situation to have to chase football money.

UCLA has serious debts and money issues in it's athletic department. If it was given the chance to make considerably more money each year, it may be they felt they really had no choice. USC has a University wide money problem. It is not nearly as bad as the UCLA AD one, but it has led to hiring freezes. They too can use the money and arguably need it. While in USC's case it is difficult to argue they needed to explore joining the B1G, once they found out they could it would be difficult for the administration to turn down 20 million more per year, even if they wanted to do so. IMO the Presidents were presented with what was effectively a fiat accompli. There was a deal on the table already negotiated and ready to go. All they had to do is sign it. If they don't sign it, then they have to explain to their respective boards why they are running a deficit but wouldn't take the money. Neither of them were willing to take that risk and signed.

Bohn was great at selling sizzle but terrible at running an AD. Ten years ago he was forced out at Colorado, 2 years after moving Colorado to the Pac-12. This year, he was forced out at USC, one year after getting it into the Big 10. He is watching from the sidelines as the Pac-12 implodes, Colorado undoes its move, and USC has to do the dirty work of transitioning to the Big 10.

[chrisk]

Well, if you look up Mike Bohn on the internet, there's no shortage of articles detailing the toxic work environment and his lack of fitness for leadership positions.  And yet that was the U$C AD who shoved the Trojans across the conference alignment Rubicon.  He definitely could have been double-dealing, and maybe the big donors were exerting leverage.

Martin Jarmond, a UNC-Wilmington guy, is the UCLA athletic director.  Both he and Bohn have masters in sports administration from Ohio University, albeit from different decades.  Was he pushed into realignment by big donors?

Carol Folt, the U$C president, has degrees from UCSB and UC Davis.  Gene Block, the UCLA chancellor, has degrees from Stanford and Oregon.  He did his postdoc work under Donald Kennedy at Stanford.  Both presidents don't seem like they have the kind of personalities to seek out Big 10 football money at the expense of all other athletics and student experience.  It feels like they were outmaneuvered and forced into these positions.

It's a rotten situation to have to chase football money.

UCLA has serious debts and money issues in it's athletic department. If it was given the chance to make considerably more money each year, it may be they felt they really had no choice. USC has a University wide money problem. It is not nearly as bad as the UCLA AD one, but it has led to hiring freezes. They too can use the money and arguably need it. While in USC's case it is difficult to argue they needed to explore joining the B1G, once they found out they could it would be difficult for the administration to turn down 20 million more per year, even if they wanted to do so. IMO the Presidents were presented with what was effectively a fiat accompli. There was a deal on the table already negotiated and ready to go. All they had to do is sign it. If they don't sign it, then they have to explain to their respective boards why they are running a deficit but wouldn't take the money. Neither of them were willing to take that risk and signed.

Bohn was great at selling sizzle but terrible at running an AD. Ten years ago he was forced out at Colorado, 2 years after moving Colorado to the Pac-12. This year, he was forced out at USC, one year after getting it into the Big 10. He is watching from the sidelines as the Pac-12 implodes, Colorado undoes its move, and USC has to do the dirty work of transitioning to the Big 10.