[jacket3ree]

I don't understand why anyone would purposefully hobble a major activity at a major university that had already made major commitments and had major success in that activity. It makes zero sense. You don't like athletics? Fine. Eliminate the varsity program and commit to club sports, or go D3 or NAIA. But you're already moderating basic academic admissions underwriting guidelines in order to attract athletes. If you're already committed to doing so, why hobble the program on purpose? Why not allow it -- forget about "allow", why not encourage it to succeed?

I just don't understand that line of thinking.

I knew a number of, shall we say, lesser academic lights at SCU, happened to be on the football team. They did very well in sales, subsequent to graduation. Reminds me of the billionaire speaking at Rice's graduation. He asks, one by one, the pre-law, the pre-med and the engineering students to stand up, each to general cheering. Then he asks the students who were going into sales to stand. Amid some good-natured jeering, two students stood up. The billionaire said "laugh all you want, but these two are going to make more than the rest of you..."

It may be cliche, but no matter what anyone does, they are in sales.

I do remember the general hissing and uncomfortable laughter when the Law School graduates were recognized en mass. I now bow to my overlords. (Honestly, I know numerous lawyers personally and professionally. Smart bunch and the best are very personable.)

I'd caution against a "We Are College Sports" campaign. That can be taken as a typical holier than thou Stanford position. Like that CAPER paper BC shared (who asked for a statement, by the way), it reeks of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being Stanford'.  I prefer people shut up and play their guitar in times like these.  Bow up and start freaking winning again. Stanford is not that unique.  Most college programs are college sports. It's the top 1% has everything skewed out of whack. Quietly do what you need to do to be yourselves while winning, marketing to everyone. All people are different, so there isn't a one-size-fits-all marketing campaign. I do like the idea of outreach in multiple languages. I thought some time ago had a football 101 sort of deal for graduate students and others for whom oblong football might not be their prime spectator sport, but who wanted to learn about football and have fun.

How about a 'we'd love to be your side piece' campaign? The Bay Area is full of transplants.  We know we aren't your first love, but Sneak Around the Alley with Stanford (cheap tix) and be entered into a raffle for Stanford to fly you and a friend to see your first love in action, airfare and hotel included. If you want to crash on your old frat's couch, all the better. I've told the story of a manic Nebraska fan at our firm who loves college football but wants no part of Stanford because he went once and was made to feel like an inferior human being. A halftime parade for Nobel prize winners, constant bombardment of 'we alone are Stanford-worthy', and the Band snark turned him off forever. Much easier to watch on TV. Plus he said the stadium was 'dead'. Years ago, there was some woman in our section who constantly yelled 'Safety School' anytime whomever it was (Oregon maybe, Cal, UW?) got a first down. Who the hell wants to be around that?

I agree there is a problem, and maybe the problem is Stanford.  Remember when Stanford laid 63 on Cal on its way to the Rose Bowl?  I had a house full of Midshipmen that flew out to watch Keenan Reynolds run wild on SJSU the night before.  I had no trouble securing ten last-minute tickets at face value and wow were the Mids excited to watch 'real big time football in the flesh'. I pulled out every red shirt I could find so they could finally just go nuts at a game out of uniform. Tailgating, coeds, the whole nine yards.  ("Uh guys, Army-Navy is as big time as it gets. Don't confuse this with Knoxville.")  They were so disappointed in the lack of a big time atmosphere. I get it, total blowout of a game and suppressed Cal attendance, but Stanford was as good as they've ever been and everyone was so nonplussed/too cool for school about it all.  That rubs off on the rest of the crowd, whether they went to Stanford or not.

[jacket3ree]

I don't understand why anyone would purposefully hobble a major activity at a major university that had already made major commitments and had major success in that activity. It makes zero sense. You don't like athletics? Fine. Eliminate the varsity program and commit to club sports, or go D3 or NAIA. But you're already moderating basic academic admissions underwriting guidelines in order to attract athletes. If you're already committed to doing so, why hobble the program on purpose? Why not allow it -- forget about "allow", why not encourage it to succeed?

I just don't understand that line of thinking.

I knew a number of, shall we say, lesser academic lights at SCU, happened to be on the football team. They did very well in sales, subsequent to graduation. Reminds me of the billionaire speaking at Rice's graduation. He asks, one by one, the pre-law, the pre-med and the engineering students to stand up, each to general cheering. Then he asks the students who were going into sales to stand. Amid some good-natured jeering, two students stood up. The billionaire said "laugh all you want, but these two are going to make more than the rest of you..."

It may be cliche, but no matter what anyone does, they are in sales.

I do remember the general hissing and uncomfortable laughter when the Law School graduates were recognized en mass. I now bow to my overlords. (Honestly, I know numerous lawyers personally and professionally. Smart bunch and the best are very personable.)

I'd caution against a "We Are College Sports" campaign. That can be taken as a typical holier than thou Stanford position. Like that CAPER paper BC shared (who asked for a statement, by the way), it reeks of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being Stanford'.  I prefer people shut up and play their guitar in times like these.  Bow up and start freaking winning again. Stanford is not that unique.  Most college programs are college sports. It's the top 1% has everything skewed out of whack. Quietly do what you need to do to be yourselves while winning, marketing to everyone. All people are different, so there isn't a one-size-fits-all marketing campaign. I do like the idea of outreach in multiple languages. I thought some time ago had a football 101 sort of deal for graduate students and others for whom oblong football might not be their prime spectator sport, but who wanted to learn about football and have fun.

How about a 'we'd love to be your side piece' campaign? The Bay Area is full of transplants.  We know we aren't your first love, but Sneak Around the Alley with Stanford (cheap tix) and be entered into a raffle for Stanford to fly you and a friend to see your first love in action, airfare and hotel included. If you want to crash on your old frat's couch, all the better. I've told the story of a manic Nebraska fan at our firm who loves college football but wants no part of Stanford because he went once and was made to feel like an inferior human being. A halftime parade for Nobel prize winners, constant bombardment of 'we alone are Stanford-worthy', and the Band snark turned him off forever. Much easier to watch on TV. Plus he said the stadium was 'dead'. Years ago, there was some woman in our section who constantly yelled 'Safety School' anytime whomever it was (Oregon maybe, Cal, UW?) got a first down. Who the hell wants to be around that?

I agree there is a problem, and maybe the problem is Stanford.  Remember when Stanford laid 63 on Cal on its way to the Rose Bowl?  I had a house full of Midshipmen that flew out to watch Keenan Reynolds run wild on SJSU the night before.  I had no trouble securing ten last-minute tickets at face value and wow were the Mids excited to watch 'real big time football in the flesh'. I pulled out every red shirt I could find so they could finally just go nuts at a game out of uniform. Tailgating, coeds, the whole nine yards.  ("Uh guys, Army-Navy is as big time as it gets. Don't confuse this with Knoxville.")  They were so disappointed in the lack of a big time atmosphere. I get it, total blowout of a game and suppressed Cal attendance, but Stanford was as good as they've ever been and everyone was so nonplussed/too cool for school about it all.  That rubs off on the rest of the crowd, whether they went to Stanford or not.