Stanford Softball 2025 - Printable Version

Stanford Softball 2025 - Printable Version

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RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - GK3 - 06-17-2024

(06-17-2024, 03:25 AM)Blue Hawk (Mizzou) Card Wrote: This breaks my heart, but that is because my heart bleeds for Stanford and I loved seeing her pitch for my team.

But how in the world can I blame her? She has a special skill, developed through years of effort and hard work, that she can only monetize (unless she can develop a career like Jessica Mendoza, as has been noted, but that is a once in a half century possibility that lots of others will also be pursuing) for the next two years of her life. How can you blame her for doing so? I mean, much as I love Stanford, if you had given me a chance to take my skill set (assuming I have one) and substantially monetize it for a couple of years before finishing law school (in my case), when I had no way to monetize it at anything like the same level after law school, I tend to believe that Stanford Law School would have been in my rear view mirror.

Much as these realities hurt us as Stanford fans, I think none of us should blame the athletes for pursuing opportunities that are best for them and their families. None of us really know what economic realities our student-athletes face.

Indeed, one could make the argument that Stanford has benefited over the past few decades from student-athletes making decisions that made the most economic sense for them. What we like to think of as "the forty year decision," if put in pure economic terms, is the reality that a Stanford degree opens doors that degrees from other institutions do not. (Indeed, many of us here on this board have benefited from the way that our Stanford degrees have opened doors for us.) For many non-revenue sport student-athletes, a Stanford degree was the best monetization of a specialized skill set that was available to them, and that helped us win may championships. Yes, there is more to it than that, but that is a big part of it, not just for student-athletes but for all students making college decisions.

Now the world is changing. Indeed, many of the non-revenue sport student-athletes may soon lose what little power they used to have to monetize their skill sets into college educations, as schools drop their sports.

The way the big time college sports world is changing makes me feel sad, as I loved the good old days. The schools I love to root for are not going to do well in the new world. So I am left to try to be glad that it happened, instead of sad that it is over. But I am sad that it is over, as my soon to come retirement years are going to be a lot less fun, from a college sports fan standpoint, than I had planned on them to be, because my big time college sports teams are not going to be as competitive as they were in the old system (which was one that exploited some student athletes via an agreement among big time sports schools to not pay their athletes at levels reflecting their market value, which I have thought was a major antitrust violation ever since I took Antitrust at Stanford Law School).

In making that transition that I now have to make as a big time college sports fan, I try not to blame the student-athletes. I am not saying anyone else here is doing so, but I urge us all to remember that doing what is best for them and their families might mean going routes other than the one we prefer, i.e., wearing a Stanford uniform.

Bottom Line: It was a lot of fun while it lasted, just like it was a lot of fun to see the best pitcher in softball in a Stanford uniform. I will very much miss seeing that, but I will try to remember to thank her for those two years, not blame her for the next two. Thanks for the memories, NiJa, and best of luck in all future endeavors except those where you are pitching against Stanford.

This whole change in college sports is causing me to transition from being a big time Stanford fan to just a passing one. I became a big time Stanford fan when I sat in the Colesium with my Dad in 1951 and watched Bob Mathias run the kickoff back against USC. For years I drove from SoCal up to Stanford early Saturdays, watched the game whatever it was and then drove back. When Stanford played away, I would drive up to the top of the Grapevine where I could pick up the radio broadcast from a small station in Bakersfield. I Would never consider doing stuff like that now if I were still that young.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - martyup - 06-17-2024

I'm not blaming Canaday for making her self interested decision to capitalize on her incredible talent while she can. I'm just pointing out that I think her teammates might see this as betrayal of the sisterhood and this might injure the heart and soul of this wonderful team.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - Mudhead - 06-17-2024

I wonder if her decision to enter the portal isn’t about more than the NIL. I find it hard to believe that Stanfords Collective wouldn’t match or exceed any offer from another school. I personally can’t think of any other athlete at .stanford who will have as big an impact on Stanford .athletics as Canady.

Softball is starting to boom as a women’s sport . Stanford in the middle of a big fund raise to build a new stadium . We seemed to be heading toward a national championship. Why wouldn’t the collective go all out to keep Canady and send a strong message that poaching Stanford athletes is no longer cost free?

If it’s not money, what then? Two thoughts come to mind:

Stanford is not the idyllic place to go to school that most alums, myself included, remember. The culture can be very off putting if you are a midwesterner raised with middle America values.

Second, it’s possible Canady wants to be regarded as the best pitcher ever in college softball. Not the best pitcher who never won a championship, but the best. Winning two at OU or wherever would cement that. Maybe Stanford will get one, but there was a qualitative hitting difference between OU, Texas, Florida and UCLA vs Stanford. And both OU and Texas were better fielding teams. So it’s not clear Stanford will get to natty level.

The end of the Texas game had to be a tough blow to Canady. To shut out Texas for 6 innings and the. Lose because of an error on a routine groundball and a poorly played rundown at the plate… and to never get even one run of support in two games against Texas would have to make you wonder what you have to do as a pitcher to win the big one.

Please know I am not claiming any information or insight into the Canady decision. I don’t have that. Nor am I trying to be critical of a very good team , a young team, that performed as well as it could . But it feels like there is a missing piece to the puzzle, as there was with Kiki at the end of the WBB season.

I’m just not sure it is all about the Benjamins.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - martyup - 06-17-2024

(06-17-2024, 10:24 AM)Mudhead Wrote: I wonder if her decision to enter the portal isn’t about more than the NIL. I find it hard to believe that Stanfords Collective wouldn’t match or exceed any offer from another school. I personally can’t think of any other athlete at .stanford who will have as big an impact on Stanford .athletics as Canady.

Softball is starting to boom as a women’s sport . Stanford in the middle of a big fund raise to build a new stadium . We seemed to be heading toward a national championship. Why wouldn’t the collective go all out to keep Canady and send a strong message that poaching Stanford athletes is no longer cost free?

If it’s not money, what then? Two thoughts come to mind:

Stanford is not the idyllic place to go to school that most alums, myself included, remember. The culture can be very off putting if you are a midwesterner raised with middle America values.

Second, it’s possible Canady wants to be regarded as the best pitcher ever in college softball. Not the best pitcher who never won a championship, but the best. Winning two at OU or wherever would cement that. Maybe Stanford will get one, but there was a qualitative hitting difference between OU, Texas, Florida and UCLA vs Stanford. And both OU and Texas were better fielding teams. So it’s not clear Stanford will get to natty level.

The end of the Texas game had to be a tough blow to Canady. To shut out Texas for 6 innings and the. Lose because of an error on a routine groundball and a poorly played rundown at the plate… and to never get even one run of support in two games against Texas would have to make you wonder what you have to do as a pitcher to win the big one.

Please know I am not claiming any information or insight into the Canady decision. I don’t have that. Nor am I trying to be critical of a very good team , a young team, that performed as well as it could . But it feels like there is a missing piece to the puzzle, as there was with Kiki at the end of the WBB season.

I’m just not sure it is all about the Benjamins.

Yes, winning a NC is surely is a big part of her decision. But, no less self-serving.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - jacket3ree - 06-17-2024

Is winning a championship in a team sport self-serving? I guess, but it doesn't really matter. She's not indentured to Stanford and the teammates left behind owe it to themselves not to be so torn up about the departure of one player that they can't win moving forward. This could range from sad to see you go to don't let the door hit.....Who is to say she couldn't earn herself plenty of NIL dollars at Stanford, if she wanted to take that initiative? I get that the collectives, which is a bastardized form of NIL that everyone now just accepts as pay to play without employment attached, make it easier for the athletes to get paid without the hassle of developing business. If they are that softball mad in Norman, more power to them. Or as Mudhead theorizes, maybe Stanford ain't all that for her anyway.

The coach seems good, the program is on the upswing, and it's never just one player. Well, maybe in softball. Go find a couple of pitchers and good fielders and hitters and get after it. There is no guarantee Oklahoma or Texas or wherever she goes wins it all anyway. It would be pretty cool to dogpile in front of her, wouldn't it?

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - BobK - 06-17-2024

Thank goodness Stanford hired a NIL director. What a waste of money that was.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - GK3 - 06-18-2024

(06-17-2024, 10:24 AM)Mudhead Wrote: I wonder if her decision to enter the portal isn’t about more than the NIL. I find it hard to believe that Stanfords Collective wouldn’t match or exceed any offer from another school. I personally can’t think of any other athlete at .stanford who will have as big an impact on Stanford .athletics as Canady.

Softball is starting to boom as a women’s sport . Stanford in the middle of a big fund raise to build a new stadium . We seemed to be heading toward a national championship. Why wouldn’t the collective go all out to keep Canady and send a strong message that poaching Stanford athletes is no longer cost free?

If it’s not money, what then? Two thoughts come to mind:

Stanford is not the idyllic place to go to school that most alums, myself included, remember. The culture can be very off putting if you are a midwesterner raised with middle America values.

Second, it’s possible Canady wants to be regarded as the best pitcher ever in college softball. Not the best pitcher who never won a championship, but the best. Winning two at OU or wherever would cement that. Maybe Stanford will get one, but there was a qualitative hitting difference between OU, Texas, Florida and UCLA vs Stanford. And both OU and Texas were better fielding teams. So it’s not clear Stanford will get to natty level.

The end of the Texas game had to be a tough blow to Canady. To shut out Texas for 6 innings and the. Lose because of an error on a routine groundball and a poorly played rundown at the plate… and to never get even one run of support in two games against Texas would have to make you wonder what you have to do as a pitcher to win the big one.

Please know I am not claiming any information or insight into the Canady decision. I don’t have that. Nor am I trying to be critical of a very good team , a young team, that performed as well as it could . But it feels like there is a missing piece to the puzzle, as there was with Kiki at the end of the WBB season.

I’m just not sure it is all about the Benjamins.

Your point is well taken. It is pretty obvious that without another good pitcher, better hitting, and a big better fielding we achieved about all we could hope to achieve. Pitchers like Canady do not grow on trees and those that exist mostly cannot get into Stanford. There are challenges no matter what.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - d4cohn - 06-18-2024

Piecing together what I am reading two things seem to be the most important factors:

1) It seems NiJaree wants to play closer to home, which is totally admirable
2) NIL appears to be a factor

It also seems like NiJaree was planning on transferring regardless of what happened at the WCWS, so as tough as the loss to Texas was, it doesn't seem like that ending changed the decision.

I also think the references to campus culture/campus values on this thread are off-base. I think the Stanford student body and softball team specifically has people from all different places and backgrounds, such that NiJaree would have softball and student peers, for example, from the Midwest or with similar faith traditions (as NiJaree highlights on her Instagram).

I still believe everything I have written on this topic about short term vs. long term decisions, and how I would view the calculus if I was in her shoes; however, I did get some perspective watching another (different) former college athlete describe how even a 6 figure (NIL) deal would be game-changing for them and their family.

I do hope, even though I believe the fans don't necessarily need to know her reasons for leaving that I (if I was in her shoes) would be transparent with my teammates and coaches, because I would feel they would deserve that from me.

In the end, I hope NiJaree finds a good fit, and wish her and her family the best. These last two years have been so much fun as a Stanford softball fan, which I am so grateful for.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - Vandelay - 06-18-2024

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if some SEC team offered Canady a million dollars. Any already good team that lands her will become the instant favorite to win WCWS next year.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - PVTree - 06-19-2024

I recently flew out of state and a young lady with Stanford gear was right behind me. I asked her if she attended Stanford, and she said yes.

During our conversation, she mentioned that she was a scholarship athlete (for a smaller sport). I was surprised to hear that she didn't really like the culture at Stanford, and that once she finished school (she does intend to get her degree from Stanford), she would be moving elsewhere quickly.

Reminded me that the Bay Area is not for everyone despite being my favorite area to live.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - CompSci87 - 06-19-2024

Culture could mean a lot of things, unless of course she gave more details. There's the current "Stanford hates fun" thing we've been hearing about, or many other aspects of Stanford or Bay Area life.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - d4cohn - 06-19-2024

(06-18-2024, 08:59 PM)Vandelay Wrote: I honestly wouldn't be surprised if some SEC team offered Canady a million dollars. Any already good team that lands her will become the instant favorite to win WCWS next year.

So we were favorites to win the WCWS the last two years? :)

I kid, in part because it is sad. I think if this year's team had Alana, NiJaree, and Regan, we were the favorites to win a national championship. But it is what it is with regards to college sports and how it operates today.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - qwerty49 - 06-19-2024

(06-17-2024, 02:23 PM)BobK Wrote: Thank goodness Stanford hired a NIL director. What a waste of money that was.

I'd love to see that job description.
1. Figure out how much we need
2. Raise it
3. Figure out who to give how much
4. Give it

1&2 might be a different job than 3&4. But yeah, good thing we hit the ground running -- NOT.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - 82lsju - 06-19-2024

(06-19-2024, 02:57 PM)qwerty49 Wrote:
(06-17-2024, 02:23 PM)BobK Wrote: Thank goodness Stanford hired a NIL director. What a waste of money that was.

I'd love to see that job description.
1. Figure out how much we need
2. Raise it
3. Figure out who to give how much
4. Give it

1&2 might be a different job than 3&4. But yeah, good thing we hit the ground running -- NOT.

the job reg and what they are supposed to do

Quote:Job Posting for NIL General Manager (Stanford University) at Altius Sports Partners

TITLE: University NIL General Manager (On-Campus)
REPORTS TO: Altius Director, ASP College
LOCATION: Stanford, California. Please see anticipated designation below.

Purpose: The University NIL General Manager (the “GM”) will oversee and coordinate all operations surrounding the NIL infrastructure at the designated university (see below), including, but not limited to, educational programming, monitoring, and ensuring adherence to the designated university, conference, state, federal, and NCAA policies. This position will be responsible for advancing NIL efforts for the designated university to ensure student-athletes, coaches, staff, and recruits have the tools, education, and resources necessary to maximize opportunities and navigate this new space. Additionally, the GM may be responsible for generating awareness of potential student-athlete marketing opportunities with national, regional, and local brands. This position is further responsible for ensuring world-class service is delivered to the designated university through the successful adoption and implementation of Altius’s current and future offerings in alignment with the designated university’s institutional values and mission.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
All of the GM’s Services provided hereunder shall be conducted in coordination with the designated university’s legal counsel and other internal stakeholders and in accordance with designated university’s and its counsel’s instructions and relevant guidelines and policies:

Lead designated university’s NIL support services through the development of a sustainable infrastructure that supports and maximizes student-athlete opportunities in alignment with institutional values and priorities.

Liaise on NIL-related matters between relevant university stakeholders.

Oversee the implementation and regular review of university NIL policies and procedures.

Plan and execute student-athlete NIL education at designated university with a focus on personal brand and values assessment, opportunity maximization, time and opportunity management, and risk mitigation.

Provide ongoing guidance for coaches, support staff, and administration at designated university to strategically maximize individual and departmental roles, awareness, and engagement in the NIL space.

Manage NIL questions and requests from university stakeholders (e.g., student-athletes, coaches, staff, etc.) and external stakeholders (e.g., boosters, third-party individuals, local businesses, etc.).

Liaise on NIL-related matters between relevant university stakeholders and international student-athletes.

Coordinate the development and growth of collaborative, outcome-oriented initiatives with campus partners.

Provide guidance on designated university’s corporate partner strategy as it relates to NIL and, collaborate with corporate partnerships personnel to identify potential opportunities, parameters, and procedures for preferred vendor activation of student-athlete NIL alongside institutional IP.

Create and implement efficient and effective communication strategies to keep key stakeholders abreast of the latest industry trends, best practices, and developments, including legislative advancements, NCAA compliance regulations, and vendor landscape evolutions.

Coordinate and manage the involvement of NIL agents and other relevant professional service providers, if desired by designated university.

Serve as a resource for student-athletes needing assistance coordinating deliverables and fulfillment of NIL activities between relevant internal and external stakeholders at designated university, including but not limited to donors and external third-Party entities.

Assist with the tracking and monitoring of NIL activities in compliance with the university’s NIL policy.

Support virtual and in-person recruiting efforts as permitted by NCAA legislation.

Regularly participate in Altius meetings regarding evolving trends and best practices in collegiate athletics.

Adapt role to maximize opportunities as rules and regulations evolve.

Provide regular reports to the Director, ASP College and leadership team.

Designation: It is anticipated that the Altius client that this position will serve is Stanford University. Further, it is expected that this role will require the individual to fulfill the majority of duties and responsibilities on the designated university’s campus and/or within its facilities.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

https://www.salary.com/job/altius-sports-partners/nil-general-manager-stanford-university/j202402022330079341104

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - qwerty49 - 06-19-2024

(06-19-2024, 03:28 PM)82lsju Wrote:
(06-19-2024, 02:57 PM)qwerty49 Wrote:
(06-17-2024, 02:23 PM)BobK Wrote: Thank goodness Stanford hired a NIL director. What a waste of money that was.

I'd love to see that job description.
1. Figure out how much we need
2. Raise it
3. Figure out who to give how much
4. Give it

1&2 might be a different job than 3&4. But yeah, good thing we hit the ground running -- NOT.

not sure what the real duties are for the job, here's what was described in the announcement about the creation of the position (I can't find the job req) which is pretty vague

Quote:As a component of the joint effort, ASP will recruit, train, and oversee the NIL General Manager and support all facets of Stanford's strengthened NIL program. The GM will work closely with athletics department leadership to refine Stanford's strategies and infrastructure, educate internal and external stakeholders, support student-athletes in their NIL pursuits, and build awareness of Stanford NIL initiatives within the Stanford community and across the broader Silicon Valley business community.

https://gostanford.com/news/2024/02/01/stanford-athletics-reinforces-nil-program-with-in-house-nil-general-manager

and what was described in the announcement of the hire which is mostly cut and paste of the above

Quote:n her role as Stanford's NIL General Manager, Jones will focus on refining NIL strategies, educating stakeholders, fostering partnerships to help advance Stanford student-athletes' NIL interests, and expanding Stanford's reach within the dynamic Silicon Valley business community, all with the backing of ASP's leading industry experts.

https://gostanford.com/news/2024/5/23/lindsey-jones-appointed-as-stanford-athletics-first-in-house-nil-general-manager

So basically it sounds like this is a "strategy and awareness" job which somehow includes administering the program through "coordination." It just feels like we are still in Blue Sky mode and nothing cohesive is being done. Thus individual cases (perhaps like Canady) could easily fall between the cracks while we twiddle our programmatic thumbs. Maybe someone on this board is an insider who can point out how I've got it wrong. I will gladly be corrected. I want to be wrong.

Here's the key: what specific performance metrics will Jones be held to? Where in all of those processes and activities does her accountability start and end? Where are the announcements and optics that show we have attached some urgency to this situation? Do we really understand that the audience is not just our external donors and internal bureaucracy, but also all student athletes attending and considering Stanford? Do we really understand how wide and how competitive a net we must cast to produce and serve a yield of several hundred people a year?

Sorry for ranting but I spent 40 years in the real world as a consultant chopping through murky corporate organizational and operational BS, and this just seems to bring back a lot of bad professional memories.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - jacket3ree - 06-19-2024

No one has had employees poached for more pay, more vacation, less work, or whatever? Is your first act to fire the director of HR when that happens? People leave all the time and there is only so much anyone can control. Frankly if Stanford's NIL czar wanted to spend a million bucks on a single softball player, then yeah, I'd think twice about keeping them on as czar.

When is the last time the Moneybags Yankees won a World Series?

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - Goose - 06-19-2024

(06-19-2024, 06:37 PM)jacket3ree Wrote: No one has had employees poached for more pay, more vacation, less work, or whatever? Is your first act to fire the director of HR when that happens? People leave all the time and there is only so much anyone can control. Frankly if Stanford's NIL czar wanted to spend a million bucks on a single softball player, then yeah, I'd think twice about keeping them on as czar.

Totally agree. I have had people leave for all kinds of reasons. Some of those reasons made great sense to me and had I been in their shoes I would have done the same. In some cases it is a compliment to the organization they are leaving. We helped make them into the person they are that is now very attractive to other organizations. In other cases I thought they were making a mistake. I have been both right and wrong in those cases. It is not personal (most of the time) and is not "preventable".

We had a policy that we would not make counter-offers. I had worked for organizations that did that. They got "played" a lot, but worse still often the people they "bribed" to keep would take the counter-offer and leave in 3-6 months anyway.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - BobK - 07-15-2024

Pitching coach Tori Nyberg has stepped away from coaching. Her replacement seems like an excellent hire

https://gostanford.com/news/2024/7/15/cardinal-adds-danielle-otoole-trejo-to-staff?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2yy-R8fR79GFoHQKRmAcA43SzDzcB4t1VrJPcKe_b6yF7DQin3w-RwYuM_aem_3d4E3AHcwgMLVhc2pHmopw

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - M T - 07-15-2024

As I recall, Nyberg was praised by TV announcers during the women’s softball tournament.

Considering Nyberg’s departure and Canady’s departure, was one a cause and the other an effect? It is hard to believe they are unrelated.

RE: Stanford Softball 2025 - d4cohn - 07-15-2024

(07-15-2024, 05:32 PM)M T Wrote: As I recall, Nyberg was praised by TV announcers during the women’s softball tournament.

Considering Nyberg’s departure and Canady’s departure, was one a cause and the other an effect? It is hard to believe they are unrelated.

Coach Nyberg has been fantastic developing our pitchers. I wish Danielle all the best, but Coach Nyberg has been the best developer of [young] pitchers the last 5 years (since Alana Vawter's freshman year). I always thought she would get a *head coaching* job, so to hear that she has stepped away from college coaching is doubly surprsing.