[cardcrimson]

So you don't think anybody could have stop the demise of the Pac-12? How about someone who wasn't so arrogant and focused on appearances they might be able to think strategically. The move from Walnut Creek to San Francisco just to have fancier offices and a better zip code was pretty indicative early on. The stubbornness regarding the Pac-12 Network prevented millions of viewers to have access. Then the games were so late, those  that could watch them, were already asleep. The simple fact that Lars couldn't watch the Pac-12 Network at his own East Bay country club should have given him a hint there may be an issue, but no. (Note, I belong to the same club--they get DirecTV).

How often has Bill Walton talked about the Conference of Champions and for how long? It wouldn't have taken a first year student at the GSB to figure out how to market that extremely well. Sadly, it is no more. 

And it is Larry's fault.

---

Switching back to the school that prompts us to post here, do you think Stanford would lose its preeminent academic standing if they folded the athletic department?  Of course not.  Quite frankly, I don’t believe any of the top academic schools in the country would experience any loss from an academic perspective if they shut down their athletic program.

I'm not sure I agree. It seems that great students are driven to excel, in academics as well as other areas including athletics. If you take away athletics from Stanford, I think you'd lose a lot of students who make the place special, and I think the academic standing may take a hit, or at least would be changed.

[cardcrimson]

So you don't think anybody could have stop the demise of the Pac-12? How about someone who wasn't so arrogant and focused on appearances they might be able to think strategically. The move from Walnut Creek to San Francisco just to have fancier offices and a better zip code was pretty indicative early on. The stubbornness regarding the Pac-12 Network prevented millions of viewers to have access. Then the games were so late, those  that could watch them, were already asleep. The simple fact that Lars couldn't watch the Pac-12 Network at his own East Bay country club should have given him a hint there may be an issue, but no. (Note, I belong to the same club--they get DirecTV).

How often has Bill Walton talked about the Conference of Champions and for how long? It wouldn't have taken a first year student at the GSB to figure out how to market that extremely well. Sadly, it is no more. 

And it is Larry's fault.

---

Switching back to the school that prompts us to post here, do you think Stanford would lose its preeminent academic standing if they folded the athletic department?  Of course not.  Quite frankly, I don’t believe any of the top academic schools in the country would experience any loss from an academic perspective if they shut down their athletic program.

I'm not sure I agree. It seems that great students are driven to excel, in academics as well as other areas including athletics. If you take away athletics from Stanford, I think you'd lose a lot of students who make the place special, and I think the academic standing may take a hit, or at least would be changed.