The landscape of college athletics has change considerably over the last few years and will likely continue to change as the concepts of pay-for-play, player rights, and transfer mobility play out in discussions and court proceedings. Big money budgets, huge TV contracts, continuing conference realignments, and ever-increasing coaching salaries are also major issues impacting universities across the nation.
What was once considered a fairness approach to paying collegiate athletes for some portion of the monetary benefit of using their name, image, and/or likeness (NIL) has now turned into nothing more than just a monetary bidding war for top players with no clear connection to any actual NIL exchange and no limit on the amount of money being spent on players. Couple that financial incentive with an ability to transfer with ever decreasing restrictions, and we are left with free agency across the system.
The schools with larger budgets and access to financial resources will be significantly advantaged in this new landscape. There is no longer a level playing field across all universities playing at the division one level, and it will just get more uneven as we progress in this new approach to intercollegiate athletics.
So where does LA Tech go from here? As the University seeks a new athletic director (AD) to lead the program and navigate through all this change, there will be several key considerations for the new AD consider:
- Clarify Identity: Tech is a smaller division one program with a budget below most other division one schools. Those facts are not going to change overnight regardless of the level of fundraising efforts employed. We need to seriously consider working with others in similar situations as well as with Conference USA and Sunbelt to realign these conferences to be more geographically focused. Travel spending must be reduced, and athletes need to be in class as much as possible. We need to remain an education-based university with student/athletes. A realistic, humble approach to this matter needs to be employed. Comments made in the past need to be dismissed and forgotten.
- Embrace the Identity: Rather than use the lack of budgetary resources as an excuse and be a victim going forward, we need to embrace the identity at all levels. We need leaders that can narrow the focus on where to best utilize resources, coaches that embrace the challenge with staffing considerations, and an athletic department that is willing to be different. A department that still values education, student/athlete development, teambuilding, and overall culture creation will be unique in the future.
- Realistic View: As some players develop, have strong seasons, and receive opportunities to leave, celebrate their accomplishments rather than get angry over their departures. Use the advancements of others as a recruiting tool for young players to come here, play early, and showcase their talents as they get a solid educational foundation and view of a team culture.
- Define the Win: Conference championships, won/loss records, bowl games, and regional tournaments will be pointed to by many evaluating the success of a program. These accomplishments are all important, but they are goals and not purpose. We all want success on the field and courts of play, but we really need to think broader in what we want for our athletic program. Don’t we want an athletic department that complements the university with a strong focus on developing student/athletes, exhibiting a high level of character throughout the program, and competing in a manner that unites the university and the community?
- Leaders Matter: The athletic department will need coaches and administrators to be people of impact. Impactful people allow for organization charts to be reduced, staff sizes to shrink, and more to get done. The AD will need to be a leader that develops other leaders, articulates a clear strategy, and engages well with the entire department.
- Engage the Community: A small division one program in a small market needs everyone engaged. We need all aspects of the business community and private sector to feel like part of the program. Athletic and University leadership needs to think more inclusivity than exclusivity as we move forward in a changing environment.
- Connector: Finally, the new AD must connect with the alumni base, the community, and the student body to share the vision for Tech athletics. People won’t fully engage just based on need. People need to connect with a vision or a purpose to fully support a program. The vision and purpose must be worth (value) supporting.
As we say goodbye to Eric Wood and thank him for his dedicated service through some challenging times, I hope we can unite as an alumni base and community to support the future of LA Tech and the Tech athletic department.
