SBJ College: Athletes Flexing Newfound Power

More examples of athletes holding coaches accountable signal a sea change in the way the player-coach relationship will evolve. And the way ADs manage it.

GUNDY LATEST EXAMPLE OF CHANGE IN ATHLETE-COACH DYNAMICS

• When Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy hugged it out on Twitter with star running back Chuba Hubbard, it elicited very different reactions. For some, it was further validation that the power structure in college athletics has shifted significantly in the direction of athletes -- and it’s long overdue. Others cited the fact that Hubbard was the one who apologized first, and used that as proof that things haven’t changed that much. Gundy later went to Twitter to apologize after a team meeting.
  
  
• A broader look at the last few weeks, though, confirms to me that the intersection of COVID-19, George Floyd’s killing, racial inequality protests and -- maybe to some degree -- imminent name, image and likeness legislation, has emboldened athletes to use their platform when they disagree with a coach. They see it as part of their role to hold leaders accountable. Former Maryland AD Kevin Anderson took it a step further: “This is not a riot. This is not a protest. This is a rebellion,” he said.
  
  
• The recent episodes at Oklahoma State, Florida State, Texas and Iowa, among others, show that student athletes have found their voice as a means to create change, whether it’s a new policy or calling out a veteran coach, like Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. I reached out today to three former ADs -- Todd Turner, Jeff Hathaway and Anderson -- to find out what college leaders are thinking about this shift in influence and what they’d do if they were still in the chair.
  
  
• Anderson: “Right now, I’d be thinking about how I’d connect with the athletes and also the coaches. This is not a time for safe talk. This is a time for brave talk. ... When you see what’s happening at Oklahoma State and Texas, we as the adults need to hear from them on what their needs are and what we’re providing. We’re in a society where most things are questioned now and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
  
  
• Turner: “We’d have all of the coaches on a Zoom meeting, talking about the current climate and coaches’ responsibilities. Coaches are like everybody else; they’ve got their own personal beliefs and politics. But as a coach, you’ve got broader responsibilities than your political viewpoints.”
  
  
• Hathaway: “Our young people are much more well-informed and they have many more ways and opportunities to communicate. That has brought us to a point where the student-athlete voice is strong and important. ... Listening and learning is good for everybody and that’s what I’d be telling our coaches to do.”

MEMPHIS AMONG FIRST SCHOOLS TO GO SEASON-TICKET ONLY FOR FOOTBALL

• Memphis football came out with a statement today that it expects to accommodate season-ticket holders only this season at the Liberty Bowl. The school does not anticipate selling any single-game tickets as part of its plan for reduced capacity so that fans can properly space.
  
  
• This is going to be a story to watch over the next month. Many FBS schools have wrapped up their season-ticket renewals and now they’re assessing priority lists based on when season-ticket holders made their purchase or started payment plans. Those lists could determine who gets into the game and who gets left out.

Single-game tickets will likely be unavailable for Memphis football this fall

CHECK OUT THE PRINT ISSUE OF SBJ THIS WEEK

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SPEED READS

• Former Purdue AD Morgan Burke, the longest serving AD in Boilermakers history, died at his home yesterday after battling a rare disease for the past year. There was an outpouring of support on Twitter for the man who was at the helm in West Lafayette, Ind., from 1993-2016. Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm: "Morgan was a Boilermaker to his core. ... Even after his retirement as athletic director, he would often stop by practice to offer a word of encouragement and show us his support." Former Purdue basketball player Robbie Hummel: "He was a great man who cared so much about Purdue University. He knew everyone’s name and took such an interest to make every student athlete feel important. Im honored to have known him." Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard: "Morgan took me under his wing early in my career and was always willing to share, advise and be a friend." Former Indiana hoops coach Tom Crean: "I had great respect for Morgan Burke. He loved @LifeAtPurdue, @bigten and the State. In 2012, when we beat Purdue on the road for the 1st time, he was waiting to shake my hand at the tunnel. I never forgot it. All class and all in with his people."
  
  
• As we sit here on June 16, the idea of a packed football stadium in the fall seems unlikely -- anywhere in the country right now -- but Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts yesterday said he is “hoping” for 90,000+ fans at Memorial Stadium for Cornhuskers football in the fall. He noted the “trajectory for continuing to open up the state is good.” But Ricketts did add the caveat that “this is not a green light for football at Memorial Stadium yet."
  
  
• St. Thomas’ unprecedented leap from D-III to D-I should be decided by the end of the day tomorrow when the D-I Council wraps up a two-day session. The Tommies, as the Minnesota-based school is known, was kicked out of its D-III conference essentially for being too good at all sports. If the move is approved, they’ll go to the Summit League for most sports.
  
  
• Also on the D-I Council’s agenda is approval of a calendar for the football preseason, which is expected to stat in late July and run six weeks to the start of the regular season.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS!

• Online nominations for Game Changers have opened. We’ll be accepting nominations through midnight June 21. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue.

Enjoying this newsletter? We've got more! Check out SBJ Media with John Ourand and SBJ Esports with Adam Stern and Trent Murray. Also check out the SBJ Unpacks newsletterevery Monday-Friday night, as we look at how the sports industry is being impacted by COVID-19.

Something on the College beat catch your eye? Tell us about it. Reach out to either me (msmith@sportsbusinessjournal.com) or Austin Karp (akarp@sportsbusinessjournal.com) and we'll share the best of it. Also contributing to this newsletter is Thomas Leary (tleary@sportsbusinessdaily.com).