Cross quit

[tornado]

and why is signing a "partnership deal with adidas" such a big deal?
Doesn't every single DI school have such a deal and don't the shoe/apparel companies come crawling to us and bid for the deal?

[Old Coach]

and why is signing a "partnership deal with adidas" such a big deal?
Doesn't every single DI school have such a deal and don't the shoe/apparel companies come crawling to us and bid for the deal?

I never understood why Bradley didn't have an all-inclusive shoe and apparel contract prior to the agreement with Adidas. Obviously, when you work exclusively with one company, it's much more favorable financially than when every sport is working their own individual deals.

[tornado]

....but the amount of $$ we could command for any kind of sports or apparel deal would be proportionate to:

- how big of a fan base we have
- how many of our games are on TV
- how many butts we put into the seats
- how much appeal we have outside our own area
- how well known we are especially in big markets like Chicago, NY...
- and how much winning and post-season success we have....

so - if we drop like a lead balloon in every one of those yardstick areas- then didn't that hurt us FAR worse than any shrewd marketing deal we swung with adidas benefitted us?
Had we put a little more savvy & effort into getting better in all those areas- the major apparel guys would have come fighting each other for our business.

[Vent]

and why is signing a "partnership deal with adidas" such a big deal?
Doesn't every single DI school have such a deal and don't the shoe/apparel companies come crawling to us and bid for the deal?

I do not know the financial figures Bradley got from Adidas when they entered into a contract with them. As a result I am not in a position to say Bradley made a mistake by entering into an agreement. I am fairly certain that entering into an agreement, brought some significant financial benefits or they would not have done it. I think the apparel and shoes they have are nice looking and I'm not going to quit buying it because it isn't Nike. Not all D-I schools enter into contracts for apparel and shoes. Some of the lower mid majors get discounts on their shoes but are not required to have all players wear the same brand. It all depends how the contracts read.

How do we know they didn't get the best deal they could?

[tornado]

let's say they did get the best deal "they could" - that's what I am worried about...
had we spent a little effort on those other things you don't think we could have been in far better position to get a better deal?
Just sayin' ...
If our Athletics Dept lost $7.1 million in the past year & if that's the worst financial year our Athletic Dept. has ever, ever had...then we sure as heck can't be making a killing off adidas...

[Old Coach]

....but the amount of $$ we could command for any kind of sports or apparel deal would be proportionate to:

- how big of a fan base we have
- how many of our games are on TV
- how many butts we put into the seats
- how much appeal we have outside our own area
- how well known we are especially in big markets like Chicago, NY...
- and how much winning and post-season success we have....

so - if we drop like a lead balloon in every one of those yardstick areas- then didn't that hurt us FAR worse than any shrewd marketing deal we swung with adidas benefitted us?
Had we put a little more savvy & effort into getting better in all those areas- the major apparel guys would have come fighting each other for our business.

I'd like to think that those things aren't mutually exclusive.

[Vent]

let's say they did get the best deal "they could" - that's what I am worried about...
had we spent a little effort on those other things you don't think we could have been in far better position to get a better deal?
Just sayin' ...
If our Athletics Dept lost $7.1 million in the past year & if that's the worst financial year our Athletic Dept. has ever, ever had...then we sure as heck can't be making a killing off adidas...

Universities do not agree to contracts with apparel and shoe companies, with the expectation of making a killing and using it to balance their athletic budgets. Most schools use them to reduce the expenditures of shoes and uniforms for all school sports. In some instances, the apparel and shoe companies do make donations to the general scholarship funds. In addition, the schools make additional revenues from merchandise sold from those said companies in book stores, on line and at game venues. The university pays for the merchandise it sells.

If this is the best deal the university could get, I commend them for making it. It's better than accepting a lesser deal.

[LongTimeFan]

One thing I think we can ALL agree on is the play on the court leaves a whole lot to be desired.

Wily, I think 'whole lot' could have been emphasized. However, maybe your way is better. I think we are highly discouraged.

I know that in all previous years I have hated to see the season end. (Take my word for it that is a lot of seasons.) However, now I wonder if we are just looking forward to the end of the season to see what happens. Regardless, we are all Bradley fans who hope BU is considerably better

[wily coyote]

Wily, I think 'whole lot' could have been emphasized. However, maybe your way is better. I think we are highly discouraged.

I know that in all previous years I have hated to see the season end. (Take my word for it that is a lot of seasons.) However, now I wonder if we are just looking forward to the end of the season to see what happens. Regardless, we are all Bradley fans who hope BU is considerably better

+1

[tornado]

now even this newspaper is speculating on firings at Bradley

http://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/college/msu/2015/02/17/got-valleys-best-panthers-tuttle-nose/23589143/

[amckillip]

Dave Reynolds just announced it via twitter
...of course we knew this was coming and it was stated so on this board last week but a few people went freaking ballistic and demanded the talk stop...

Honest Question, It seems very important to yourself and a couple other posters that it's clear that a story was here first, and not somewhere. In the same manner that I hold DR and KW to a level of professionalism higher than a message board, doesn't it just make sense that stuff would be on a message board sooner? There is no need to validate a story, 1 source will do, no publishing standards, etc? I'm not saying it's not nice to have it sooner etc. But when it is constantly repeated it turns the debate to that rather than the actual topic... Just like the 'we told you so' debate that stuff so quickly devolves into here. I'll be honest, I think everyone on here knows that you (and others) said there would be 'fallout' and stuff is often on here before the PJStar gets to posting it, I just think discussion would be much better if not every thread changed to one of those two discussions.

I won't belabor the point too much, but I know I personally tend to avoid posting any longer once threads reach that inevitable debate and conclusion...

[Da Coach]

It's just a fan message board. This is not a newspaper. Think of it more like a bunch of people talking over a water cooler at work. So I would suggest people don't get too worked up about what they see on a message board, or take it any more seriously than what you hear your co-workers talking about.

And I am less concerned about who is first in reporting anything than trying to get news to the fans that they want to know. Of course, the PJ Star has connections and a great advantage and should just about always get these stories first. In this case they missed it by a week, but it was their reaction that is odd.

What I find funny is that Dave Reynolds and the PJ Star posted with righteous indignation to tell us we were wrong when we posted the Cross story a week earlier than anyone else-

https://twitter.com/DaveReynolds2/status/564953044237180928

Then on February 16, they posted the same story, without any mention that they were reporting exactly the same thing they mocked us for reporting a week earlier!-

https://twitter.com/DaveReynolds2/status/567466254592512000

[tornado]

Honest Question, It seems very important to yourself .....

what may seem important and what is important might differ...
I really don't give much of a dang about who says what on message boards- I find it interesting but not bothersome.
...and as you would have seen in that thread last week about Cross leaving, I repeatedly said I would be cautious in discussing something of that nature until it is released officially - EVEN THOUGH the info was accurate & correct.
So maybe you quoted my post but weren't really aiming your question at me but that's the answer anyway.

...and since you mentioned what's IMPORTANT, here's what's really important to me ranked roughly in order...
-God, faith, & doing what's right
-family
-friends & others
-morality, integrity, etc...and also taught to our kids
-job and duty to country & others
-do the best you can & this extends to BU and basketball
-then somewhere down the list a ways is that I have an undying passion for Bradley basketball - always have & always will.
And since Bradley would obviously want such fans then it makes for a great match. But I want to see them win. Win every game even tho I know that's not likely - but at least strive for the best. And then I want all the other aspects - the appeal to other fans, the top level of competition, the satisfaction in our successes...etc..
-then I also like talking Bradley basketball and this is a great place to do it.

[Chico]

KW is more interested in making guys like John Carlos heroes.

[Da Coach]

KW is more interested in making guys like John Carlos heroes.

That's what we get when there is nothing good to write about in local basketball, especially when he refuses to point out why Bradley is so bad.