Kentucky looks to make athletic department LLC

[AZ Hoosier 10,953]

It gets bizarre-er and bizarre-er every day...

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/44842208/university-kentucky-athletics-department-llc

[Brass Cannon 25,449]

46 minutes ago, AZ Hoosier said:

It gets bizarre-er and bizarre-er every day...

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/44842208/university-kentucky-athletics-department-llc

Makes sense.  They got the entire english department together and couldn’t spell corporation. 

[LIHoosier 27,772]

12 hours ago, Brass Cannon said:

Makes sense.  They got the entire english department together and couldn’t spell corporation. 

Or book.

[JSHoosier 22,213]

12 hours ago, Brass Cannon said:

Makes sense.  They got the entire english department together and couldn’t spell corporation. 

Eric Bledsoe served as an advisor briefly but couldn't spell LLC.

[NatHillIV 72]

This whole NIL thing would be funny if it weren't so sad.

[Asha’man 1,150]

Making the athletic department its own company is probably the next wave coming. Ends any academics complaining about the money on the sports side of things. 

[TheWatShot 15,506]

The average UK fan probably thinks LLC means "Living Like Champions." 

[Asha’man 1,150]

22 minutes ago, TheWatShot said:

The average UK fan probably thinks LLC means "Living Like Champions." 

Are you sure it’s not “Love Like Cousins”?

[Hardwood83 5,060]

What If Indiana Athletics Was Separated From The University?

The times, they are a changin'

 

[Brass Cannon 25,449]

Once they become separate entities it’s only a matter of time before they start changing schools they are aligned with 

[Scotty R 3,755]

If these programs are no longer affiliated with the University people won't be interested in the product. If these become minor leagues teams then a lot of the fans won't support it. How often does regular sports fans actually watch or attend minor league games.

[Brass Cannon 25,449]

6 hours ago, Scotty R said:

If these programs are no longer affiliated with the University people won't be interested in the product. If these become minor leagues teams then a lot of the fans won't support it. How often does regular sports fans actually watch or attend minor league games.

Disagree. If the new team wins people will support it 

[Scotty R 3,755]

4 hours ago, Brass Cannon said:

Disagree. If the new team wins people will support it 

Not if it isn't affiliated with IU. If it is the Indiana basketball club sponsored by Andy Mohr then a lot will lose interest. So how many G league games do you watch. Did you watch the Overtime elite teams play

[Home Jersey 16,238]

7 hours ago, Scotty R said:

Not if it isn't affiliated with IU. If it is the Indiana basketball club sponsored by Andy Mohr then a lot will lose interest. So how many G league games do you watch. Did you watch the Overtime elite teams play

Watched a lot more G League this year than I would watch a team of SRSC and WIC pick up players. The schools need the talented players more than the talented players need the schools. Fact.

[Dave from Dayton 4,037]

I would be more interested in UK when...

What.  Am.   I.  Saying???

(Let me know when they get academically accredited.)

[Scotty R 3,755]

2 hours ago, Home Jersey said:

Watched a lot more G League this year than I would watch a team of SRSC and WIC pick up players. The schools need the talented players more than the talented players need the schools. Fact.

So you think that Cooper Flag would have made more money playing for the Indiana Mad Ants than playing at Duke LOL!

[Home Jersey 16,238]

21 minutes ago, Scotty R said:

So you think that Cooper Flag would have made more money playing for the Indiana Mad Ants than playing at Duke LOL!

If Cooper Flagg and players as talented as him played for the Mad Ants, way more people would watch that team than a bunch of scrubs at the rec center just because their jersey says Duke on the chest. 

[go iu bb 9,698]

11 hours ago, Scotty R said:

Not if it isn't affiliated with IU. If it is the Indiana basketball club sponsored by Andy Mohr then a lot will lose interest. So how many G league games do you watch. Did you watch the Overtime elite teams play

We're having this conversation yet again?

People want to watch successful teams. IU still has a large fanbase but it is shrinking and becoming more apathetic because IU hasn't been good consistently for the last 25-30 years. Part of that is because of the players. Teams need good players (and coaches) to win. So without that, people stop paying attention.

Players need the exposure the schools provide, schools need the skills the players provide. One doesn't exist as it is without the other. 

Do you know the names of any previous basketball players? Yes, you do and not just because they played at IU. You know them because they were good or great players who happened to be at IU and helped build the program. 

To put it another way, if it had ever truly been the amateur sport that it was supposed to be with the players being students first and foremost with basketball being a fun past time so no recruiting or anything like that, college basketball wouldn't be what it has become today.

[Scotty R 3,755]

1 hour ago, Home Jersey said:

If Cooper Flagg and players as talented as him played for the Mad Ants, way more people would watch that team than a bunch of scrubs at the rec center just because their jersey says Duke on the chest. 

I totally disagree with that statement. If all the top players left college basketball and the top level players were low to mid major players and they played at IU or UK the fans would still fill the arena. If those teams won and went far on the tournament the fans couldn't care less where these players were ranked.

I have not watched one second of a G league game or the OTE teams because I couldn't care less about those teams. I don't go watch the Indianapolis Indians and I live a half hour or less away from the stadium.

[Home Jersey 16,238]

1 hour ago, Scotty R said:

I totally disagree with that statement. If all the top players left college basketball and the top level players were low to mid major players and they played at IU or UK the fans would still fill the arena. If those teams won and went far on the tournament the fans couldn't care less where these players were ranked.

I have not watched one second of a G league game or the OTE teams because I couldn't care less about those teams. I don't go watch the Indianapolis Indians and I live a half hour or less away from the stadium.

A lot of low and mid major players still want to pursue professional careers though, so they’d probably pursue a semi-pro league or go overseas rather than be amateur competitors. If you truly want to keep it to amateur athletics it’s guys who play pick up for fun at the rec center. Maybe people would fill the arena and watch truly amateur talent with great interest - how much do you think they’d spend for those tickets or to travel though? I’d bet not enough that it’s as profitable as schools need/want it to be. The point is… once the toothpaste is out of the tube, there’s no putting it back. Have to adapt.