FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[miac952]

Conferences realign for competitive and financial reasons all...the...time. What usually happens is the schools with the biggest issue exit the conference. Then the like-minded schools pool together and invite other schools to join a new conference or another existing conference. If that scenario would have happened here, no-one outside of Minnesota would be paying any attention. But the Presidents' choice to save the MIAC and boot UST instead of realigning resulted in this firestorm. I wonder if there's any regret for making that choice.

If this bad press keeps up, I wouldn't be surprised to see "behind the scenes" type information getting leaked intended to damage certain parties. Seems like that's the next logical step in this sort of thing.

Realistically, do we think it is it just Olaf, Carleton, and Mac that were the 3 schools with the "biggest issues" and the others had to go along to avoid 3 schools leaving and blowing things up?

So if those 3 took their ball and went home, what options would be on the table?

I've seen reference that it was St Olaf as the primary with Carleton, Hamline, and Augsburg. It sounds like Mac didn't really care too much since they had found their home in the MWC. This was a couple MIAC "insiders" though, not publicized sources.

[DuffMan]

They do look like a fit in the WIAC.

Athletically, sure, but as an institution, UST is quite different from the WIAC schools.  Doesn't mean it won't happen, but...

[hazzben]

Bethel made an official comment, in addition to Coach J's previous statements.

On WCCO radio last night, Tim Beasley, Assistant AD and Assistant Head Coach in baseball "This is a bad day for the MIAC...the MIAC definitely didn't get better today."

https://omny.fm/shows/henry-lake/tim-beasley-says-this-a-bad-day-for-the-miac

Goes on to say Bethel relished competing with UST and was not in favor of the move. Said Bethel athletes were also stunned and frustrated by it. Playing UST made us better, beating them brought extra satisfaction because it wasn't ever easy.

Sad day for the MIAC.

Proud of Bethel, it's admin (the only school to speak publicly outside of UST), it's coaches, and it's student athletes.

[Mr.MIAC]

We end the day with some thoughts from Scott Van Pelt.

https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1131789610751803393?s=19

I think that segment is disgraceful and this COL bullsh*t is enough to justify kicking the UST out. Sour grapes, immature nastiness. I for one am now glad the Tommies are gone.  This national campaign to dismiss and embarrass the MIAC is a sad reflection on UST and the values that institution has. I'm glad they are out.

Kick me off the boards. I don't give a damn. I'll be gone a while anyways as this embarrassment campaign has worn my patience thin. Your woe is me crocodile tears are a childish bore.  Have fun feeling sorry for yourselves. Poor guys.

I think Oz was a little boozed when he wrote this post. Serious intoxication is required to come up with prose that's so poetic while also being deeply hyperbolic, irrational, and misdirected. It's a difficult balance to achieve when sober.

That being said, his rant shows how SJ2 is a big loser in this mess. They aren't part of any coalition, but their conference is now the butt of jokes at the local and national levels, and their chief rival is getting lots of positive press out of the whole deal. Sucks for the Johnnies.

[miac952]

We end the day with some thoughts from Scott Van Pelt.

https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1131789610751803393?s=19

I think that segment is disgraceful and this COL bullsh*t is enough to justify kicking the UST out. Sour grapes, immature nastiness. I for one am now glad the Tommies are gone.  This national campaign to dismiss and embarrass the MIAC is a sad reflection on UST and the values that institution has. I'm glad they are out.

Kick me off the boards. I don't give a damn. I'll be gone a while anyways as this embarrassment campaign has worn my patience thin. Your woe is me crocodile tears are a childish bore.  Have fun feeling sorry for yourselves. Poor guys.

I think Oz was a little boozed when he wrote this post. Serious intoxication is required to come up with prose that's so poetic while also being deeply hyperbolic, irrational, and misdirected. It's a difficult balance to achieve when sober.

That being said, his rant shows how SJ2 is a big loser in this mess. They aren't part of any coalition, but their conference is now the butt of jokes at the local and national levels, and their chief rival is getting lots of positive press out of the whole deal. Sucks for the Johnnies.

As soon as the terminology "athletic parity" was referenced in the press statement by the President's I don't know why they would have expected any other outcome from the media. The President's hand fed the media. Maybe they didn't anticipate the Washington Post, NY Times, and WSJ dedicating sizable column space to it, but this was a very predictable outcome. People jumped on that terminology on this board the second it was released.

Lost in the SVP SportCenter piece was the brilliant mispronunciation of St Olaf as the dopey snowman from Frozen. Likely unintentional, but quite funny nevertheless.

[Mr.MIAC]

We end the day with some thoughts from Scott Van Pelt.

https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1131789610751803393?s=19

I think that segment is disgraceful and this COL bullsh*t is enough to justify kicking the UST out. Sour grapes, immature nastiness. I for one am now glad the Tommies are gone.  This national campaign to dismiss and embarrass the MIAC is a sad reflection on UST and the values that institution has. I'm glad they are out.

Kick me off the boards. I don't give a damn. I'll be gone a while anyways as this embarrassment campaign has worn my patience thin. Your woe is me crocodile tears are a childish bore.  Have fun feeling sorry for yourselves. Poor guys.

I think Oz was a little boozed when he wrote this post. Serious intoxication is required to come up with prose that's so poetic while also being deeply hyperbolic, irrational, and misdirected. It's a difficult balance to achieve when sober.

That being said, his rant shows how SJ2 is a big loser in this mess. They aren't part of any coalition, but their conference is now the butt of jokes at the local and national levels, and their chief rival is getting lots of positive press out of the whole deal. Sucks for the Johnnies.

As soon as the terminology "athletic parity" was referenced in the press statement by the President's I don't know why they would have expected any other outcome from the media. The President's hand fed the media. Maybe they didn't anticipate the Washington Post, NY Times, and WSJ dedicating sizable column space to it, but this was a very predictable outcome. People jumped on that terminology on this board the second it was released.

Lost in the SVP SportCenter piece was the brilliant mispronunciation of St Olaf as the dopey snowman from Frozen. Likely unintentional, but quite funny nevertheless.

Heck, now the coverage has gone international:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/22/st-thomas-miac-kicked-out-winning#comments

[AO]

Lost in the SVP SportCenter piece was the brilliant mispronunciation of St Olaf as the dopey snowman from Frozen. Likely unintentional, but quite funny nevertheless.

I was more stunned when he called them the "Oals" when listing off the nicknames.  Maybe he thought it was like adding an s to the Ole in "Ole Miss".

[jamtod]

Conferences realign for competitive and financial reasons all...the...time. What usually happens is the schools with the biggest issue exit the conference. Then the like-minded schools pool together and invite other schools to join a new conference or another existing conference. If that scenario would have happened here, no-one outside of Minnesota would be paying any attention. But the Presidents' choice to save the MIAC and boot UST instead of realigning resulted in this firestorm. I wonder if there's any regret for making that choice.

If this bad press keeps up, I wouldn't be surprised to see "behind the scenes" type information getting leaked intended to damage certain parties. Seems like that's the next logical step in this sort of thing.

Realistically, do we think it is it just Olaf, Carleton, and Mac that were the 3 schools with the "biggest issues" and the others had to go along to avoid 3 schools leaving and blowing things up?

So if those 3 took their ball and went home, what options would be on the table?

I've seen reference that it was St Olaf as the primary with Carleton, Hamline, and Augsburg. It sounds like Mac didn't really care too much since they had found their home in the MWC. This was a couple MIAC "insiders" though, not publicized sources.

The quote from Augsburg President Pribbenow suggested to me that they felt their hands were tied, rather than them being a part of the group that actually wanted to leave the MIAC. I suspect Hamline is in the same boat. MAC is already partly out, but I don't see why they wouldn't fully jump off the ship if they had some local partners to join them.

[jknezek]

The MIAC furor is just about over. Today is the end of the news cycle with a holiday weekend on tap. Did the MIAC have a bad 48 hours in the media? Absolutely. By the end of the weekend it will all be a distant memory to anyone not directly interested in DIII. Anyone thinking this story has legs, or any kind of long term national ripple, is simply delusional. It's just about over and will be quickly forgotten. The remaining MIAC members, by basically staying silent, give no reason for this to be pursued or kept in the spotlight.

I know it's fun to bash these guys, but I bet they knew they'd take some lumps. By staying quiet and essentially forming a wall, they kept the lumps to a minimum. They got what they wanted, UST is gone. UST got what they could, leaving with a good reputation, in good standing, and without having been smeared, helping them find a new home wherever that may be, possibly helping with the case for bending the rules for a DI move.

Anyone who didn't think that was the compromise is deluding themselves.

[jamtod]

The MIAC furor is just about over. Today is the end of the news cycle with a holiday weekend on tap. Did the MIAC have a bad 48 hours in the media? Absolutely. By the end of the weekend it will all be a distant memory to anyone not directly interested in DIII. Anyone thinking this story has legs, or any kind of long term national ripple, is simply delusional. It's just about over and will be quickly forgotten. The remaining MIAC members, by basically staying silent, give no reason for this to be pursued or kept in the spotlight.

I know it's fun to bash these guys, but I bet they knew they'd take some lumps. By staying quiet and essentially forming a wall, they kept the lumps to a minimum. They got what they wanted, UST is gone. UST got what they could, leaving with a good reputation, in good standing, and without having been smeared, helping them find a new home wherever that may be, possibly helping with the case for bending the rules for a DI move.

Anyone who didn't think that was the compromise is deluding themselves.

+k. This is a pretty rational approach.

I'll still be mad (mostly just annoyed) on Monday though. And I'm looking forward to tailgating in Northfield on November 2.

I wonder what recruiting repercussions this will have for the near future, especially for UST and SJU as they compete for recruits. UST presents the possibility of D2, possibility of WIAC competition, but also uncertainty.

['95 Blugold]

They do look like a fit in the WIAC.

Athletically, sure, but as an institution, UST is quite different from the WIAC schools.  Doesn't mean it won't happen, but...

As a Blugold/WIAC alum, I have wondered along these lines the past couple days. Football wise, I see how only having to schedule 2 OTC games for football would be easier than three, but I think the place were UST benefits the conference the best is in Men's Hockey and bring the membership up to where the Conference Champion gets the automatic bid. There was a few years back, when my Blugolds upset Point in the Conference Tournament, but lost out on the at-large bid to Point. Adding UST I think, gives them the possibility of getting 2 teams in the field. All the other sports besides football I think they simply add to what already is a great athletic conference. Not sure what they do with Men's Tennis as already the 3 WIAC schools are affiliate members with a conference out East. I don't have great insider information, but I do have a good contact at UWEC and from what I have heard this has been on the radar of the WIAC for a few months now and the AD's in the league seem to be in favor of adding the Tommies to the league. Don't see the WIAC presidents being as concerned as MIAC presidents about athletic parity issues.

Institutionally/Educationally I wonder how they fit as well and don't know if they are really competing for the same students when it comes to non athletes. UST has a Law School and I believe I've read rumors of a potential Medical School in the future, but I could be wrong on that.

From a Athletic and Institutional view it seems like D2 is the better fit for the direction UST seems to be going(outsider view here). I've seen the posts about UST potentially petitioning the NCAA to make the direct jump to D1, but just don't see that ever becoming approved on the financial side of things.

[USTBench]

We end the day with some thoughts from Scott Van Pelt.

https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1131789610751803393?s=19

I think that segment is disgraceful and this COL bullsh*t is enough to justify kicking the UST out. Sour grapes, immature nastiness. I for one am now glad the Tommies are gone.  This national campaign to dismiss and embarrass the MIAC is a sad reflection on UST and the values that institution has. I'm glad they are out.

Kick me off the boards. I don't give a damn. I'll be gone a while anyways as this embarrassment campaign has worn my patience thin. Your woe is me crocodile tears are a childish bore.  Have fun feeling sorry for yourselves. Poor guys.

If there's anyone to watch out for in mental gymnastics in Tokyo 2020, it has to be the Aussies. Just a jaw dropping performance.

[Walter Eagle]

The MIAC furor is just about over. Today is the end of the news cycle with a holiday weekend on tap. Did the MIAC have a bad 48 hours in the media? Absolutely. By the end of the weekend it will all be a distant memory to anyone not directly interested in DIII. Anyone thinking this story has legs, or any kind of long term national ripple, is simply delusional. It's just about over and will be quickly forgotten. The remaining MIAC members, by basically staying silent, give no reason for this to be pursued or kept in the spotlight.

I know it's fun to bash these guys, but I bet they knew they'd take some lumps. By staying quiet and essentially forming a wall, they kept the lumps to a minimum. They got what they wanted, UST is gone. UST got what they could, leaving with a good reputation, in good standing, and without having been smeared, helping them find a new home wherever that may be, possibly helping with the case for bending the rules for a DI move.

Anyone who didn't think that was the compromise is deluding themselves.

It would have been nice if the compromise included a parting gift of a small fleet of luxury coaches for those long road trips that lay ahead.

[Caz Bombers]

Lost in the SVP SportCenter piece was the brilliant mispronunciation of St Olaf as the dopey snowman from Frozen. Likely unintentional, but quite funny nevertheless.

I was more stunned when he called them the "Oals" when listing off the nicknames.  Maybe he thought it was like adding an s to the Ole in "Ole Miss".

wait, it's not? Is it pronounced Oh-lees? or Ollies like Ollie North? How do you pronounce St. Olaf?

Help out this visiting Noo Yawka please.

[AO]

I think the place were UST benefits the conference the best is in Men's Hockey and bring the membership up to where the Conference Champion gets the automatic bid. There was a few years back, when my Blugolds upset Point in the Conference Tournament, but lost out on the at-large bid to Point.

Stevens Point should vote against bringing in the Tommies then.  They want to get in the national championship based upon their better regular season rather than missing out due to one game in the conference tournament.