Defending Dave Brandon
Downvotes be damned, here it comes anyway. Knowing full well what the opinion of this board is, and also being aware of how most fall at the feet of Brian Cook, I understand my position will likely be unpopular. Having said that, I feel very fortunate to have one of the best AD's in college sports at Michigan.
Dave Brandon is an AD who understands that his role is to make the university money, and he is one of the few who is honest enough to admit this. The results are in, and he is good at his job. Michigan is more profitable than ever, and I believe we can all see that the major revenue sports are in good hands, moving in a positive direction.
Speical jerseys..do I love them? No. However, I also understand that society is evolving, and kids today DO like special jerseys. What we may see as an insult to tradition, a younger generation (and especially the players) see it as something new and exciting. The point is, I will live with these type of things if it makes the university stronger as a whole, and Michigan continues to be one of the best and most profitable sports programs in the country. Brandon may not care what all the fans think, but he cares about Michigan, and I think Michigan is getting to the point where it will be stronger than ever before, due in part to his efforts.
I see all the Brandon snark on here and I realize it's trendy on this board to toe the line of grumbling and angst towards him, but I fall in the other category of being thankful we have an athletic director who is committed to making us stronger. Am I alone?
December 21st, 2012 at 1:09 PM ^
Just to be that guy, App State is not a Div II school. They're an FCS school.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:21 PM ^
Definitely not alone
December 20th, 2012 at 3:21 PM ^
A friend of mine got to tag along with the 60 minutes crew when they interviewed DB. He came away with the impression that Brandon is actually obsessed with how he and his decisions are preceived by the fans. Unlike the coaching staff I suspect he does read the newspaper and blogs.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:21 PM ^
1. Win
2. Make money (which indirectly leads to recruiting and winning)
I'm cool with both.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:22 PM ^
The fact that we even need this thread is laughable. Can one ardent DB detractor pick a single Athletic Director they would prefer to lead the department? Just one? And provide solid empirical evidence as to why?
Thanks in advance.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:30 PM ^
Co-signed and well put State St.....
But the fact that he gets slammed here for everything from the basketball schedule, to the music in the big house, to uniform colors, to the band's transportation to away games, to the teams the football team is scheduled against and how we performed against them, the preferred seat donations, to ticket prices and let's not forget the charity run cancellation angst argues we DO need this thread. And those are just the bitches that came to mind while I typed this - I'm sure there are lots more but-hurt he's responsible for to some people I've conveniently forgotten.
Sadly to me, he has been cast as public enemy #1 by a lot of people around here who seemingly ignore all the good he has done.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^
Well Mussolini made the trains run on time. Doesn't mean that he wasn't deeply flawed underneath his facade of "improvements".
~Herm
December 20th, 2012 at 4:31 PM ^
Herm is fired up!
December 21st, 2012 at 10:36 AM ^
When is Herm not fired up? I mean, you can overplay the curmudgeon hand if you ask me.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:48 PM ^
...Godwin's Law to count (in my book).
December 21st, 2012 at 1:17 PM ^
So Herm gets a pass because he used Mussolini instead of Hitler? His schtick is getting old. And by the way, I'm in my 60's so I'm not falling for his elder statesman crap.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:23 PM ^
I'm very tired of hearing the justification of the constant uniform changes and other things because "the kids like them." "The kids" are NOT the most important part of what makes Michigan... Michigan. Every single person that went to Michigan in whatever year, and all of the contributors to the Universiity, and all the employees and fans that give time and effort and money to Michigan are, at minimum, as important to the brand and university as the kids.are.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:29 PM ^
The opinion of the kids is all that matters. Why should we care if alums like what they see on the field?
/Looks at PSL increases
Oh. Right. That.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:24 PM ^
December 20th, 2012 at 3:42 PM ^
So did Tom Goss. If you are asserting that Mr. Brandon and Mr. Goss are equals in their Athletic Directoring skills, that would make you one of those lemmings that the OP was talking about.
Personally, as much as I dislike several of the things Mr. Brandon has done, I would never consider insulting him the way you just did.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:55 PM ^
December 20th, 2012 at 4:03 PM ^
Sarcasm is best left for the spoken word, I guess. My apologies for not being crystal clear and to the point.
My intended point was that having played for Michigan has nothing to do with whether somebody would be a good athletic director, as the case of Tom Goss made abundantly clear.
Also, I reject the entire "Michigan Man" concept here. Neither Yost nor Crisler (nor Schembechler) attended Michigan, remember. All were about as successful as possible as Athletic Directors at Michigan.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:10 PM ^
December 20th, 2012 at 3:36 PM ^
You are kidding yourself if you don't think that any savy business man could take the lead of the University of Michigan athletic department and make money. All you had to do was exactly what DB does.... squeeze the ticket holders. Because of ticket demand and fan support, Michigan ticket prices are pretty elastic. DB has exploited this. Martin didn't raise ticket prices for the last 5 years he was AD. Instead he cut spending. He even opted not to take a base salary. DB? He had the highest base salary of any paid administrator at U of M. Michigan certainly didn't have the revenues we have now under Martin. That needed to change so we could have nice things, but Brandon will have you believe that Michigan continues to lag behind our competitors.
Do you realize that Michigan has the highest Athletic Department of any Big 10 University? Yet ticket holders are being subjected to a significant ticket price hike for the third year in a row. Yes, we have new facilities. Yes, we pay our coaches more. These are good things and they have to be paid for, but sometimes the easiest way is not the best way. If I thought for even one second that ticket prices would drop again once the notes for the new construction were paid off, I'd give him a break, but there is no way in hell that will happen. So no, I don't applaud Brandon for pricing out the middle class. Sure, he will continue to sell out the stadium, but get ready to see more and more empty seats as the most loyal fans gets pinched out of being able to afford tickets and the corporate donors choose to not fill the seats for games other than our marquee matchups.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:42 PM ^
Ah, that would explain the strange choices for alternate unis then.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:46 PM ^
....and even better response.
Should have said Athletic Department revenues.
I've grown too accustomed on relying on others to correct my grammatical miscues.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:04 PM ^
At least.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:51 PM ^
in 2000 and 2001 when the Athletic Department was operating in the red and needed an infusion from the General Fund. Martin did that to keep sports from being eliminated. It greatly helped convince the Regents to agree to bail out the department. Once the department was back in the black (2003 I think), Martin took a salary of roughly $300,000.
Martin also was the one who implemented the PSD program back in 2005 and he raised football ticket prices more than once.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:04 PM ^
....remained static for 6 years prior to the price hike for the 2011 season.
He did implement the PSD. He also provided an opportunity for ticket holders to choose to move to non PSD sections in the end zones. I wonder how those ticket holders feel now.........
December 20th, 2012 at 3:31 PM ^
December 21st, 2012 at 11:52 AM ^
Exactly! People seem to think that we hired a CEO for an AD, and he came in, looked around, and said, "we should start monetizing everything!"
The reality is that the desire to start monetizing everything was made at the president of the university level, and they then went out to find an AD who would be good at monetizing everything, and decided a former CEO fit the bill.
Creative revenue generation is part of Dave Brandon's job description. People may not like it, but he's just executing the strategy of the university. If not DB, it'd be someone else.
The funny thing is, all the bitching seems to boil down to some pretty petty complaints:
- I don't like the newfangled music in the stadium.
- I don't like the newfangled alternative uniforms, that still aren't half as garish as a lot of the ones I've seen (The two face helmet that ND wore comes to mind).
- I don't like having to pay more for being entertained.
- I don't like those pom-pom things.
Meanwhile, the legitimate benefits of this revenue increasing focus is discounted.
- Significant Football, Basketball, and Hockey stadium improvements.
- Promotion of a club LAX team to a full D1 LAX team.
- Payouts to retain high caliber coaching staffs.
- Increased support and resources for other olympic sports.
I just don't get it. Would people really prefer to go back to the old Chrsler and Yost arenas in order to get rid of seven nation army and alternative jerseys?
December 22nd, 2012 at 1:53 AM ^
You're creating a false dichotomy. There's no reason our AD shouldn't be able to implement those positives without fucking with tradition and alienating much of the fanbase.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:32 PM ^
Downvoted before I finished reading sentence 2. Did not read further.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:41 PM ^
December 20th, 2012 at 3:37 PM ^
There's a certain amount of arrogance you display when you imply that everyone thinking that DB has made some missteps with his branding campaign is a blind follower.
Not everyone who agrees with Brian falls at his feet. Sometimes people just share the same viewpoint; that doesn't mean they're sheep.
Your post seems to ignore that, on an issue by issue basis, people may agree and disagree with one another, even going so far as to form so-called consensus opinions, without invoking the bandwagon effect you seem to abhor. I like some of DB's decisions, and dislike others, for my own personal reaons. Some of those reasons are also articulated by the purveyor of this blog, but because people often share viewpions, assumptions, and processes (i.e. not for the reasons you think.). For example, I have disliked the increased presence of crappy pump-up music and unrecognizable uniforms in our most high-profile games. Personally, I think alternate uniforms should be worn in the least important games.
If you're in the minority, sometimes that just means that your opinion is less prevalent than those of the group at large. Doesn't mean everyone in the majority is playing follow the leader. It's lazy to brand the majority as sheep, because it disregards what might be a legitimate and justified weighty opinion in opposition to yours without any fairness of addressing the core of their ideas.
That having been said, your post was interesting and it's great to read everyone else's opinions on here.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:40 PM ^
The dinosaurs that don't want ANYTHING to change are gonna hate whatever he does regardless. Just something I accept.
I don't want Michigan's ADept, brand etc lagging behind everyone else and anchoring themselves to tradition. Tradition is the winged helmets, the M Club Banner, The Victors, Michigan Stadium, Maize and Blue and more.
Dave Brandon is doing nothing but trying to keep things fresh and make money.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:57 PM ^
Tradition is the winged helmets, the M Club Banner, The Victors, Michigan Stadium, Maize and Blue and more.
Why do you get to decide what "tradition" is? Seriously. I consider the jerseys to be "tradition." I consider "No Rawk Music" to be a tradition. I consider "ANYTHING BUT IN THE BIG HOUSE" to be a tradition. Where do I go to get those considered for tradition status?
This is the primary mistake I think Brandon has made. He has sacrificed at what HE considers to be the fringes of Michigan Tradition, but there are plenty of us who disagree.
Sincerely,
Tyrannosaurus BiSB. Class of '05.
December 20th, 2012 at 6:03 PM ^
Why do you get to decide what tradition is?
Tradition is tradition. You shouldn't have to explain it.
December 20th, 2012 at 6:38 PM ^
I don't get to decide. Neither do you. Neither does Dave Brandon.
Tradition IS tradition... but if you think that makes it a discrete and discernible set, the contents of which are wholly and completely protected, and beyond which anything and everything should be subject to the whims of the moment, you're nuts.
December 20th, 2012 at 6:40 PM ^
I think you missed the "and more" in his definition of Michigan tradition. Hell, it was even in your block quote.
December 20th, 2012 at 6:56 PM ^
Didn't miss it. But the inescapable implication of his statement was that there are things that must be protected, and there are things that are simply an "anchor" on the ship of progress. I was merely speaking up for the dinosaurs who want to point out that there are those things which, while not black-and-white untouchable, still help to comprise the tapestry of "tradition."
Such things may not be discarded without striking at the heart of that which comprises 'Michigan Tradition'. Just because a helmet has wings doesn't mean it comports with tradition, and just because people sing The Victors doesn't mean that everything is hunky dory.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:44 PM ^
Dave Brandon is doing a pretty good job of running the Athletic Department. Which is good, because that's his job. He's also doing a good job of making money, which, while not his job, is an important ancillary goal.
That doesn't mean that he hasn't done some painfully myopic things. He inherited a brand that, while imperfect, was INCREDIBLY powerful. And when you inherit a historic thing that has been built over the course of more than a century of work, it is hubris of the highest order to decide that it is your job to "create the future" by eschewing some of the tenets of that history.
Look no further than the days of RichRod (/ducks) (/peaks) (/ducks again). The guy suggested... ONE TIME... that he might give the #1 jersey to a defensive back. And people (myself included) wailed and gnashed our teeth over the failure to respect the traditions of the famed Michigan jersey. One guy, one jersey. And then we get this:
It's not just about the jerseys, but they are emblematic of a guy who is throwing up wallpaper in the Sistine Chapel in the name of making it better. Some changes are good. Some are bad. But he's moving at a ridicuous pace in an effort to reshape in his OWN image that which Yost, Crisler, Canham, and Schembechler built.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:53 PM ^
There is one key difference between your #1 jersey example and the stuff Brandon has done, which makes all the difference in the world to me.
With DB's decsisions, not once (okay, well, maybe once, with Trombones to Jerryworld) has there been any internal Michigan-fighting that has gone public. Conversely, RR's Braylon fiasco became a family feud and an embarassment to the University in the public sphere.
Even though we may not love all the stuff he does, I appreciate that he keeps the in-public infighting to a minimum. That appearance of stability and support do wonders for the national public perception of the program - non-Michigan fans no longer think we're in mutiny mode and we once again are portrayed as the rock of stability that defined Michigan for generations.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:59 PM ^
to be innovative and care what the public thinks. If DB were to take the Michigan fan base into account, nothing about Michigan would ever change. They don't care what WE think, we're already fans, read the blogs, buy the shit....they want thise who aren't fans to start buying the shit, going to games etc
December 20th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^
They don't care what WE think, we're already fans, read the blogs, buy the shit....they want thise who aren't fans to start buying the shit, going to games etc
I hope... nay... PRAY that you are wrong, and I trust that you are. If you don't think that the opinions of your MOST devoted customers are important, I feel like Dave Brandon would slap you silly.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:44 PM ^
December 20th, 2012 at 4:21 PM ^
I actually liked the UNIFORMZ at the State game last year. More than anything else they've tried to pull off before or since, including the UTL outfits. I think it was the white pants. The absence of color contrasted well with the excessive shoulder striping and the winged helmet in my opinion.
For a road uni, I don't mind it. Michigan has, unfortunately, a terrible record playing in the white pants, though.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:53 PM ^
is based on the assumption that, "Dave Brandon is an AD who understands that his role is to make the university money" But that's the problem. His job is not to make the university money. The university should not be making a concerted effort to make money. Its mission is to educate. Athletic opportunities fit well within that mission. Money is obviously necessary to sustain such opportunities, but profit is not. One could counter that athletic department profits, even when compromising tradition (which is important to a university's identity and reputation), are good because they are put back into the university to benefit all students. However, when our Athletic Director makes more than our President, I question if that is truly the case. Putting the dollar in front of tradition is unnecessary and disheartening.
December 20th, 2012 at 9:55 PM ^
December 20th, 2012 at 3:55 PM ^
he has done anything agregious just yet. Some people don't like them, and i think there are plenty who do, may not speak up for fear or attack on here. He's marketing the school like it's a business, in a more progressive way. It seems liek the old marketing ploy was "its Michigan fergodsakes, that's all that needs to be said." and that may be true for those who already love Michigan, but it's not bad to bring in newer younger fans who may have nothing to do with the school or state. I know a number of people who are my age (32) and became Michigan fans because of the Fab Five. They weren't very "Michigan" at the time either. Maybe we should ave judgement for the long run and see how this turns out.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:59 PM ^
Of course, I think anyone with their head on straight has to acknowledge that Michigan has an extremely savvy businessman running the athletic department.
Whether or not people think that's a good thing...
...doesn't have much to do with David Brandon.
I think the dividing line comes between making money for the university vs. a problem with stressing profit while compromising other M elements.
Some people stand for the former, some for the latter.
I don't like bumblebee jerseys, but I do like bumblebees, and I bought an UTL jersey.
I like a lot of things and I don't like many other things.
This has been a declarative statement followed by the expression of personal preferences, concluded with an affirmation of the existence of ambiguous and subjective opinions.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:07 PM ^
for many of the reasons MGrowOld inadvertently listed, but let's face it: the single most important decision David Brandon will ever make is who to hire for HC of the football team. By that standard, Brandon's done his job very well. I think he handled the whole Practice-gate/NCAA investigation horseshit quite well, too.
I'm just an average alum—I'm not a donor or a season-ticket holder, so Brandon doesn't need to give a shit about what I might think or want, which is why I don't bother emailing my outrage at clowniformz or not taking the band or scheduling Appy St. etc. etc.
I'll be very curious to hear Cypress's reaction when DB introduces the mascot, though. I guarantee it's coming. Don't know when, but it will. I'm going to enjoy the shitstorm here when it does.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:12 PM ^
I mostly disagree with your statement that "his role is to make the university money." In fact, I believe that one of the problems with DB is that he shades too far in the this direction.
There may be a job description out there for the AD position. However, there are a number of factors I would include.
- The AD is responsible to oversee all athletic programs which are part of the university in a way that fits with and complies with the overall mission of the university.
- The AD is responsible to oversee coaches and facilities with the goal of seeing them be successful.
- The AD is responsible in oversight to maintain a balanced budget. The one caveat is that some capital expenditures need to be amortized over a significant period of time. (i.e., you can't pay for the stadium upgrades or the Basketball facility inside of one calendar year.)
The OP major flaw? Confusing profitability with a balanced budget. Profitability is the goal of a business. A balanced budget is the goal of a non-profit institution. I will grant that profit is better than loss. I will also grant that profit allows for expansion and growth.
My problem is when the AD sells out the culture of Michigan in order to maximize profitability. There was a link recently to an article by Bacon on the increasing cost of being a Michigan fan. Call me quaint, a dinosaur, whatever. But sports just aren't important enough to me to spend thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. The professional sports industry is based on the notion that people will spend exactly these thousands to support their team. In my naivete, I like the idea of an "amateur" non-professional team. I refuse to be fleeced by the entire complex and industry.
I never had a problem with Michigan making money. After all, they have to pay for the facilities, for the utilities, for the scholarships, for the coach's salaries, for all the non-revenue sports. I get this, and I don't resent it. But for me, I think the straw that breaks the camel's back is the "seat license fee" for every last seat in Michigan stadium. Yes, I do feel that DB is whoring after money. And it just isn't worth it to me.
Now, full disclosure: I don't have cable TV. I don't go to lots of games. I am, in a word "cheap." But what is happening is pushing me even further away. I mean, when I was an undergrad in the 70's, season tickets were maybe $50 for 7 games? As a young alumni, I could afford a pair of season tickets to basketball. Those days are long, long gone.
I guess it is the world we live in, but I hate it when some bean counter is trying to figure out every last way to get every last dime out of my pocket. When I fly, being 6'3", my knees are tight against the seat in front of me. When I go to a game, I can't bring in a sealed water bottle.
What's next? Commandeering all the streets within a mile of the stadium to make sure there is no more free parking? For crying out loud, it's only a game. It's only a game.
I want to the AD to be wise, and for Michigan to be profitable. But I don't want to be gouged and taken advantage of. I am now at the place where that's how I feel. And it isn't worth it to me.
Stupid TL;DR of me. Simple summary: DB has gone too far in the goal of making money, and I don't like it.
December 20th, 2012 at 4:17 PM ^
I could not have said it better myself. Amen.
~Herm
December 20th, 2012 at 5:38 PM ^
I have given you grief on occasion for some of your views and contributions, but I will also give you due credit.
This is, IMO, unequivically the best response in this thread.