Dollars or Dissent - Who Wins?

Submitted by nyc_wolverines on

I would caution everyone's enthusiasm with the fact that David Brandon has 1 card left to play to smooth things over with Schlissel in light of building momentum:

Donors. Specifically Stephen L Ross, Ira Harris and that ilk.

DB can wrap his arm around President Schlissel and say in his best CEO weasel voice (apologies to weasels and the good CEOs): "President, listen, this is solved  by tossing Brady aside and getting a new Coach. I've talked with Ross about it, Harris is on-board, we'll talk to usual suspects and get Brady out of here. Clean, no fuss. No donors walk, we may even pull in another "named coach" position out of this. Net-net, this could actually make Michigan a few million dollars."

Don't underestimate the machiavelli dwelling inside Brandon. Becoming CEO of multiple corporations doesn't occur unless you are a premier manipulator. Premier... and a very adroit liar.

The remedy for the donor move in continued public pressure. By both media and fans.

 

Just preparing folks in the (unfortunate) event of a long siege.

ThadMattasagoblin

September 30th, 2014 at 2:58 AM ^

Our donors aren't going away no matter who the AD is. We could have an uptick in the casual fan who gives 100 dollars if we're now going to use it to be good at sports and not flounder around like imbeciles.

Wolverine Devotee

September 30th, 2014 at 3:05 AM ^

October 30th, one month from now, both of these fuckheads will be gone. There is no way the University is gonna keep this up. I believe in the Bates/Manuel talk. I believe the prez/regents are keeping this as backdoor as possible.

BlueHills

September 30th, 2014 at 3:14 AM ^

Dissent on a mass scale won in the 60s, I was there. But the issues were far more important then; the Vietnam conflict and race issues set the stage for the changes that were made.

If it's merely about football, the money wins. 

If it's framed as an issue about the whoring out of the University by an out of control athletic department, it has a chance.

 

Then again, torches and pitchforks...

Thorin

September 30th, 2014 at 4:03 AM ^

The number of good coaches who want to coach Michigan, who want to work for Brandon and who want to work for Brandon after what he did to Hoke on Monday is zero. Brandon is fucked and Michigan football will never have any success until he's gone.

That said, I think it's possible, probably even likely that Brandon survives this and takes Michigan to even lower lows with another terrible hire. It will be interesting to watch if media attention wanes after Brandon gets rid of Hoke or continues as the losses pile up and the stadium empties out. With Mattison as the most likely candidate for interim HC, I'm afraid the offense will still look a lot like the Hoke offense.

Wolverine Devotee

September 30th, 2014 at 3:30 AM ^

Thanks a lot, Dave. Now I can't sleep. Looks like an all-nighter. There's a steak and shake on campus so I'll head over for some food.

Danwillhor

September 30th, 2014 at 3:33 AM ^

Football alone? Money. Unless the dissent is massive, vocal and withholding donations. With football, a guy like Ross can run the show if the dissent is weak.

I think that's universal. Dissent has to be mass scale to cause change. 100 kids holding signs at the diag won't do anything compared to a major money man wanting the opposite. Yet, there comes a time when the number of people has more value than a much larger dollar amount. I'm sure there is a ratio or something ha. It's why I knew the Occupy WS movement would fail. Waste of time. The money so outweighed the number of people that it didn't matter. Had every city done the same or if the people in NY became Molotov tossing level violent something would have at least been addressed. Maybe an indictment? I dunno? Anything but calm folk sitting or walking and holding signs. Anyway, I think it's a ratio thing. Fill the diag with a mass of yelling students (heck, just fans) and it'll get noticed. If 50 show up chanting for an hour? Nothing. They'll laugh at you.

markusr2007

September 30th, 2014 at 8:03 AM ^

However we must also understand why donors give. Recognition, influence, impact, mission and even impulse. Even wealthy athletic dept donors dislike the seemingly endless parade of negative and embarrassing press about Michigan. They will like an empty football stadium even less. Influence is only one driver.



Obviously Brandon and Hoke will not go quietly. There are 7 more games to play which I guarantee are going to weigh heavy on them both following the Minny game debacle and the infield incompetence. Look at hoke. He is incompetent, and a train wreck. Things will only worsen.

Tuebor

September 30th, 2014 at 9:56 AM ^

Hoke was what the program needed at the time.  He united the fanbase after the factionization of the RRod era.  Unfortunately it is clear that Hoke is no longer viable as a short term or long term solution. 

Hannibal.

September 30th, 2014 at 10:07 AM ^

My guess is that most of Brandon's big hits on the fundraising trail came before October of last year.  Didn't Ross give his big gift last summer?  The donations have probably dropped off considerably since then.

We have probably reached the point where "dollars vs. dissent" isn't an issue anymore.