Spartan, you exemplify everything that is wrong with ISU athletics and the football program. For 25+ years, individuals, be it fans or community members, have sat on their hands and accepted everything that came out of the athletic offices, good or bad. If anybody questioned the actions of ISU athletics, that individual was labeled a troublemaker.
Back in the old days, our information was limited to whatever press releases were distributed to the local media. We might have been lucky enough to read an out of state newspaper which also contained some news which affected us locally. Fast forward to now, and there isn’t a whole lot of information that you CAN’T get your hands on. The power of technology brought us the internet which has led to the current social media craze, be it message boards, blogs, twitter, or networking sites.
Read the following from the Sports Business Journal. It describes studies which show fans who follow their teams through social networking sites become more passionate and better fans.
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/66338
What does any of this have to do with Galloway? The moment that kid signed his LOI, he became a Bengal. It was reported here, it was reported on ISU’s site, it was reported in his hometown news. ISU made a horrible mistake and didn’t have the courage or guts to admit it, but instead, tried to push blame on this kid. Rather than make acknowledgment of the truth, ISU stepped on this kid to make itself look better. Frank created a blog in which the whole purpose appeared to be an attempt to vilify Galloway. In turn, Cub used the resources here to stand up for this young gentleman. Newspapers picked up the story both in California and Montana.
You see, things have changed from 20 years ago. Information is at the tip of all of our fingers. You can’t run an athletic department the way it has been run the past 25 years. It’s transparent. When we can see daily rosters and students’ networking sites, we know the number of students who have left a program. We can see when there is trouble brewing. Cub knew the APR troubles were well on the way, and he warned everybody eons ago. What did ISU do? They did what they normally do in trying to adapt to the ever changing online world - they sent Frank and others on this board and others to put out fires. Notice how Jerry appeared on this very thread and tried to take Cub to task for doing what was right? He then tried to switch the focus and conversation to focus on what ISU wants. It’s similar to what happens on a national scale - if somebody dissents to your belief system, it’s easier to call into question his/her patriotism and loyalty than it is to accept that this person sees things differently. How does that saying go? You’re either with us or against us? You’re either a loyal fan, no questions EVER asked, or you are a fair-weather fan?
ISU needs to evolve. The pattern we have seen with the football program has been a disturbing one. The APR issues are a big deal, no two ways around it. The mass exodus of players, the coaching turnover, and the questionable talent all indicates a disturbing pattern in the lack of success of this program. Now, thanks to the social media, we can see that Galloway WAS wronged. Is this yet another indication that the football and academic support staff in the athletic office is in over their heads? You’re right, if ISU was coming off an 8 win season, this wouldn’t be as big an issue. The fact is, we’re coming off of two consecutive 1 win seasons, and it’s my belief that this latest fiasco is further proof of the continued incompetence which is leading to these losing seasons.
Nope, you can’t hide this stuff anymore, Spartan. Mistakes happen. That’s a way of life. Apologize, learn from them, and move on.
Oh, and one more thing. Go Bengals!
