Follow the money? No way…
A review of Southeastern Conference athletic departments that showed newcomer Missouri ranking in the bottom tier in both sports revenues and expenditures was hailed in yesterday’s Kansas City Star as a clarion call for MU to raise more money. That is if it intends to compete on the playing field in its new conference.
In 2011 Missouri took in and spent about $64 million on sports programs. That’s about half of what the top SEC schools raked in – $20 million less than lowly Kentucky even.
To which longtime Missouri supporter Larry Sells says: "I don’t think raising all that money means anything. If they get it, they spend it. Maybe sometime they’ll want to think of themselves as a university instead of a football stadium with a college attached."
Missouri and other schools need to get their priorities straight, Sells says.
"I don’t know that it’s so important to have a $6 million coach as opposed to a $2 million coach," he muses.
As for the thinking that MU will be at a disadvantage in its new conference if it doesn’t up the ante, "A disadvantage in what way?" Sells asks. "You know, I go to a football game because I want to enjoy the atmosphere. Not every team is going to win the championship. It’s not about the best athletes money can buy. It’s about an atmosphere of learning and participation.
"But now it’s not even about participation, it’s about watching and hating. If the other team wins you go trash their busses or threaten them or beat up people at the stadium. And heaven forbid if your team wins – you go out and riot. I’m not saying burning down Lawrence is such a bad thing."
Spoken like a true Tiger, even in jest.
Not that the longtime Uptown Theater main man doesn’t bleed MU black and gold.
"I just want to enjoy (the games)," Sells says. "I’m not a better person because my team wins by some artificial score."
Question is, can Missouri thrive in the SEC sans the big bucks?
"They couldn’t do it in the Big 12," Sells says. "How many times have other teams beat Alabama and LSU in the last couple of years? How many times has Missouri beat Texas? None. How many times has Missouri beaten Oklahoma?"
Put another way…
"Who cares?" Sells quips. "I don’t think money is what makes teams good. I think because they’re good they get more money. And I think Alabama would be fine if they spent $60 million. They don’t have to spend $100 million, they spend it because they’ve got it."
Sells forecast for Missouri in the SEC: "I think they’ll have a similar win-loss record as they have in the past."
Was a mistake for MU to bail on the Big 12?
"Why would it be a mistake?" Sells asks. "The Big 12 is gone. The only reason it remains is the Pac 12 wouldn’t accept Texas. You know, they already destroyed the Southwest Conference and they were about to destroy the Big 12.
"It’s all about big corporate universities. They’re not about education, they’re corporate trainees and they continue to dumb down their students."
All of that said – c’mon – won’t Sells miss the KU-MU rivalry? "No," he says.
Why not?
"I don’t believe in fat coaches."
Tear it all down,
NCAA, dead, Niedemeyer, dead. No more sports scholarships, the model is collapsing over it’s own greed and weight. When officials decide they are above the law it is time to kill the golden goose that is molesting kids and exploiting labor laws.
Get rid of it.
Larry, Xenu Is Holding On Line One
Hell yes, it’s about the money! It worked for the Kennedy’s in politics and it works for Alabama, Florida and LSU in the SEC. Unless MU shows some real game in the SEC they can forget about rising to the middle of the pack in SEC athletics spending. Money follows results, not the other way around.
Smartman/Dude – please be quiet!!
We all know Harley is the ONLY one capable of speaking to this topic.
It involves deep thought, high rollers, sports teams, MU, the SEC, Big 12 (in the past, where all us losers live) and big time finance.
Your opinions are based on hearsay, rumor, innuendo and very little else.
Please stand down until further notice.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.
Thank you for the reminder wilson,
I will eagerly await with baited breath the great sage’s comments on this very subject to see what THE REAL TRUTH IS.
Disregard my previous comment until the great harlimnator himself graces us with his wonderful and insightful comments.
NOT.
Note for Mr. Sells
Missouri has beaten both OU and Texas in football recently. What planet do you live on?
I knew you’d understand…
thank you
@ Wilson
Understood. Perhaps if we modify our lie detector offer about Harley’s alleged not pleasuring of himself, to allow MU Athletics to be considered a “charity” we can get the old boy to wire up.
@smartman – please reference my earlier cut and paste
of his latest threats to me. I will now provide the same level of disciple to YOU!!
“Why would a businessman like yourself associate yourself with
someone speaking about m*st*rb*tion on an unknown site
and then allow yourself to communicate about that subject
for the general public to see?
(I inserted the “?” as he’s not too swift with punctuation or anything else for that matter)
That does not make sense.
Your actions have
gone too far! No further communication is needed.
All emails will be blocked to this email address.”
@wilson
All I was doing was sharing important information about health maintenance. Ernest Borgnine attributed his health and longevity, to, among other things, MASTURBATION. I also recommend Metamucil and Cheerios. I’d rather take health advice from a 91 year old guy who can still tug the boat than a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins Medical School fresh off a 7 day seminar in Antigua courtesy of BIG PHARMA. I’ll throw another TEN LARGE on the table that harlinator uses some form of ED med too.
BALLS, no pun intended, in your court Harley. Forty grand on the table that could go to MU. Prove us wrong and Wilson and I are your bitches for life.
In the words of that great philosopher Willie Nelson….
…theres more old drunks than there are old DOCTORS, so I think I’m going to have another round!!
Photo
Hey Hearne, where did you grab that pic of the MU kid? I know the kid. Just curious.
What The Hell
Does an MU supporter know about big-time college sports? Didn’t realize that a culture of mediocrity led to these sorts of Penn State-like problems.
Just a little clarification,
My family has pulled for MU for 3 generations and, for what it’s worth, that fat ass coach they had in Lawrence was a fuckin stud. He out coached Pinky every time they played, even when MU won.
Larry makes some really good points, but like I said, that fatass coach had his players playing over their heads every game.
One-trick pony
Some of my Pittsburgh cronies know him from his days at The Crow Bar. Said he was a bag of donuts then. And his badass-fatass act wore off quick on both the KU players and the athletic department.
One thing which might please fans like Larry (and me, hell I’m a Temple alum) is the NCAA gets shut down, college athletic boosters take a big hit on “educational donations” and all the corruptible monies in the “sport” are exorcised after the Penn State investigation is finished. I know, we can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
Most of the foam-at-the-mouth-haters I know never attended either school. I’ve been an MU fan forever and I only hated KU when we played. My hs buds played at MU but I ran into KU players when we’d race motorcycles in Lawrence. I loved to razz the both. Both those teams broke my f’n heart in an Orange Bowl. When an Orange Bowl meant something.
Shit, maybe KU can replace Penn State in the B1G? Patsy football team but add some respect in roundball? Damn, wouldn’t that frost some MU balls?