I hate spending a quarter billion for a new arena that wasn't needed. I like volleyball being good. Also, if volleyball went 0-20 10 years in a row, that would be fine too. Pitt should treat all those sports like intramurals. We dont have enough money to have high level pro sports and high level non-revenue sports.
Heather dug a hole she could not fill
- Thread starter OmarMarino
- Start date
I hate spending a quarter billion for a new arena that wasn't needed. I like volleyball being good. Also, if volleyball went 0-20 10 years in a row, that would be fine too. Pitt should treat all those sports like intramurals. We dont have enough money to have high level pro sports and high level non-revenue sports.
You are not spending anything, let's be clear.
Full admission: I no longer support Pitt athletics other than attending events. I won't make excuses because I have supported the programs for 40+ years and with the latest developments I just can't. As far as I am concerned, the powers that be will need to figure out how to make the billions of revenue generated work without tapping my wallet.
On the other hand, if I ever change my mind, my money will go toward volleyball and other non-revenue sports. They are far more deserving.
They're not spending a quarter billion for a new arena. There is a lot more in that building than one arena or one sport. It's fun to portray it that way but it isn't even close to the truth. To the other part of that, Pitt has treated "those sports" like intramurals for a long time and have been mocked for it. The blue blood football schools don't do that. Heck, the middling schools don't do that. And they won't because they thrive on the prestige of representing in multiple areas.
You're pretty thin skinned if you think I insulted you but I apologize.
The only statement I saw about the stadium were in this thread and you just made claims about donor support that has never manifested itself in reality. That's really it.
We arent Alabama, Georgia, or Penn State. We cant afford to treat those teams like anything more than D3 or IM sports. Maybe we should be like Ohio State. Their Olympics sports teams never seem to do anything. Are they pumping every last dollar into football?
I didn't read the article because I won't read the PG. But seems like this was a fiscal accountability play. What leads you to believe Gabel is pro sports?
Her disappointment in the length of time it took Pitt to start playing the NIL game.
Stanford can do it. Just one example off the top of my head and they had to be rescued from the PAC12 because the money was so bad.
In the last 25 years, Ohio State has won team national titles in men's gymnastics, men's volleyball, wrestling, women's rowing, women's ice hockey, and fencing. In that same time they've won a conference championship in 25 different olympic sports.
Speak of some more things you don't understand.
There are 15 men's gymnastics programs, 28 men's volleyball teams, 33 men's fencing, 43 women's fencing, and 36 women's hockey. So these national titles you claim are essentially just being the best team in an oversized conference. What have they done in the popular Olympic Sports? The ones that require some money?
Also, Stanford cut 11 spots recently. Pitt may have to follow suit thanks to Heather. Lacrosse is up first.
Stanford Athletics varsity sport reductions: FAQ
news.stanford.edu
According to you there is no such thing.
They still have over thirty. Pitt has just a couple over the minimum to be D1.
Also, what exactly did Heather do to cause Pitt to have to downsize?
There are 185 schools in the history of NCAA Division 1 that have won at least one NCAA awarded team championship in any sport. Pitt is not one of them.
I viewed this as Heather woefully deficient not only in fundraising for VH but also our abysmal numbers for NIL?
The optimist in me hopes Gabel wants BOTH of these spaces to be filled
Stanford reversed its pandemic-instigated decision the next year. They ended up cutting zero sports.There are 15 men's gymnastics programs, 28 men's volleyball teams, 33 men's fencing, 43 women's fencing, and 36 women's hockey. So these national titles you claim are essentially just being the best team in an oversized conference. What have they done in the popular Olympic Sports? The ones that require some money?
Also, Stanford cut 11 spots recently. Pitt may have to follow suit thanks to Heather. Lacrosse is up first.
Stanford Athletics varsity sport reductions: FAQ
I think the people who are hoping that Gabel has some grand plan to invest at a higher level than we were under Lyke in football and basketball will be severely disappointed.
My fear - and educated guess - is that we’ll see a very similar pattern to what happened under Gabel at Minnesota. She’ll cut sports, advertise it as being a cost-savings measure that ends up saving significantly less money than Gabel advertised, and will not redirect those savings into football and basketball.
After Gabel’s sport cutting at Minnesota, what was the result? Minnesota spent $4M less a year on men’s basketball than Pitt did, and Minnesota spent $5M less on football than Pitt did.
My fear - and educated guess - is that we’ll see a very similar pattern to what happened under Gabel at Minnesota. She’ll cut sports, advertise it as being a cost-savings measure that ends up saving significantly less money than Gabel advertised, and will not redirect those savings into football and basketball.
After Gabel’s sport cutting at Minnesota, what was the result? Minnesota spent $4M less a year on men’s basketball than Pitt did, and Minnesota spent $5M less on football than Pitt did.
This was my read on it, too. I mean, Pitt really doesn't have much to cut so I don't really know what the heck happens. Pitt fans should be worried that football is going to get a big funding cut because the current spend isn't proportional to what other ACC schools spend on football.
Exactly....the 'front porch of the university is athletics' is all talk, no action until proven otherwise. In the meantime.....there is not a shred of evidence that our Chancellor is 'all in' on Pitt athletics. There is certainly nothing in the 2028 plan that even hints that this is important based on my read of the plan.
Plan for Pitt 2028 | Office of the Chancellor
And Stanford is the only school in America where every scholarship for every sport, is fully funded
Not the best example for either side of this debate.
I think that the best thing that a university chancellor can do with athletics is shut the hell up other than being generally supportive in a “rah rah go team” sort of way, sign the checks that are placed on their desk by the athletic director, smile and wave at the games or matches, and generally stay out of the way and let the athletic department do its thing. The ones who really go above and beyond are willing to put in a call to a donor upon request, or hell, pop in and shake hands with a big recruit during an official visit or something. Basically, what Pat Gallagher did, and that might be the biggest reason why Pitt athletics is in a golden age right now.Exactly....the 'front porch of the university is athletics' is all talk, no action until proven otherwise. In the meantime.....there is not a shred of evidence that our Chancellor is 'all in' on Pitt athletics. There is certainly nothing in the 2028 plan that even hints that this is important based on my read of the plan.
Plan for Pitt 2028 | Office of the Chancellor
www.chancellor.pitt.edu
I think that when a chancellor takes a more “active” role in the management of the athletic department, that usually ends up being not so great. And I think that’s what we’re seeing with Joan Gabel right now.
Unless I'm mistaken, football scholarships aren't even fully funded at Pitt. Even if they are, all it tells us is that Pitt football is the only sport that's ever won a national championship at the school and it's struggling to keep up with the type of support the Stanford tiddlywinks team gets.
Not showing up for homecoming is also not a great sign. Not sure if there were other reasons, but it isn't typical of a chancellor.
What do you mean by "funded?" Every scholarship at Stanford is endowed. Endowed at Pitt, no, not even close.
Does the athletic department make 85 scholies available for football, yes. All varsity sports at Pitt currently have a full complement of NCAA max limit scholarships available, which was not the case in the Big East days. However, the only way to ensure that going forward is to endow them.
Last edited:
Spending numbers are tricky because they include the fake expense that the university charges a football player to sit in a class and have a TA grade his paper. I do hope she cuts sports we dont need: lacrosse, track, baseball, softball.
Your assumption that the presumed savings from cutting sports gets plowed into football?
Because I would guess....it would go towards the 20 Million settlement before they overhaul the Pitt Iron Works.
It’s not really tricky because it’s uniform. Scholarship expenses show up as expenses in every school’s report, so it more or less equals out.
Operating under the assumption that all kinds of schools will be cutting sports to go all in on the 2 pro sports and that the NCAA isnt going to tell UGa they have to drop down to D2 if they cut rowing.
You guys are reading way too much into this. I think it's pretty simple, Joan didn't care for Heather and is going to bring her own person in.
Bosses don't like when your resume is on the desk of every president with an AD opening. It's telling where your alleigence lies. All the other reasons mentioned were just gravy.
It's probably why her contract was never extended. Gabel was probably hoping she got hired. I don't think she was ever getting extended.
Bosses don't like when your resume is on the desk of every president with an AD opening. It's telling where your alleigence lies. All the other reasons mentioned were just gravy.
It's probably why her contract was never extended. Gabel was probably hoping she got hired. I don't think she was ever getting extended.
First Google how many teams are required men and women including coed sports to maintain D1 status .
Second-
Think and then post
Finally - post less
Hint track and field along , swimming and diving, and gymnastics are easy coed wins.
Serious question, Chancellor's have bosses I presume, they don't hire themselves, isn't it there some Board that hires a Chancellor after the Chancellors lay out a vision for the University? At the D1 level the plan must certainly entail how to handle / grow the huge money spender-maker that is College football. The plan for athletics should be known by this group, one would think.
And I am saying massive cuts are coming everywhere and the P2 arent going to get kicked out of the NCAA if they drop below. What will probably happen is that there will be no minimum requirement. So start cutting, Jane.
In the grand scheme of a University the size of Pitt, the football program budget is small potatoes.
Got it. Then, common sense when would be, that since it is "small potatoes" may as well go first class, as in her words it is "the front porch" of the University
Similar threads
