SPORTSBIZ -- JOEL HAMMOND
Worth the risk? NCAA will have its eyes on the University of Akron
Blog entry: February 2, 2012, 12:07 pm | Author: JOEL HAMMOND
One of my Twitter followers — and a loyal reader of this blog — on Thursday morning engaged me in a brief back-and-forth about the University of Akron hiring Jim Tressel as the school's new vice president of strategic engagement. My argument: That the NCAA, having given Tressel a show-cause penalty while still at Ohio State, now will be watching Akron like a hawk for signs that Tressel is involved in the school's athletics department. Under show-cause orders, a coach's new school is subject to even harsher penalties if it employs an official under an order who then commits another offense. His argument: That given Akron's pathetic record in football, it was worth the risk to bring Tressel on; no NCAA penalty could be as damaging as the program's current irrelevance.
Perhaps true, but the only way to make the program more irrelevant is to invite the NCAA's watchful eye and then slip up while under the microscope. Tressel is on the NCAA's you-know-what list, given his repeated opportunities to report what he knew of violations at OSU and his failure to do so; he's so entrenched on that list that the NCAA added to the incredibly stiff penalties OSU imposed on itself in the wake of the scandal.
My colleague Tim Magaw documented some of the pertinent quotes from today's news conference, including this, on his involvement with athletics: Tressel says he'll have “In essence, very little or none.”
I was big on the school hiring Terry Bowden, the one-time Auburn coach who brings with him a nice résumé and an impressive coaching lineage to boot. But UA had better be darned sure that any advisement Tressel provides to students or potential UA students stays far away from athletics.
Super Bowl fodder
National media are salivating over Indianapolis' handling of its Super Bowl responsibilities, a stark difference from last year in Dallas, which badly fumbled its opportunity. If you remember, the city was unprepared for bad weather (I can kind of give officials a pass on that), some ticket holders didn't have seats and lines were incredibly long, causing some folks to miss some of the game.
A great analysis by Forbes of the often-scrutinized “economic impact” analysis.
It's a process with which Cleveland is plenty familiar, given the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission's efforts and other events, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's induction ceremony, which will be held here in April.
Add GE to the list of companies releasing its Super Bowl ads early.
If you're not following me on Twitter, what are you waiting for? And, I trust you're listening to Crain's podcasts?
And, of course, email me with any news tips you see fit for this space.
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