John Bacon - UM regents discussing contract extension for Warde

Submitted by ChampsoftheWest on February 9th, 2024 at 12:35 AM

None of us know anything of course, and Bacon doesn’t seem to be plugged in as he used to be with the program. But if there is any truth here it seems there might be a battle between the old guard and new in respect to NIL and how the football program adapts to the changing landscape of college football: 
 

https://x.com/johnubacon/status/1755754750530683282?s=46&t=yOp53t7WHGsRQ1QfeEFEXg

In other news, Bacon ran a poll on his Twitter asking who would support a contract extension (which I believe ends in 2025), and with almost 10,000 votes in 4 hours the results are approaching a landslide…

https://x.com/johnubacon/status/1755756835477373087?s=46&t=yOp53t7WHGsRQ1QfeEFEXg
 

 

RobM_24

February 9th, 2024 at 1:26 AM ^

Certainly there won't be any increases in pay or benefits. We wouldn't want a transactional Athletic Director. Transformational only, please. 

ST3

February 9th, 2024 at 1:54 AM ^

Bacon is a Troll. He knows Twitter “polls” are garbage but he puts one up anyway because he’s got an axe to grind. Get over it, JUB. You used to be better than this.

drjaws

February 9th, 2024 at 2:03 AM ^

fully convinced “insiders” blindly throw darts while drunk. either that or make shit up to get views on their tweets. or both. probably both.

they’re like baseball players …. considered excellent if they’re batting .300 or better 

GLORY

February 9th, 2024 at 2:10 AM ^

JUB running a twitter poll on someone's life is petty and unprofessional.  I'm not on board with this behavior.  I've been among the outspoken ones for Warde firing, and at times piled on with jokes.  But I'm a fan.  He's a respected journalist with a decent platform.  He should be more responsible.

  

VanWolverine

February 9th, 2024 at 10:07 AM ^

He is a public employee whose responsibility is to carry out duties for the benefit of the public. If the BoR did their job properly, we would not be in this place. You will be scrutinized as a public servant, period. If you don't like it, go work for a private organization. He had a choice.

KBLOW

February 9th, 2024 at 9:35 AM ^

This is a joke, right?

There are way more than two options. The regents aren't some group of wise decision-makers, deeply in touch with the trends of modern society and the everyday realities of the world who only want what's best for the University. They are all politicians who were either born into an elite strata of society or who worked hard to get there and work even harder to maintain the status quo and their own place in it even (or especially) if that means risking no change.  And Warde is the status quo. 

HateSparty

February 9th, 2024 at 5:30 AM ^

All of those choosing no on the survey need to put their wallet where their mouth is. No more Michigan fear, don’t attend games, etc. Additionally, vote the regents out. Collective bitching without action is futile.

ERdocLSA2004

February 9th, 2024 at 7:22 AM ^

I do not support Warde and feel that the school needs to move on.  That being said, the people on this board who think Michigan is going to move on from Warde really have no idea how the world works.  Michigan doesn’t care about NIL, and they certainly aren’t going to move on from an athletic director who just won a national championship, who also went to Michigan for undergrad and graduate school, who played football at Michigan, and who is only the second minority to ever hold the position at Michigan.  And now you can add chair to the CFP committee.  Not gonna happen people.

ERdocLSA2004

February 9th, 2024 at 10:01 AM ^

Again, I do not like Warde and would love for him to get the axe.  I’m simply highlighting what the board at a place like UofM will see.  You don’t think they’re gonna convene and say “we need an AD who lowers our academic standards so we can get better players from the portal, and one who wants to recruit the best players to our school with lots of money like OSU.” Do you?

meeashagin

February 9th, 2024 at 8:24 AM ^

These are all the cheap bastards that don't believe the players should get paid.They're are the ones that have Warde programed to repeat cheap cheap cheap.

There won't be a chance until the football program looks like the basketball program.

I cannot stand people in suits making millions many times over yet they don't believe in sharing with the kids that risk life/limb. It's embarrassing and disgusting.

DennisFranklinDaMan

February 9th, 2024 at 9:15 AM ^

I'm all for it. I think this board has gone insane in its hatred of Warde. All of the criticism of him is based on air: Nobody has any idea at all of what his role was in Harbaugh's departure or those of other coaches, etc. All people here do is blame him for everything unfortunate that happens. "We lost in hockey to Wisconsin — it's Warde's fault!"

Please. I'll take a football national championship and the hockey team's strong finishes any day and twice on Wednesday. Yeah, the basketball results haven't been great the last few years, but we were all delighted by Howard the first two years, and I don't want an AD that has a super-quick finger on the trigger. We'll see what happens in the off-season.

The AD is a behind-the-scenes position. Yet, and despite having no actual knowledge of what Warde is doing and responsible for, the Michigan fan base is reliably negative. Is it possible Warde is responsible for Harbaugh not leaving the last two years? No, because we're glad Harbaugh stayed, so it can't have anything to do with Warde.

Even if we want to focus on the coaching departures this off-season, look at what happened to Washington — when their coach left the entire damned team transferred away. That hasn't happened here at all — the team seems to be completely on board with the transition. Why in the world is that somehow a sign of dysfunction?

Sigh. It's lame. I'll focus on results — which are pretty damned good. Keep it up, Warde. The athletic department seems to be running smoothly. Good work.

Impractical_Joker.83

February 9th, 2024 at 9:56 AM ^

Warde should be fired for his NIL stance alone. He’s crying about transformational over transactional, when I’m pretty sure he doesn’t work for free. How anybody can defend a person who refuses to join the modern era is beyond me. Yeah we just won a national title, but sometimes you win something despite a person, not because of them. And you’re actually defending a guy who uses the term pay for play. It’s pay for work. We can fall behind OSU and the other blue bloods very fast and sadly probably will if this is the university’s attitude. 

CC_MFan

February 9th, 2024 at 3:56 PM ^

I don't know.  We all love the Championship this year, but I think most on here would say that it was in spite of Warde.  I do believe that we have no chance of high level success in football or basketball unless we are able to compete in NIL with regards to recruiting and the transfer portal.  If Warde doesn't address this, then I think we will be mired in a downward spiral in these two sports.  Also it appears like the University will wait to see downward trends in the finances before they act on anything.  

UWSBlue

February 9th, 2024 at 9:23 AM ^

He's making money and winning.

The Univ. of Michigan athletic department reported a $4M "operating surplus" for FY2022-23, according to Tony Garcia of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. The department created $229,561,279 in operating revenues compared to $225,548,280 in expenses, the “most in a single year.It is the “second time U-M has exceed” $200M in annual operating revenue in one year -- the "only other occasion was last year.” UM’s total revenue increased by $18.9M year-over-year and "more than half of that increase came from an increase ticket sales.” 

Source: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/01/31/michigan-mich…

Warde: 2016-2024

Big Ten Championships

MBB: 2021

M Cross-Country: 2017

W Cross-Country: 2016, 2017, 2018

Field Hockey: 2017, 2018, 2020+

Football: 2021, 2022, 2023

W Golf: 2022

M Gymnastics: 2021, 2022, 2023

W Gymnastics: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023

Rowing: 2019, 2021, 2023

Softball: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021

M Swimming & Diving: 2016, 2020, 2021

W Swimming & Diving: 2016, 2017, 2018

M Tennis: 2021

W Tennis: 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023

W Indoor Track & Field: 2016, 2023

W Outdoor Track & Field: 2016, 2023

Wrestling: 2022

https://mgoblue.com/sports/2017/6/16/trads-conference-champions-html

Soulfire21

February 9th, 2024 at 10:11 AM ^

There is something to be said about winning a conference-record number of conference championships across all sports, I agree, but your most visible sports are in flux (football) and historically bad (basketball). Whether it's fair or not, these carry far more weight than most other sports.

Soulfire21

February 9th, 2024 at 2:26 PM ^

I wasn't a Michigan fan then, so no, but even so, 10-22 in 2008 set the school record for number of losses. Michigan is 8-15 and only favored (by 1 pt) in one game the rest of the year by Torvik. The projected record is 10-21. That is a historically bad season by Michigan standards, which is what I meant, not necessarily over several years - though bball has been trending down every year Howard has been the head coach.