Be Elite: Row the Boat with Col. Matt Langer and P.J. Fleck

GopherLady

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Fleck is EVERYWHERE! Helping out the State Patrol hiring initiative here:

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This is why I think, and even more so hope, Fleck will succeed here. He has a concrete message and structure for his student athletes. He promotes his approach in unique ways such as this. His tactics are unusual but not without purpose. He's not self serving in his efforts - they are designed to engage his players and recruits, designed to educate and motivate.

Row The Boat PJ. Best wishes.
 


It's nice to see these tie ins that seem obvious, but never seem to happen.
 

He's embedding himself into the community so much that I find it hard to understand why people think he'll leave. Then again, I don't know if he did that at WMU.

He's been to Timberwolves, Twins, and Wild games. Missing Vikings, Lynx, Saint Paul Saints (Minor league, but they have enough fans that I think they'd be on his list), and MN United (which I wouldn't be surprised if it happens soon, considering their playing at TCF) in terms of popular teams in the Metro area. Countless other minor league, and junior league teams in the state as well if he wants to do that.

Becoming part of the High School Coaches community, interacting with the State Government and with the State Patrol.
 

I think every coach is a little different in how they approach the job. Some coaches enjoy (or at least are very good at) dealing with the media and the public. They're natural promoters. Some coaches just don't like the public aspects of the job. they'd rather be in the film room working on the game plan, and just don't like dealing with the media and the public.

I'm not saying one approach is better than the other. I think it comes down to personal preference. It also depends on how much authority the coach likes to delegate to the staff for game-planning, etc.
 

To quote a famous poster "Big Ten wins" is all that matters. Maybe not to the flock of fleckers.

I think PJ really enjoys the spotlight and that's great for PR, etc but I'm not sure it will lead to sizeable attendance gains on their own. Big Ten Wins and beating the Badger will bring the house down.
 



Of course it'll come down to winning and avoiding major scandals. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy the outreach and PR efforts as well.
 

I think every coach is a little different in how they approach the job. Some coaches enjoy (or at least are very good at) dealing with the media and the public. They're natural promoters. Some coaches just don't like the public aspects of the job. they'd rather be in the film room working on the game plan, and just don't like dealing with the media and the public.

I'm not saying one approach is better than the other. I think it comes down to personal preference. It also depends on how much authority the coach likes to delegate to the staff for game-planning, etc.


I agree with everything in your first paragraph. My only bit of contention is that in the year 2017, I think the promotional aspects of the job are absolutely necessary for the vast majority of programs. Nick Saban, and the like, can get away with the "bunker mentality" because of their absurd success/track record/built-in enthusiasm within a given fanbase. But Saban is more the exception than the model. Fleck seems over-the-top but I think he is merely just ahead of the curve. As attention spans continue to shrink and entertainment options expand, I think the constant promoting of one's program within a community will become nearly as valued as the film room or game plan.

As we move forward, college coaches will become more similar to politicians and less like hard-nose military generals/tacticians . Just my opinion/prediction. Very intelligent guys like Coach Claeys will likely be relegated to coordinator positions because they simply don't have the skill-set/desire to attempt to insert themselves into every aspect of a local community.
 

I agree with everything in your first paragraph. My only bit of contention is that in the year 2017, I think the promotional aspects of the job are absolutely necessary for the vast majority of programs. Nick Saban, and the like, can get away with the "bunker mentality" because of their absurd success/track record/built-in enthusiasm within a given fanbase. But Saban is more the exception than the model. Fleck seems over-the-top but I think he is merely just ahead of the curve. As attention spans continue to shrink and entertainment options expand, I think the constant promoting of one's program within a community will become nearly as valued as the film room or game plan.

As we move forward, college coaches will become more similar to politicians and less like hard-nose military generals/tacticians . Just my opinion/prediction. Very intelligent guys like Coach Claeys will likely be relegated to coordinator positions because they simply don't have the skill-set/desire to attempt to insert themselves into every aspect of a local community.

I disagree with all of this.
 




I agree with everything in your first paragraph. My only bit of contention is that in the year 2017, I think the promotional aspects of the job are absolutely necessary for the vast majority of programs. Nick Saban, and the like, can get away with the "bunker mentality" because of their absurd success/track record/built-in enthusiasm within a given fanbase. But Saban is more the exception than the model. Fleck seems over-the-top but I think he is merely just ahead of the curve. As attention spans continue to shrink and entertainment options expand, I think the constant promoting of one's program within a community will become nearly as valued as the film room or game plan.

As we move forward, college coaches will become more similar to politicians and less like hard-nose military generals/tacticians . Just my opinion/prediction. Very intelligent guys like Coach Claeys will likely be relegated to coordinator positions because they simply don't have the skill-set/desire to attempt to insert themselves into every aspect of a local community.

Every job has a portion of salesmanship to it whether people want to believe it or not.


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To quote a famous poster "Big Ten wins" is all that matters. Maybe not to the flock of fleckers.

I think PJ really enjoys the spotlight and that's great for PR, etc but I'm not sure it will lead to sizeable attendance gains on their own. Big Ten Wins and beating the Badger will bring the house down.

It is not all about B1G wins. PJ is trying to Cub-a-fy the Gophers. I mean he is trying to bring back the devoted fan traditions of following your team because you feel a part of the team, the team is part of your family, your community. He is trying to build up the loyalty of fans in a state that is loaded with pro sport distractions. Winning is a big factor in gaining fan support, but if that is all you have then you are just riding the bandwagon. Just ask Claeys how much fan support you can get by just winning. It is much bigger than just being the flavor of the month.


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Every job has a portion of salesmanship to it whether people want to believe it or not.


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Agreed. And my overall point was this fact was only going to become more evident as we proceed into the future.
 

It is not all about B1G wins. PJ is trying to Cub-a-fy the Gophers. I mean he is trying to bring back the devoted fan traditions of following your team because you feel a part of the team, the team is part of your family, your community. He is trying to build up the loyalty of fans in a state that is loaded with pro sport distractions. Winning is a big factor in gaining fan support, but if that is all you have then you are just riding the bandwagon. Just ask Claeys how much fan support you can get by just winning. It is much bigger than just being the flavor of the month.


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Great post, I agree 100%. Fleck understands this part of being a college head coach as well as any coach in the nation.
 

And it will mean .0000 if he doesn't do well in the Big Ten slate. Don't get me wrong, I hope he does well and I think he will with the talent he's bringing in but if you think his salesmanship is going to mean anything without winning I wholeheartedly disagree. He will get the hook just like any other coach. Now, if he wins Big Ten games his salesmanship is a definite big plus because it adds to the total package and will likely lead to more sponsorships/donations. I don't have any verifiable data but I think fan interest in the Twins and Vikes corresponded to their World Series runs and the magical 98 season. That led to a new generation of fans. Winning is what will really drive interest in the program (and I think you're entitled to your opinion) and Fleck is just the cherry on top.
 

And it will mean .0000 if he doesn't do well in the Big Ten slate. Don't get me wrong, I hope he does well and I think he will with the talent he's bringing in but if you think his salesmanship is going to mean anything without winning I wholeheartedly disagree. He will get the hook just like any other coach. Now, if he wins Big Ten games his salesmanship is a definite big plus because it adds to the total package and will likely lead to more sponsorships/donations. I don't have any verifiable data but I think fan interest in the Twins and Vikes corresponded to their World Series runs and the magical 98 season. That led to a new generation of fans. Winning is what will really drive interest in the program (and I think you're entitled to your opinion) and Fleck is just the cherry on top.

Agreed.
 

I had to go look to confirm my suspicion but sure enough the Cubs were top 5 in roster salary last season. They spent about 80% more than the Twinks. Sometimes you can moneyball your way to success but it's a lot easier to compile a high voltage roster. Not dissing on the Cubs, it was a MAGNIFICENT world series but it's far from the scenario the Gophers are in. The Cubs have had many successful seasons and playoff runs and have a huge, diehard fanbase pre-built. It's apples and oranges.
 

The Cubs have had many successful seasons and playoff runs and have a huge, diehard fanbase pre-built. It's apples and oranges.

How do you think they did that? Was it all those World Series banners they were winning in the past century? Oh wait....
 

I'd wager it is a combination of things but I don't think filming ads for government recruiting services is high among them.

Most pro teams have playoff runs from time to time, some more than others. If you can find me a team that sells out stadiums and has not been to the playoffs in the last 8-10 years I'll shut up.
 

I'd wager it is a combination of things but I don't think filming ads for government recruiting services is high among them.

Most pro teams have playoff runs from time to time, some more than others. If you can find me a team that sells out stadiums and has not been to the playoffs in the last 8-10 years I'll shut up.

Nobody said this ad is why Minnesota will go from the lowest season attendance average to selling out the stadium every week.

It's not about this one ad. Look at the big picture.
 

To quote a famous poster "Big Ten wins" is all that matters. Maybe not to the flock of fleckers.

I think PJ really enjoys the spotlight and that's great for PR, etc but I'm not sure it will lead to sizeable attendance gains on their own. Big Ten Wins and beating the Badger will bring the house down.

It won't trump wins.

But I think state stuff like this does reflect an effort at the U to make it seem more relevant to folks not currently having anything to do with the university.

This maybe has more to do with PR for the whole university than just football.
 


Nobody said this ad is why Minnesota will go from the lowest season attendance average to selling out the stadium every week.

It's not about this one ad. Look at the big picture.

I am. I think you're projecting a little bit. Its nice he's doing these types of things but the honeymoon will be short-lived if he flops out of the gate. It's just the way it is.

You did get me thinking, how much were season ticket renewals/sales up vs last year?
 


I had to go look to confirm my suspicion but sure enough the Cubs were top 5 in roster salary last season. They spent about 80% more than the Twinks. Sometimes you can moneyball your way to success but it's a lot easier to compile a high voltage roster. Not dissing on the Cubs, it was a MAGNIFICENT world series but it's far from the scenario the Gophers are in. The Cubs have had many successful seasons and playoff runs and have a huge, diehard fanbase pre-built. It's apples and oranges.

The Cubs are a religion to many, win or not. We are trying to discuss thoughts not cliches.


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I'd wager it is a combination of things but I don't think filming ads for government recruiting services is high among them.

Most pro teams have playoff runs from time to time, some more than others. If you can find me a team that sells out stadiums and has not been to the playoffs in the last 8-10 years I'll shut up.

You sure are quick to belittle every thing they do and have a problem with seeing the big picture.


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You sure are quick to belittle every thing they do and have a problem with seeing the big picture.


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I think I've been pretty fair. Like I said, you're free to believe he can build a fervent fan base without winning and I'm free to disagree with it. I've said I like that he is doing outreach but I think it's a stretch to say that will lead to game day wins. I think IF he wins his personality will help drive that bus to greater heights. He's a great salesman but even great salesmen need a decent product.

I'm not the one comparing the Gophers to the Cubs. A relatively successful team that brought in a new manager, maybe helped management open the purse strings to become one of the biggest spenders in MLB, and finally got over the top. If you want to believe it was more about PR efforts than a hell of a roster that's fine.
 




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