Coyle Blog: Paying for Athletes Village

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
60,566
Reaction score
15,641
Points
113
per Coyle:

By Mark Coyle

I recently read multiple letters to the editor that reiterated a misconception about Gopher Athletics and, more specifically, the funding model for Athletes Village.

These letters inaccurately stated that University projects and programs may lack funding because athletics, and Athletes Village in particular, are being funded instead. That idea is false.

In fact, the Athletes Village is being completely paid for through private donations and athletics revenue. This has been shared in published media reports, has been publicly discussed at multiple Board of Regents meetings, and is clearly outlined on the fundraising campaign’s website, NothingShortOfGreatness.com.

Athletes Village does not impact funding for any campus ventures. Beyond this, I have heard concerns that spending on Athletes Village has an impact on tuition, or isn’t a responsible use of taxpayer money. These are also misconceptions that need to be cleared up. Neither tuition nor taxpayer money will be used to pay for Athletes Village.

Something that may fuel this misunderstanding is that the University is providing debt service – a loan – to bridge the difference between the total cost of the project (approximately $166 million) and the current fundraising total, which sits above $105 million and continues to grow. Our department is responsible to fully pay back the University for this loan, using future donations and athletics revenue as I mentioned before.

The University’s support of the project has been critical to reaching this point and is greatly appreciated, but that support does not include any permanent financing.

It is disappointing these misconceptions about financing for Gopher Athletics and the Athletes Village continue to surface, but I understand that it’s on me, and my staff, to correct these misconceptions. We will do a more intentional job of sharing this important message.

The Athletes Village is a significant jump forward for Gopher Athletics. We now have a nutrition center that will not only feed all of our student-athletes, but welcome all students our facilities for breakfast or lunch if they would like. We dramatically expanded our academic center and leadership center, allowing us to better prepare student-athletes for successful careers after sport. We also added modern training spaces for football, and men’s and women’s basketball, which will ultimately free up existing spaces in our current buildings to upgrade facilities for many more of our teams.

Opening Athletes Village is a key moment in our department’s effort to upgrade the facilities our student-athletes use to study and train each day. We are proud of our fundraising for the Athletes Village to this point – already the largest fundraising total for a single project in the department’s history – and we are so appreciative to the many, many donors who have invested in our student-athletes by giving to Athletes Village. I hope everyone who supported this project is as proud as we are to open its doors to Gopher student-athletes.

http://www.gophersports.com/genrel/013118aaa.html

Go Gophers!!
 


Time that the U hire a public relations/image consultant to help Mark Coyle?
 

People will continue to believe what they want to believe.
 

People will continue to believe what they want to believe.

The cities are taking all the funding from the rural communities OMG!

There are no go zones in Minneapolis!

and so on and so on ... sad stuff
 



So MC is complaining about misunderstandings about a topic he is responsible for providing communications on? If not MC, who is responsible for getting the public to properly understand this topic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

So MC is complaining about misunderstandings about a topic he is responsible for providing communications on? If not MC, who is responsible for getting the public to properly understand this topic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The media, board of regents, the president. If Coyle is responding to something in the paper, the paper should vet before publishing.
 

So MC is complaining about misunderstandings about a topic he is responsible for providing communications on? If not MC, who is responsible for getting the public to properly understand this topic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He is really more of a behind the scenes guy!
 



The media, board of regents, the president. If Coyle is responding to something in the paper, the paper should vet before publishing.

If you're the AD though... that's your job too to get after this stuff.
 


The media, board of regents, the president. If Coyle is responding to something in the paper, the paper should vet before publishing.

Coyle's blog is likely in response to comments by subscribers on newspaper articles about the new facility. The Gopher haters are there after every article in full force, with their off target information / opinions.
 

Coyle's blog is likely in response to comments by subscribers on newspaper articles about the new facility. The Gopher haters are there after every article in full force, with their off target information / opinions.

Truly hope he is spending his time more wisely...
 




So MC is complaining about misunderstandings about a topic he is responsible for providing communications on? If not MC, who is responsible for getting the public to properly understand this topic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

" but I understand that it’s on me, and my staff, to correct these misconceptions. We will do a more intentional job of sharing this important message."

He seems to acknowledge that here.
 

The media, board of regents, the president. If Coyle is responding to something in the paper, the paper should vet before publishing.

Well, Coyle did state in his first sentence, Letters to the Editor which typically are not "vetted", to the best of my knowledge, as they are mere opinion pieces from readers regardless if they have all their facts straight.
 

" but I understand that it’s on me, and my staff, to correct these misconceptions. We will do a more intentional job of sharing this important message."

He seems to acknowledge that here.

I figured someone would grab that. Sure, if you ignore the entire beginning of the blog entry where he blames everyone and everything but himself and grab just that paragraph out of context, then he is blaming himself (well, actually just saying he is responsible for correcting it). Of course, most of us have figured out MC's 'style' by now and it isn't a good look at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

So MC is complaining about misunderstandings about a topic he is responsible for providing communications on? If not MC, who is responsible for getting the public to properly understand this topic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There's no way I'm blaming Coyle for this perpetuation of misinformation. People believe what they want to believe and ignore what they don't. How many millions of "birthers" are still out there spouting nonsense, despite all the evidence to the contrary? That's not lack of message or lack of clarity, it's willful disregard by the audience.

You have to be a fool or have an agenda to ignore what the university has stated, over and over and over again, about funding.

It's not about Coyle not talking. It's about people not listening. That's not his fault.
 

I agree, the U needs to do better in the area of getting the message out on all topics.

Did Coyle really only put this out on his blog? It should be in the paper(s).
 

Well, Coyle did state in his first sentence, Letters to the Editor which typically are not "vetted", to the best of my knowledge, as they are mere opinion pieces from readers regardless if they have all their facts straight.

While I get the tradition.... I wonder at what point in the age of fake news a paper maybe should think about not publishing some editor if it is blatantly factually incorrect... or at least let someone respond right next to it immediately.
 

Did Coyle really only put this out on his blog? It should be in the paper(s).

Hopefully that happens.

The trib, if it's publishing this stuff that is straight up wrong as far as finances goes should at least give Coyle equal time.
 

There's no way I'm blaming Coyle for this perpetuation of misinformation. People believe what they want to believe and ignore what they don't. How many millions of "birthers" are still out there spouting nonsense, despite all the evidence to the contrary? That's not lack of message or lack of clarity, it's willful disregard by the audience.

You have to be a fool or have an agenda to ignore what the university has stated, over and over and over again, about funding.

It's not about Coyle not talking. It's about people not listening. That's not his fault.

And for proof: the post you're responding to.
 

And for proof: the post you're responding to.

Right. If you don't agree than it is foolish or an agenda. Gasp.

Can I add Coyle to my crusade? I love a good crusade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

To be fair (and I’m not close to an expert on the financial shell games/accounting practices at the U) perhaps most years the university has kicked in at least a few million to the A.D. I believe there were some years of profitability recently but I don’t have the relevant links.

One would think that with the recent enormous increase in tv profit-sharing revenue there wouldn’t be a need for those types of injections and the department could self-fund entirely most years.

To summarize, I can see where some of the confusion arises from and Joe Citizen doesn’t read Gopherhole everyday or know that BTN/Fox/ESPN money is a thing.
 

People believe what they want to believe and ignore what they don't. How many millions of "birthers" are still out there spouting nonsense, despite all the evidence to the contrary? That's not lack of message or lack of clarity, it's willful disregard by the audience.
.

Spoofin = flat-earther. Got it. jk
 

Right. If you don't agree than it is foolish or an agenda. Gasp.

Can I add Coyle to my crusade? I love a good crusade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. Has the university not stated over and over and over again how the facility is being funded?
 

I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. Has the university not stated over and over and over again how the facility is being funded?

I am annoyed that MCoyle is complaining (again) about misunderstandings when he is in charge of communicating the topic clearly. I blame him. Others don't. That is the disagreement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I am annoyed that MCoyle is complaining (again) about misunderstandings when he is in charge of communicating the topic clearly. I blame him. Others don't. That is the disagreement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fair enough.
 

I figured someone would grab that. Sure, if you ignore the entire beginning of the blog entry where he blames everyone and everything but himself and grab just that paragraph out of context, then he is blaming himself (well, actually just saying he is responsible for correcting it). Of course, most of us have figured out MC's 'style' by now and it isn't a good look at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is almost impossible to win over people who don't care about facts and just want to complain.

Complainers: Why are you using my tax dollars for this?
AD: We aren't. All the money for this project is coming from private donations and loans that we are required to pay back.
Complainers: Fine, but why didn't you tell me this?
AD: It says so right on the web site and on all marketing materials for the Athlete's Village. Did you check any of those things?
Complainers: No. But you should have made that more clear.
AD: Ok, I'll try to do a better job of that.
Complainers: Not good enough. You need to take more responsibility for not telling me that you aren't using any of my tax money!
 

To be fair (and I’m not close to an expert on the financial shell games/accounting practices at the U) perhaps most years the university has kicked in at least a few million to the A.D. I believe there were some years of profitability recently but I don’t have the relevant links.

One would think that with the recent enormous increase in tv profit-sharing revenue there wouldn’t be a need for those types of injections and the department could self-fund entirely most years.

To summarize, I can see where some of the confusion arises from and Joe Citizen doesn’t read Gopherhole everyday or know that BTN/Fox/ESPN money is a thing.

I guess the hope is that Joe Citizen would do a little bit of homework before writing a letter to a newspaper about it. But maybe it's crazy to expect someone to do any sort of information-gathering before formulating an outraged opinion. Even the minimum amount of research aka a Google search would have produced the answer to Joe Citizen's issue with this.
 




Top Bottom