Great article about the impending loss of UIC to the MVC...
Feb 11, 2022 12:38:22 GMT -6
SRT4driver, Spirit of Bruce, and 1 more like this
Post by PantherU on Feb 11, 2022 12:38:22 GMT -6
This isn't losing Butler. In basketball, UIC hasn't been a real benefit to the conference in almost 20 years. I'm sad about using another rival, sure.
Correct. It's UIC's choice.
Again, it's UIC's choice.
No one is in a rush to hold onto UIC for another year. They all voted for the optional language so if a school decided to exercise the option to leave early, the conference wouldn't be f***ed over. Big D WSU brings up a good point - it's hard as f*** to schedule, and now teams have to find two more games to play - but I'm also going to bring up the fact that it would be embarrassing as hell for the Horizon League to have UIC representing the conference in the NCAA Tournament for baseball with one foot out the door. Any wins there, any talk of UIC will be of how they are adding to the strength of the MVC in that sport.
They are hurting their own athletes. That's objectively true.
I value honesty. One of the reasons I first grew weary of our current AD - before she started purging the athletic department of all the loyal, long-standing employees - was because she was dishonest with me. To my face. Repeatedly.
So does UIC have to do this? Maybe. I think there's a way to sell the decision without lying about it, but what do I know? I only sell things for a living. I've never lied to a customer once. Several of them are on this message board, they'll tell you that's true.
I don't have a problem with UIC's administration making the decision. I have a problem with UIC's administration trying to cover their own asses instead of acknowledging their decision would have negative consequences for current student-athletes.
Using the word "outraged" in the title is f***ing outrageous. You've got clowns running your department, just like we have clowns running ours. The only difference is your clowns are new enough that the MVC doesn't know they're clowns yet, whereas my comrades and I did an excellent job letting the whole world know that our clowns are clowns.
Here, I'll even give you a script on how I would do it:
UIC Athletics is disappointed by the decision of the Horizon League Board to disqualify UIC student-athletes from winter and spring sport conference championships thus eliminating the opportunity for Flames to earn NCAA postseason automatic qualification.
"We had hoped that the Horizon League would grant our request for a waiver to allow our current student-athletes an opportunity to compete for automatic bids to the NCAA Tournaments," said Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz, after he had a moment to realize people can read between the f***ing lines. "While we knew this was a possibility, the benefits of moving to the Missouri Valley Conference sooner far outweighed the negative consequences of our action."
Lipitz went on. "Our UIC pride led us to search for stronger competition in the Missouri Valley Conference in the first place. Though the move will cost our winter and spring sport student-athletes from competing for the NCAA automatic bids this year, we believe that it's necessary to hit the ground running in the MVC, where our student-athletes will not be dependent on winning conference tournaments at the end of the year to gain bids to the NCAA Tournament."
"Transition is never easy, and for nearly 30 years we have been a supportive member of the Horizon League. We hope the conference chooses to reverse their decision, so our student-athletes have the chance to represent this conference one more time on the national level."
"We had hoped that the Horizon League would grant our request for a waiver to allow our current student-athletes an opportunity to compete for automatic bids to the NCAA Tournaments," said Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz, after he had a moment to realize people can read between the f***ing lines. "While we knew this was a possibility, the benefits of moving to the Missouri Valley Conference sooner far outweighed the negative consequences of our action."
Lipitz went on. "Our UIC pride led us to search for stronger competition in the Missouri Valley Conference in the first place. Though the move will cost our winter and spring sport student-athletes from competing for the NCAA automatic bids this year, we believe that it's necessary to hit the ground running in the MVC, where our student-athletes will not be dependent on winning conference tournaments at the end of the year to gain bids to the NCAA Tournament."
"Transition is never easy, and for nearly 30 years we have been a supportive member of the Horizon League. We hope the conference chooses to reverse their decision, so our student-athletes have the chance to represent this conference one more time on the national level."
This allows a few things:
#1, you get a dig in at the Horizon League for declining to grant the waiver.
#2, you turn the focus back to the fact that you're joining a better conference.
#3, you look reasonable enough that the general public will take your side.
#4, you appear to give the Horizon League an option to reverse their decision.
#5, you put the ball firmly back in their court.
#6, YOU DON'T LIE TO EVERYONE IN AN OBVIOUS WAY.
This sh*t ain't hard. That statement from Lipitz was full of lies and petty bullsh*t. He went low. Your SID should have been smart enough to stop him from being sh*tty like that.
Instead, with the way it is, I would as the Horizon League spend every second UIC comes up in media interviews talking about how this is addition by subtraction because their basketball team is dogsh*t and this frees up a spot to get a better program to strengthen the conference.
Would that be bullsh*t? Sure, but UIC is slinging bullsh*t so f*** them.
