Baseball Dropped (Updated)

[Affirm]

Like every other school FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.

I’m sure they’ve got an angle they use to argue compliance. I would rather not believe we have been in willful and knowing violation of the law. But for sure, when cuts have to be made, cutting all men’s sports will make compliance easier.

FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.
RESPONSE:
- How long have we had several people instead of just 1 or 2?
- How many other responsibilities do those people have? - How much clout have they had?
- Is it possible that Buddie and his predecessor did not focus on this enough, but Donnelly was hired the expectation that he would focus on it among so many other things?
- How much did these several people get paid? If Furman fired them, as you suggest, how much would we need to add to the budget to get more competent people? I am not saying the ones we have are not competent?
- Small adjustments all along - maybe none of the men's sports coaches, nor their AD, would allow adjustments, i.e., having scholarships taken away from their teams; maybe small adjustments all along were just taking TOO long to show results, if the men's sports coaches, or their AD, were allowing any.

So you’re telling me that FU engaged in willful and knowing violation of federal law for years, then had a change of heart a few months ago. So they decided to get right by eliminating 2 men’s sports and creating a cover story about financial difficulties to cover their tracks. Damn, didn’t think they had it in them, but I see what you’re saying.

Incorrect.

[FGT]

Like every other school FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.

I’m sure they’ve got an angle they use to argue compliance. I would rather not believe we have been in willful and knowing violation of the law. But for sure, when cuts have to be made, cutting all men’s sports will make compliance easier.

FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.
RESPONSE:
- How long have we had several people instead of just 1 or 2?
- How many other responsibilities do those people have? - How much clout have they had?
- Is it possible that Buddie and his predecessor did not focus on this enough, but Donnelly was hired the expectation that he would focus on it among so many other things?
- How much did these several people get paid? If Furman fired them, as you suggest, how much would we need to add to the budget to get more competent people? I am not saying the ones we have are not competent?
- Small adjustments all along - maybe none of the men's sports coaches, nor their AD, would allow adjustments, i.e., having scholarships taken away from their teams; maybe small adjustments all along were just taking TOO long to show results, if the men's sports coaches, or their AD, were allowing any.

So you’re telling me that FU engaged in willful and knowing violation of federal law for years, then had a change of heart a few months ago. So they decided to get right by eliminating 2 men’s sports and creating a cover story about financial difficulties to cover their tracks. Damn, didn’t think they had it in them, but I see what you’re saying.

Incorrect.

Didn’t Furman recently settle out of court in a Title IX investigation with a former student over a sexual harrasment case?

[Roundball]

[Roundball]

[Roundball]

“CAA plan will reduce College of Charleston’s travel costs, but also cut conference games.”
https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/c ... aae90.html

[Affirm]

“CAA plan will reduce College of Charleston’s travel costs, but also cut conference games.”
https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/c ... aae90.html

Makes sense.
CAA footprint 1000 miles.
SoCon “only” 560.
But SoCon could do something similar whereby Furman might be able to avoid travel to Samford, UTC, VMI, in certain sports, similar to how CofC next year will have to go only to Elon and Wilmington in certain sports.

[Affirm]

For what it’s worth, and I believe it is worth at least noting and considering, I have an observation about the degree to which Blacks are represented in the rosters of college baseball.
It seems that Blacks (or African-Americans, if one prefers that designation) are significantly under-represented, nationally, in college baseball.
This was true in the 2020 Furman baseball team roster, even if it is also apparent that certain other Furman teams besides baseball had a similar situation, and even if a majority of all the other college baseball teams in the nation have a similar situation.
This could be one small piece, at least, in the decision-making calculation of what sport(s) to maintain and what sport(s) to not be able to continue to maintain.

[apaladin]

For what it’s worth, and I believe it is worth at least noting and considering, I have an observation about the degree to which Blacks are represented in the rosters of college baseball.
It seems that Blacks (or African-Americans, if one prefers that designation) are significantly under-represented, nationally, in college baseball.
This was true in the 2020 Furman baseball team roster, even if it is also apparent that certain other Furman teams besides baseball had a similar situation, and even if a majority of all the other college baseball teams in the nation have a similar situation.
This could be one small piece, at least, in the decision-making calculation of what sport(s) to maintain and what sport(s) to not be able to continue to maintain.

You’re really reaching for straws now. It was a bad decision period.

[fufanatic]

Considering the talent that's gone elsewhere and how below average the team was with said talent, if Furman baseball is able to come back sooner rather than later, those first few years are going to be absolutely brutal as the coaches rebuild confidence in the Furman baseball brand. I hope all the people that are upset with the university's decision will be knocking on the door for tickets regardless.

[Furmanoid]

For what it’s worth, and I believe it is worth at least noting and considering, I have an observation about the degree to which Blacks are represented in the rosters of college baseball.
It seems that Blacks (or African-Americans, if one prefers that designation) are significantly under-represented, nationally, in college baseball.
This was true in the 2020 Furman baseball team roster, even if it is also apparent that certain other Furman teams besides baseball had a similar situation, and even if a majority of all the other college baseball teams in the nation have a similar situation.
This could be one small piece, at least, in the decision-making calculation of what sport(s) to maintain and what sport(s) to not be able to continue to maintain.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right about this one.

[FGT]

For what it’s worth, and I believe it is worth at least noting and considering, I have an observation about the degree to which Blacks are represented in the rosters of college baseball.
It seems that Blacks (or African-Americans, if one prefers that designation) are significantly under-represented, nationally, in college baseball.
This was true in the 2020 Furman baseball team roster, even if it is also apparent that certain other Furman teams besides baseball had a similar situation, and even if a majority of all the other college baseball teams in the nation have a similar situation.
This could be one small piece, at least, in the decision-making calculation of what sport(s) to maintain and what sport(s) to not be able to continue to maintain.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right about this one.

Basically every sport at Furman besides M & W basketball and football have the same situation so I don’t think this had anything to do with it. College baseball rosters have always been underrepresented among the African American community because of lower sport participation rates in the community and the lack of available baseball scholarships. Virtually all basketball and football scholarships are 100% aid. Most baseball are not even 40%. Plus the MLB draft has many of the very best going pro out of high school.

[MetroMizzy]

For what it’s worth, and I believe it is worth at least noting and considering, I have an observation about the degree to which Blacks are represented in the rosters of college baseball.
It seems that Blacks (or African-Americans, if one prefers that designation) are significantly under-represented, nationally, in college baseball.
This was true in the 2020 Furman baseball team roster, even if it is also apparent that certain other Furman teams besides baseball had a similar situation, and even if a majority of all the other college baseball teams in the nation have a similar situation.
This could be one small piece, at least, in the decision-making calculation of what sport(s) to maintain and what sport(s) to not be able to continue to maintain.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right about this one.

Basically every sport at Furman besides M & W basketball and football have the same situation so I don’t think this had anything to do with it. College baseball rosters have always been underrepresented among the African American community because of lower sport participation rates in the community and the lack of available baseball scholarships. Virtually all basketball and football scholarships are 100% aid. Most baseball are not even 40%. Plus the MLB draft has many of the very best going pro out of high school.

It's actually not worth noting at all and you put it out there to get political and start an argument that has literally nothing to do with the decision Furman made. If a player is good enough to play at Furman and wants to play at Furman, he'll go to Furman regardless of his/her race. That's it and I'm not going to engage in this bogus narrative any further.

[Affirm]

For what it’s worth, and I believe it is worth at least noting and considering, I have an observation about the degree to which Blacks are represented in the rosters of college baseball.
It seems that Blacks (or African-Americans, if one prefers that designation) are significantly under-represented, nationally, in college baseball.
This was true in the 2020 Furman baseball team roster, even if it is also apparent that certain other Furman teams besides baseball had a similar situation, and even if a majority of all the other college baseball teams in the nation have a similar situation.
This could be one small piece, at least, in the decision-making calculation of what sport(s) to maintain and what sport(s) to not be able to continue to maintain.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right about this one.

Basically every sport at Furman besides M & W basketball and football have the same situation so I don’t think this had anything to do with it. College baseball rosters have always been underrepresented among the African American community because of lower sport participation rates in the community and the lack of available baseball scholarships. Virtually all basketball and football scholarships are 100% aid. Most baseball are not even 40%. Plus the MLB draft has many of the very best going pro out of high school.

It's actually not worth noting at all and you put it out there to get political and start an argument that has literally nothing to do with the decision Furman made. If a player is good enough to play at Furman and wants to play at Furman, he'll go to Furman regardless of his/her race. That's it and I'm not going to engage in this bogus narrative any further.

Nothing bogus here.
It IS time to engage in all aspects of discussing race.
If we do not, our nation suffers, and our state, county, city, university, ALL, suffer.
You can choose to avoid it, but it does relate in some way to the matter you are grieving, the discontinuation of baseball.
Affirm DID STATE that it "could be one small piece". Affirm is not, as alleged by apaladin, "reaching for straws." It could be one small piece. What Affirm has written is factual.
More importantly, and with emphasis, again, that Affirm does not write the factual statements about college baseball to allege or insinuate racism by any persons involved in Furman baseball but just to express an observation of facts that "COULD be one small piece", below is something that Affirm shares now In case you have not seen it, or if you have and need to be reminded.
This was published yesterday.
(By the way, the Furman women's basketball team has already spoken out "as one" with a tweet of their video of brief statements by members of that team.)

**** excerpts from letter that recently went to the Furman campus community from President Davis and senior leadership of Furman (which includes the Athletics Director)
The letter was shared 6/3/2020 with all Furman alumni, by the Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, who asked as she shared it, “During this difficult time in our country, may the Furman Family unite in spirit and stand together as one.”

Dear Campus Community,
…
… events … remind us that we – at Furman and across our country – need to do so much more. …[to confront] stark, systemic and institutional realities of racial injustice in America … [that] says through words and actions that black lives are expendable.

… important for our entire community to understand that …circumstances have affected … African American students, faculty and staff in countless ways, reflecting a burden carried by many African Americans …. we ask that each of us takes time to reflect …consider the collective trauma experienced ….

Our request is … empathy … caring, … a conviction and a call to collective action. As a community, do we understand what it’s like to be an African American student, faculty or staff member? Have we asked or otherwise sought to understand? And, if we collectively knew the answers, would they lead us to say or do things differently?

… recommit ourselves to acknowledging racism and … working with African American students, faculty, staff and others in our community in ways that are affirming, supportive and understanding of the cultural trauma they have experienced. In confronting … our hope is that we can have … understanding of what it takes to build a beloved community, where equity and inclusion permeate all that we are and all that we do.

[Roundball]

Looks like the effort to save the program is done.

[apaladin]

Very sad. I truly believe Furman will live to regret this decision. It will haunt them for years to come. They have turned off the Greenville community at a time when it seemed the Greenville community was starting to finally embrace the university. Many people were just starting to discover FU. Many if not most are now lost.