FUBeAR wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:42 pm
PacoTisdale wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:16 pm
FUBeAR wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 5:25 pm
FUBeAR just doesn’t ‘get’ the point of putting 12-15 young men on a basketball court, that may (or may not) be part-time Furman students, wearing purple & white with “FURMAN” proudly emblazoned across their chests, if we almost certainly know almost none of them intend to become Furman graduates. Add in that we had to outbid Grand Canyon State to get them to become (casual labor) Paladins for 1 or 2 years and then we had to try, but failed, to outbid Murray State to keep them from leaving.
Seems to FUBeAR, at that point, we’re really just cheering for (and paying for…some of us) our desired color of laundry to score more baskets than another set of differently colored laundry.
If that’s good enough for you, FUBeAR says ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and you enjoy being you.
FUBeAR is gonna decide if he invests his freed-up time in bird-watching or spelunking. FUBeAR just ain’t that into laundry.
I think that this is a shortsighted and not nuanced approach to the situation.
Furman is supposed to be a place to set people up for success In life right? That’s what the whole “furman advantage” is about. It’s typically about getting your degree but the whole point of the degree is to set you up to get good jobs or to get into quality graduates schools plus the connections furman prides itself on helping you make. Point is that furman is intended to set people up for success in life and I think they do that and for 99% of students that looks like a degree.
For certain players through the INCREDIBLE development they go through as part of the basketball program they can get amazing opportunities to be a part of other extremely good basketball programs that can(in theory at least) give them more opportunities at a pro career and to make money playing basketball after college and now with NIL make more money playing basketball right now. Looks totally different than your average student getting a business degree but it’s still setting them up for success.
Things like shaming people for leaving or wanting to make people sign contracts to stay at furman a certain amount of time is the antithesis of what furman is all about.
It sucks when players leave and it hurts but I think of it like JP gave us so many amazing moments and as a school we grew him into the player and man that is going to get an opportunity at a high major school that he never would’ve had without furman.
Just because he’s not getting a degree from furman doesn’t mean his time at furman was not mutually beneficial and what the school is all about.
Interesting take.
A few notes…
“shortsighted and not nuanced” - maybe, maybe not - that’s an opinion to which you are entitled. You know, however, that just because you are saying it, that doesn’t make it a fact, right? And, this post of FUBeAR’s is all about “feelings.” This is FUBeAR expressing his “feelings” which aren’t wrong. They can’t be wrong because he FEELS them. That post is not about facts or opinions. All feels.
“Things like shaming people for leaving” - FUBeAR thinks you will be hard-pressed to cite an instance of FUBeAR shaming a person or even specifically identifiable groups of people “for leaving.” So, while that comment does attempt to score emotional points for your position, it is, FUBeAR believes, a mischaracterization that is out of line to include when you are quoting a FUBeAR post.
“…wanting to make people sign contracts to stay at furman a certain amount of time is the antithesis of what furman is all about.” - FUBeAR hasn’t said that here either, BTW. The poster who did say it did not flesh it out fully, but it’s not a position that hasn’t been discussed and already occurs within the realm of Collegiate Athletics and Furman University. In fact, Dartmouth Basketball Players (with the blessing (and encouragement, IFBO) of the current DoL) just voted to certify a Union to represent them and that Union will (assuming Dartmouth doesn’t drop their extremely unprofitable Men’s Basketball Team) be negotiating the Players’ CONTRACT with Dartmouth College. Also, Elizabeth Davis, Jason Donnelly, and Bob Richey all have contracts with Furman University. An NCAA LOI and Scholarship renewal documents are forms of contracts. While scholarships are currently 1 year renewable, that could change. Though not 100% certain, FUBeAR would speculate that every FU student (or their family) signs some type of contract with FU Housing. Also, you should realize all contracts can be broken and/or bought out. There is no servitude or slavery associated with being offered and accepting a contract. That ‘contracts’ piece of your comment is just naive. Sorry.
Now - on to your central point - which FUBeAR believes is something like…
“We all gain mutual benefit from the Players’ relationships with Furman, regardless of how long those relationships last or how they culminate academically. As long as we believe the individuals leave Furman as better Men & Women (in some way) and/or with real or perceived better short- and/or long-term opportunities in life (in some way), then we (fans and/or alums) should be pleased and fulfilled by the good work our school is doing for these few individuals and the good feelings those individuals gave us while they were associated with and ostensibly representing Furman.”
Welp…there’s certainly merit to that line of thinking. Reminds FUBeAR a little bit of the “Free Love” days he just missed out on in the late 60’s…dangit!
But…the 60’s (and “Free Love”) ended because “Free Love” was not a sustainable lifestyle. FUBeAR doesn’t think “Free Love” is going to be sustainable for college athletics either. The FAMILY has to grow and be replenished by young / younger people growing up within the family to sustain, survive, and flourish.
Need to close…could go on and on ad infinitum about the FFPA, and Frank Selvy, and what if David Thompson had played at 3 different schools….etc., etc…but won’t.
FUBeAR appreciates your viewpoint. It makes sense for this Insta (all about the “experience” and ME showing the world MY experience and the world ‘liking’ MY experience) era, but FUBeaR just ain’t FEELIN’ IT.
