Maxell
Official BDF member
Director of BDF Marketing
Posts: 12,469
|
Post by Maxell on Feb 7, 2020 20:00:56 GMT -5
I always thought there would be a team meeting when it comes to something like this . We have 17 teams. When would you have it? In the old days, yes. Today, it's on Twitter as soon as you utter it so you may as well tell everybody at once.
|
|
|
Post by lenman1 on Feb 7, 2020 20:18:32 GMT -5
This is what happens when you make a unilateral decision without informing stakeholders and eliminating any forum for analyzing the feasibility. It's obvious no one was told so the decision could not be challenged. Whether you agree or disagree, the entire process was tainted from jump street back in August when the Athletic Assessment Committee was created and their findings kept under wraps. So glad to see our premier players like Tarik, Brandon and Jah Maine have the courage to express their opinions. If the process is above board it does not matter whether you have 20 teams or what social media platform exposes the situation because you have acted honorably and with accountability to the entire Aggie family. The Big South pursued us for a reason (we are a big ticket item who we owe largely to the CB and our standing in the MEAC) and is the big winner in this deal.
|
|
Maxell
Official BDF member
Director of BDF Marketing
Posts: 12,469
|
Post by Maxell on Feb 7, 2020 20:57:41 GMT -5
This is what happens when you make a unilateral decision without informing stakeholders and eliminating any forum for analyzing the feasibility. It's obvious no one was told so the decision could not be challenged. Whether you agree or disagree, the entire process was tainted from jump street back in August when the Athletic Assessment Committee was created and their findings kept under wraps. So glad to see our premier players like Tarik, Brandon and Jah Maine have the courage to express their opinions. If the process is above board it does not matter whether you have 20 teams or what social media platform exposes the situation because you have acted honorably and with accountability to the entire Aggie family. The Big South pursued us for a reason (we are a big ticket item who we owe largely to the CB and our standing in the MEAC) and is the big winner in this deal. If a few more schools in the conference had their damn act together, we wouldn't be having this conversation because the MEAC would be a strong conference with every school being fiscally and directionally viable. That is obviously not the case. Therein lies the problem. The process was fine. Just because we didn't get a chance to sit in the room does not make it a bad process. This began five years ago, five years ago. Most of us on this board knew that. Then Hampton moved. Hello? The problem is when reality hit us this morning we got all in our feelings about it. It has nothing to do with the process. You're either confident they examined every aspect of the decision or you are not, period. As Black folk, we have been programmed to think we can't act Black unless we are among ourselves which causes us to diminish our own culture without provocation. So, we are assuming that the Omegas can't step the same against Gardner-Webb or the band can't play hip hop against Campbell. Neither of those things are true. The danger becomes that we become even more "wine and cheese" because we perceive that it is the right thing to do. We have to exemplify the culture in the midst our new surroundings. Will it be hard to do? Yes. Things like the pre-game "dance off" vs Norfolk State will test the culture. Club Corbett will test the culture. The BGMM doing the tunnel back into the stands will test the culture. Fans showing up to a Monmouth football game in November in November when both teams are undefeated will test the culture. Figuring out how to talk shat to these new foes without offending them or worse yet confusing them. LOL There was nothing wrong with the process, it's the outcome that you're mad about.
|
|
|
Post by ALLnAggie on Feb 7, 2020 21:12:55 GMT -5
I wonder what everyone would be saying if today’s announcement was that the MEAC was folding because two schools lost their accreditation and our administration knew is was going to happen but they stayed the course to preserve tradition?
|
|
|
Post by Aggie One on Feb 7, 2020 21:40:03 GMT -5
This is a good synopsis by WXII Channel 12 Sports Director Chris Lea of what he believes brought about the search for a new home which began 5 years ago and the circumstances that finally sealed the decision to make the move now. I say he nailed it. Self preservation is the strongest instinct in any living creature. Institutions of higher learning and the business of D-1 athletics are no different. Move now while you still have leverage to call your own shot or keep hoping things around you somehow get better but be overtaken later on with little or no survival options at your disposal. /
|
|
VA's Finest
Official BDF member
BDF Riders
Posts: 3,018
|
Post by VA's Finest on Feb 7, 2020 21:45:50 GMT -5
Everyone that is upset because they were consulted specifically about this decision, need to relax.
Do you know how many decisions are made daily in this, your country for the direction of the country? How many of those were you directly involved with? Also, unless your own your on business how many decisions are made at your organization for its future are included in? These choices are made all the time and for the most part you go about your business and continue to be the best constituent/employee you can be.
Just like these scenarios, a GROUP (Congress, focus groups), not an individual was charged with researching this opportunity and to make a sensible recommendation to the board to vote on.
Also like these scenarios we have an opportunity to be included if we run for office or join the focus group. If we are not in that group than believe in the group on place because you to believe said group has the organization's best interest at heart.
There is nothing to gain individually for those who made the decision, so I trust they want what's best for the university going forward.
|
|
oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 24,244
|
Post by oleschoolaggie on Feb 7, 2020 22:24:42 GMT -5
hey, i can only speak for myself, but i feel a sense of "betrayal" to the meac by this university. sorry, but i'm a "loyalist" by nature. i don't believe in abandoning "family", don't believe in turning my back on fellow hbcu's. that conference "needs" a&t and we let them down. so now a&t wants to have their cake and eat it too by playing nccu in an ooc game? there ain't nothing that we can accomplish in the big south that could not be accomplished in the meac. the reason why i won't feel the same sense of "rivalry" with nccu if we play them as members of the big south is because i feel a sense of "betrayal", i feel that we'll be "using" nccu and any other meac school that we schedule. we'll be using them because we want the benefits of playing them but yet at the same time we "abandoned" them, we abandoned the very conference that we founded just for the "perceived" sake of the greener pastures of the big south. i feel the ony way we should schedule meac or swac schools in the future is if those schools ask to play us first rather than the other way around. i don't like this idea of becoming members of a pwc conference but still want the benefits of playing meac members who we "abandoned". i feel like we're turning our backs on who we are. we're an hbcu, we belong in an hbcu conference... I understand what you're saying but I just don't feel that. Let me ask you this, are there five(5) other schools in the MEAC that have the same vision for their athletics teams in all 16 sports? and of those five, which ones are ready now or would be ready in the next 2 years? Think of the presidents at the other MEAC schools and think of Martin. When A&T helped form the MEAC in 1971, there was a group of schools that had a common vision to move into the mainstream of college athletics as a group, a group of Black schools. Almost 50 years later, the group relatively is in the same place. After 50 years, isn't it time to move again? Isn't it time to push the envelope again? It would be nice if there was a group of HBCUs that were ready, but they are not ready yet. Our schools don't have the money to be spread that far apart. Three MEAC schools have been in the headlines recently regarding money issues. Whether it's exaggerated or not,that is not a good look. People only invest money in good soil. Don't you think 50 years is enough dedication to group mediocrity? That is not abandonment. A&T is not a trailblazer in this kind of effort, but someone has to take the baton further around the track. When I see how FAMU and Alcorn are producing fake news, fake parades, and fake trophies about their accomplishment in football, that reveals a mentality that is frankly beneath the great institution that I graduated from and is an indicator of mediocrity. Oh how I wish there were five or six other HBCUs that we ready dedicate themselves to superiority in all sports but as hard as I try I can't name them. Do we wait for them? If so how long,50 more years? i don't expect everyone to feel the same way i do, that's why stated clearly that i can only speak for myself. but in response to your questions, i'll refer to the statement that i made in my previous post which is "there ain't nothing that we can accomplish in the big south that could not be accomplished in the meac." none of the meac schools you referred to held us back from excelling in football or track and field. its not about what the other meac members are doing or not doing. its about what we do. nobody in the meac is responsible for our accomplishments and that's because our leadership did what they're suppose to do regardless of what the rest of the conference does. so while other meac schools may struggle, that doesn't mean we have to. joining the big south isn't gonna improve our athletics, we improve our athletics because of the leadership that we have whether or not we're in the meac or the big south...
|
|
Maxell
Official BDF member
Director of BDF Marketing
Posts: 12,469
|
Post by Maxell on Feb 7, 2020 22:51:36 GMT -5
I understand what you're saying but I just don't feel that. Let me ask you this, are there five(5) other schools in the MEAC that have the same vision for their athletics teams in all 16 sports? and of those five, which ones are ready now or would be ready in the next 2 years? Think of the presidents at the other MEAC schools and think of Martin. When A&T helped form the MEAC in 1971, there was a group of schools that had a common vision to move into the mainstream of college athletics as a group, a group of Black schools. Almost 50 years later, the group relatively is in the same place. After 50 years, isn't it time to move again? Isn't it time to push the envelope again? It would be nice if there was a group of HBCUs that were ready, but they are not ready yet. Our schools don't have the money to be spread that far apart. Three MEAC schools have been in the headlines recently regarding money issues. Whether it's exaggerated or not,that is not a good look. People only invest money in good soil. Don't you think 50 years is enough dedication to group mediocrity? That is not abandonment. A&T is not a trailblazer in this kind of effort, but someone has to take the baton further around the track. When I see how FAMU and Alcorn are producing fake news, fake parades, and fake trophies about their accomplishment in football, that reveals a mentality that is frankly beneath the great institution that I graduated from and is an indicator of mediocrity. Oh how I wish there were five or six other HBCUs that we ready dedicate themselves to superiority in all sports but as hard as I try I can't name them. Do we wait for them? If so how long,50 more years? i don't expect everyone to feel the same way i do, that's why stated clearly that i can only speak for myself. but in response to your questions, i'll refer to the statement that i made in my previous post which is "there ain't nothing that we can accomplish in the big south that could not be accomplished in the meac." none of the meac schools you referred to held us back from excelling in football or track and field. its not about what the other meac members are doing or not doing. its about what we do. nobody in the meac is responsible for our accomplishments and that's because our leadership did what they're suppose to do regardless of what the rest of the conference does. so while other meac schools may struggle, that doesn't mean we have to. joining the big south isn't gonna improve our athletics, we improve our athletics because of the leadership that we have whether or not we're in the meac or the big south... My point is not whether we struggle, my point I can not wait for you if you are not ready. And you cannot complain that I left you.
|
|
|
Post by outsidethinker on Feb 7, 2020 22:54:52 GMT -5
I understand what you're saying but I just don't feel that. Let me ask you this, are there five(5) other schools in the MEAC that have the same vision for their athletics teams in all 16 sports? and of those five, which ones are ready now or would be ready in the next 2 years? Think of the presidents at the other MEAC schools and think of Martin. When A&T helped form the MEAC in 1971, there was a group of schools that had a common vision to move into the mainstream of college athletics as a group, a group of Black schools. Almost 50 years later, the group relatively is in the same place. After 50 years, isn't it time to move again? Isn't it time to push the envelope again? It would be nice if there was a group of HBCUs that were ready, but they are not ready yet. Our schools don't have the money to be spread that far apart. Three MEAC schools have been in the headlines recently regarding money issues. Whether it's exaggerated or not,that is not a good look. People only invest money in good soil. Don't you think 50 years is enough dedication to group mediocrity? That is not abandonment. A&T is not a trailblazer in this kind of effort, but someone has to take the baton further around the track. When I see how FAMU and Alcorn are producing fake news, fake parades, and fake trophies about their accomplishment in football, that reveals a mentality that is frankly beneath the great institution that I graduated from and is an indicator of mediocrity. Oh how I wish there were five or six other HBCUs that we ready dedicate themselves to superiority in all sports but as hard as I try I can't name them. Do we wait for them? If so how long,50 more years? i don't expect everyone to feel the same way i do, that's why stated clearly that i can only speak for myself. but in response to your questions, i'll refer to the statement that i made in my previous post which is "there ain't nothing that we can accomplish in the big south that could not be accomplished in the meac." none of the meac schools you referred to held us back from excelling in football or track and field. its not about what the other meac members are doing or not doing. its about what we do. nobody in the meac is responsible for our accomplishments and that's because our leadership did what they're suppose to do regardless of what the rest of the conference does. so while other meac schools may struggle, that doesn't mean we have to. joining the big south isn't gonna improve our athletics, we improve our athletics because of the leadership that we have whether or not we're in the meac or the big south... I agree to some extent, but the Big South raises the bar for us to compete. In the Meac we set the bar. The goal in the MEAC and SWAC is to just win the games on the schedule, once you get blown out in all of your OOC games then the goal is to just beat A&T. It burns me up everytime one of us(All hbcu members) respond with "We'll be just fine once we get into conference play". That's such a defeated mentality. In high school our kids are taught to compete against everyone regardless of the race. Be the best you can be. Once they join the MEAC or SWAC(our D2 hbcus perform better OOC)the goal becomes "hey let's not worry about the rest of the world, let's just be the top black school amongst the bottom conferences which are black". A change was needed. Why be the best amongst just HBCUs when we can be the best period?
|
|
oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 24,244
|
Post by oleschoolaggie on Feb 7, 2020 23:22:44 GMT -5
i don't expect everyone to feel the same way i do, that's why stated clearly that i can only speak for myself. but in response to your questions, i'll refer to the statement that i made in my previous post which is "there ain't nothing that we can accomplish in the big south that could not be accomplished in the meac." none of the meac schools you referred to held us back from excelling in football or track and field. its not about what the other meac members are doing or not doing. its about what we do. nobody in the meac is responsible for our accomplishments and that's because our leadership did what they're suppose to do regardless of what the rest of the conference does. so while other meac schools may struggle, that doesn't mean we have to. joining the big south isn't gonna improve our athletics, we improve our athletics because of the leadership that we have whether or not we're in the meac or the big south... My point is not whether we struggle, my point I can not wait for you if you are not ready. And you cannot complain that I left you. maxell, i understand your point. but i'm saying in response to your point that our success is not dependent on the rest of the meac. i'm saying that the rest of the meac wasn't holding us back from excelling in football and track and field. i don't agree that our success is dependent on the other members of any conference including the big south. just because the rest of the conference hasn't made the strides that we have doesn't mean they're holding us back. i don't see it that way...
|
|
Maxell
Official BDF member
Director of BDF Marketing
Posts: 12,469
|
Post by Maxell on Feb 7, 2020 23:27:27 GMT -5
My point is not whether we struggle, my point I can not wait for you if you are not ready. And you cannot complain that I left you. maxell, i understand your point. but i'm saying in response to your point that our success is not dependent on the rest of the meac. i'm saying that the rest of the meac wasn't holding us back from excelling in football and track and field. i don't agree that our success is dependent on the other members of any conference including the big south. just because the rest of the conference hasn't made the strides that we have doesn't mean they're holding us back. i don't see it that way... Oh OK I understand.
|
|
oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 24,244
|
Post by oleschoolaggie on Feb 7, 2020 23:32:31 GMT -5
i don't expect everyone to feel the same way i do, that's why stated clearly that i can only speak for myself. but in response to your questions, i'll refer to the statement that i made in my previous post which is "there ain't nothing that we can accomplish in the big south that could not be accomplished in the meac." none of the meac schools you referred to held us back from excelling in football or track and field. its not about what the other meac members are doing or not doing. its about what we do. nobody in the meac is responsible for our accomplishments and that's because our leadership did what they're suppose to do regardless of what the rest of the conference does. so while other meac schools may struggle, that doesn't mean we have to. joining the big south isn't gonna improve our athletics, we improve our athletics because of the leadership that we have whether or not we're in the meac or the big south... I agree to some extent, but the Big South raises the bar for us to compete. In the Meac we set the bar. The goal in the MEAC and SWAC is to just win the games on the schedule, once you get blown out in all of your OOC games then the goal is to just beat A&T. It burns me up everytime one of us(All hbcu members) respond with "We'll be just fine once we get into conference play". That's such a defeated mentality. In high school our kids are taught to compete against everyone regardless of the race. Be the best you can be. Once they join the MEAC or SWAC(our D2 hbcus perform better OOC)the goal becomes "hey let's not worry about the rest of the world, let's just be the top black school amongst the bottom conferences which are black". A change was needed. Why be the best amongst just HBCUs when we can be the best period? i don't agree that the big south "raises the bar" for us. and i don't agree that the meac is holding us back. right now, we have the best men's track program amongst any other midmajor d1 school in the entire country. so how is the big south raising the bar for us when we're already better in track than any team in any fcs conference? a conference in and of itself doesn't raise the bar for a single university. we set our own bar, we can be as successful as we're able to fund our success. the big south didn't help us to beat jacksonville state and ecu, nor did the meac. we beat jacksonville state and ecu because our leadership has given us the resources we need to be successful, the conference ain't got nothing to do with that. again, there is no fcs conference anywhere in the country that has a better track program than we do. we didn't need the big south in order to accomplish that, we did it on our own and the same goes for all of our sports. nah, the big south ain't raising the bar for us. we're raising the bar for the big south...
|
|
|
Post by outsidethinker on Feb 8, 2020 1:27:53 GMT -5
I agree to some extent, but the Big South raises the bar for us to compete. In the Meac we set the bar. The goal in the MEAC and SWAC is to just win the games on the schedule, once you get blown out in all of your OOC games then the goal is to just beat A&T. It burns me up everytime one of us(All hbcu members) respond with "We'll be just fine once we get into conference play". That's such a defeated mentality. In high school our kids are taught to compete against everyone regardless of the race. Be the best you can be. Once they join the MEAC or SWAC(our D2 hbcus perform better OOC)the goal becomes "hey let's not worry about the rest of the world, let's just be the top black school amongst the bottom conferences which are black". A change was needed. Why be the best amongst just HBCUs when we can be the best period? i don't agree that the big south "raises the bar" for us. and i don't agree that the meac is holding us back. right now, we have the best men's track program amongst any other midmajor d1 school in the entire country. so how is the big south raising the bar for us when we're already better in track than any team in any fcs conference? a conference in and of itself doesn't raise the bar for a single university. we set our own bar, we can be as successful as we're able to fund our success. the big south didn't help us to beat jacksonville state and ecu, nor did the meac. we beat jacksonville state and ecu because our leadership has given us the resources we need to be successful, the conference ain't got nothing to do with that. again, there is no fcs conference anywhere in the country that has a better track program than we do. we didn't need the big south in order to accomplish that, we did it on our own and the same goes for all of our sports. nah, the big south ain't raising the bar for us. we're raising the bar for the big south... I'm sure you know by now that you're my favorite BDV member as I always enjoy and like all of your post. Ive been reading this messageboard since my freshman year at T while seeing the 1000s of "finally a networking site for Aggies" post everywhere lol. Digressing, this is the first time I've ever been in full disagreement with you. Your heart is right but your head is wrong(only my opinion) in this situation. Chancellor Martin said it best: “What’s relevant to young people today is different than what was relevant 20 years ago and what will be relevant 10 years from now,” Martin said. “I remind our alums, ‘Your children and your grandchildren will not go to the A&T that you went to.’ They won’t. … So we’ve got to align the university not to what you want to keep as important as an alum, but to what these bright kids are looking for when they come out of high school, what industries are looking for from our graduates today. www.greensboro.com/sports/college/ncat/a-t-s-change-from-meac-to-big-south-a/article_b4acc279-3e3b-589e-b3c9-1187cdd131a1.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latestYall responses now make me wonder WTF yall were fighting for in the past. Was it for black students to be bottle necked with the Celebration Bowl, or was it to show we could compete against anyone anywhere? Don't get me wrong, the CB is great, but is that all you wanted for A&T now in 2020 from 1970? The way everyone sounds now yall are making me wonder why did the A&T 4 go sit in at a white establishment if our end goal was to never go there again? I was taught(05-10) Electrical Engineering major and graduate from A&T that we don't aim for status quo. We continue to push the barriers to be great amongst the world, not just a few select Universities. The MEACs goal has never been for us to be a #1 conference in anything. It's just been to survive and look good broke. Gameday on tv in the MEAC "put all of your fans on the visitors side so we'll look good beating a 1-47 team on tv"... really? And this is what you want to continue to happen? Once again, separate emotion from Logic. We do it daily getting great jobs and raising families away from where we grew up to be better. If you fought for our current Aggies in 2020 to just be happy with yall success and bask in it from the 70s/80s then so be it.
|
|
Maxell
Official BDF member
Director of BDF Marketing
Posts: 12,469
|
Post by Maxell on Feb 8, 2020 1:34:02 GMT -5
The MEACs goal has never been for us to be a #1 conference in anything. It's just been to survive and look good broke.
|
|
saabman
Official BDF member
Posts: 11,869
|
Post by saabman on Feb 8, 2020 4:00:56 GMT -5
i don't agree that the big south "raises the bar" for us. and i don't agree that the meac is holding us back. right now, we have the best men's track program amongst any other midmajor d1 school in the entire country. so how is the big south raising the bar for us when we're already better in track than any team in any fcs conference? a conference in and of itself doesn't raise the bar for a single university. we set our own bar, we can be as successful as we're able to fund our success. the big south didn't help us to beat jacksonville state and ecu, nor did the meac. we beat jacksonville state and ecu because our leadership has given us the resources we need to be successful, the conference ain't got nothing to do with that. again, there is no fcs conference anywhere in the country that has a better track program than we do. we didn't need the big south in order to accomplish that, we did it on our own and the same goes for all of our sports. nah, the big south ain't raising the bar for us. we're raising the bar for the big south... I'm sure you know by now that you're my favorite BDV member as I always enjoy and like all of your post. Ive been reading this messageboard since my freshman year at T while seeing the 1000s of "finally a networking site for Aggies" post everywhere lol. Digressing, this is the first time I've ever been in full disagreement with you. Your heart is right but your head is wrong(only my opinion) in this situation. Chancellor Martin said it best: “What’s relevant to young people today is different than what was relevant 20 years ago and what will be relevant 10 years from now,” Martin said. “I remind our alums, ‘Your children and your grandchildren will not go to the A&T that you went to.’ They won’t. … So we’ve got to align the university not to what you want to keep as important as an alum, but to what these bright kids are looking for when they come out of high school, what industries are looking for from our graduates today. www.greensboro.com/sports/college/ncat/a-t-s-change-from-meac-to-big-south-a/article_b4acc279-3e3b-589e-b3c9-1187cdd131a1.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latestYall responses now make me wonder WTF yall were fighting for in the past. Was it for black students to be bottle necked with the Celebration Bowl, or was it to show we could compete against anyone anywhere? Don't get me wrong, the CB is great, but is that all you wanted for A&T now in 2020 from 1970? The way everyone sounds now yall are making me wonder why did the A&T 4 go sit in at a white establishment if our end goal was to never go there again? I was taught(05-10) Electrical Engineering major and graduate from A&T that we don't aim for status quo. We continue to push the barriers to be great amongst the world, not just a few select Universities. The MEACs goal has never been for us to be a #1 conference in anything. It's just been to survive and look good broke. Gameday on tv in the MEAC "put all of your fans on the visitors side so we'll look good beating a 1-47 team on tv"... really? And this is what you want to continue to happen? Once again, separate emotion from Logic. We do it daily getting great jobs and raising families away from where we grew up to be better. If you fought for our current Aggies in 2020 to just be happy with yall success and bask in it from the 70s/80s then so be it. No what we fought for was to be able to have the same respect that the PWC have and by that I mean that the MEAC should be able to extend an invitation to PWC conferences and institutions to join the MEAC on our terms and not have to wait to be invited to there world . But it is as someone stated in a previous post . No PWC would never accept an invitation to join the MEAC but it's ok to for us to be happy that BS extended us a bone . Being truthful I do not think that the Heads of the MEAC never entertained inviting a PWC to join the MEAC conference . Even our leaders are stuck in that simulation mentality . As far as we have came the mentality of our leaders have stayed the same .
|
|