I received this video in my YouTube inbox from Dave Nelson, a former UO Wrestling associate, campaigning to save the Oregon Wrestling program. My question is should the Duck Athletic Department keep wrestling? My initial belief is no, but he gives a compelling defense as to why the program should remain.
I dispute two things in his rebuttal, however -- the unknown of whether to use Eugene's Civic Stadium (or the construction [and costs] of a new baseball stadium), and Nike CEO Phil Knight's $100 million contribution (which will be used for the Legacy Fund, not for construction of the new basketball arena -- the Ducks are pursuing bond money for that). Other than that his statement is solid.
What is your belief? Here is our conversation, sharing each side of the argument, to help you decide:
First from Mr. Nelson:
"I'm an Oregon alumnus and sports fan from the days of Dan Fouts, Norv(al) Turner, and the Dick Harter's Kamikaze Kids. I remember Oregon baseball when it the games took place at Howe Field. I was the Duck wrestling sports information director in the mid-1970s. Recently I have become involved with the effort to save the UO's intercollegiate wrestling program, which is schedule for elimination in 2008. Please watch my video, "Ordinary Men," and subscribe to my channel. I appreciate your support.
http://www.saveoregonwrestling.com/"
My response:
"Thank you for the subscription invite. Always glad to see videos from fellow Ducks.
Anyway, as much as I'm sorry to see that wrestling is getting cut, a new day has dawned at the University of Oregon. Baseball and competitive cheer will be great additions to our athletic department. The unfortunate part of this whole mess is that Title IX, bottom-line revenue generation for Oregon, and other factors make cutting wrestling a difficult, but correct choice. If there is a way to keep all three sports, I would support it. But otherwise, unless someone comes up with a new suggestion, I will be throwing my support toward the new programs.
In the meantime, I will feature your video (sometime today) on my blog, Team Tailgate. Maybe there's broader support out there, than what I'm seeing. Thanks again for the invite; good luck with your campaign.
Cheers, Todd Helton (UO '94)"
His rebuttal:
"Dear Todd,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. While I cannot agree with your view that cutting wrestling was the "correct choice," I appreciate your willingness to post my video on your blog and throw the question open to a wider range of Ducks.
Competitive cheer is here for only one reason: a gender equity balancing sport which the baseball boosters were willing to fund as part of the cost of restoring their sport. It is probably the one that will cost the athletic department the least; hence its existence.
Baseball his here because Kilkenny's top priority is opening up new streams of revenue from donors. Ever since John Caine's administration cut baseball in 1981, there have been certain boosters who have refused to donate to the athletic department.
Make no mistake. Baseball will lose much more money than wrestling did, but Pat believes this will be made up by a reinvigorated donor base whose new contributions--while not specifically earmarked for baseball--will make the decision monetarily positive. We'll see.The elephant in the room is the cost of a stadium. I'm not sure Civic Stadium will be a viable long-term solution--not when competitor programs are building or remodeling modern new on-campus facilities. When Bill Byrne, a former Duck AD, was at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers contributed $12 million toward the $30 million price tag for constructing a joint-use facility with the local minor-league team and the Lincoln city government. I'm not sure that kind of expenditure is feasible in Eugne, as Knight's recent gift (addressed below) is earmarked for other things.
Baseball could become a financial disaster, which may not become apparent until well after Kilkenny's two-year contract expires and he returns to the comfort of San Diego's winters.
During Moos' last year as athletic director, the department lost approximately $3 million, primarily because of deferred compensation obligations. This is not so well known among Oregon fans. When the change of command occurred, the athletic department had only $85,000 in it's checking account--which is nothing.
Oregon desperately needs a new athletic revenue stream, of which the baseball boosters are only a small part. Moos was paid a $2 million buyout because he didn't get along with Phil Knight. When Knight's buddy Kilkenny took over, it paved the way for the $100 million donation which will serve as a down payment for the badly needed new basketball palace. Most of this gift will be consumed for that purpose.
Wrestling got caught in the perfect storm: a deceivingly precarious athletic budget, the baseball rejuvenation that exacerbated Title IX concerns, and a series of broken promises regarding its practice facility.
Several years ago Bellotti ran out of patience with athletic department foot-dragging on a promised new treatment facility. Moos "solved" the problem by taking away the wrestling room and promising Coach Kearney a new facility in the yet-to-be-constructed basketball building. Then, after Kilkenny took control, he found that he could save $6 million by eliminating the proposed new wrestling room.
I argue passionately for wrestling because it's a vital part of small-town Oregon. There are dozens of small cities across the state for which mid-winter wrestling matches are a vital part of the social fabric. Under Ron Finley, Oregon constantly had a top-20 wrestling program, despite the existence of Dale Thomas' wrestling juggernaut up the road in Corvallis. That was the point of my film, and subsequent onces that I will produce: Some 6,000 Oregon boys wrestle in high school each year with only three college wrestling programs to absorb the best prep wrestlers. Now there will be only two.
By contrast, there are at least 15 collegiate baseball programs in the state available to a high school baseball population of about 7,500.
Wrestling costs the university only $629,000 per year, and almost all of the roster is make up of Oregonians. Check out the national origin of the Duck tennis players. By comparison, is cutting wrestling good stewardship of our resources?
Thanks again for subscribing to my video stream, and I promise more in the weeks ahead. I fully understand the arguments for the projected changes; I just wish that most Duck fans knew all of the circumstance. I'll use your blog and others for this purpose.
Thanks, again, for the medium. You may post this response on your blog if you desire.
Best wishes, Dave Nelson (UO wrestling SID, 1974-75)"
