Putting aside our current debates over coaches and players...I see a bright future for Cal's revenue sports.
There is a major economic opportunity that has and will be created by:
1. The Niners move to Santa Clara and decline in relevance.
2. The Raiders move to Las Vegas.
3. The Warriors move to San Francisco.
This leaves a huge opportunity for Cal to grow it's ticket buying fan base as the football team for residents of SF, the East Bay and North Bay and the basketball team supported by the East Bay.
A key will be local recruiting. However, as more kids grow up as Cal fans, more will opt to play for the local team.
I think it is critical that the expansion of the fan base NOT be based on a generic pro sport style atmosphere. It has to be about emphasizing Cal traditions. Our songs, colors, mascot, band and traditions....all contribute to feelings of connection with the team and our school. The initial target for growth is the huge alumni base anyway. This will be sold to the academics as building a loyal donor base.
If local stars play for Cal, that will draw in more and more casual fans.
We need to develop the local AAU program, especially the Soldiers, as a pipeline for basketball, and all of the California JCs, but especially CCSF and Laney, as a pipeline for both sports as long as the California JCs can maintain their athletic programs.
Stanford, has not been a major force in recruiting locally for decades, has a small alumni base, shrunk their stadium and now has the Niners in their backyard. Meanwhile, USC and UCLA have to deal with an emerging LA Ram dynasty. Plus the Chargers (and the Raiders in relatively nearby Vegas). And that Ram team sports our colors and has a QB from Cal. Thus creating a great opening for the state's flagship university to recruit in the southern portion of the state.
We also should develop the world's best sports management, finance and marketing program at the Haas School of Business. Sports is a huge multi-billion dollar industry worldwide and there is no formal training for the many lucrative jobs. interns could work on projects in the AD, including marketing and fundraising campaigns, improving the ticket office or work in the nearby PAC-12 offices....This program would be a major draw for student athletes, both as undergrads and as grad transfers, and admissions preference could be given to current/former D1 athletes. We might attract highly regarded coaches who might enjoy teaching or taking classes.
I believe all of the above could make Cal a powerhouse in both the revenue and non-revenue sports.
There is a major economic opportunity that has and will be created by:
1. The Niners move to Santa Clara and decline in relevance.
2. The Raiders move to Las Vegas.
3. The Warriors move to San Francisco.
This leaves a huge opportunity for Cal to grow it's ticket buying fan base as the football team for residents of SF, the East Bay and North Bay and the basketball team supported by the East Bay.
A key will be local recruiting. However, as more kids grow up as Cal fans, more will opt to play for the local team.
I think it is critical that the expansion of the fan base NOT be based on a generic pro sport style atmosphere. It has to be about emphasizing Cal traditions. Our songs, colors, mascot, band and traditions....all contribute to feelings of connection with the team and our school. The initial target for growth is the huge alumni base anyway. This will be sold to the academics as building a loyal donor base.
If local stars play for Cal, that will draw in more and more casual fans.
We need to develop the local AAU program, especially the Soldiers, as a pipeline for basketball, and all of the California JCs, but especially CCSF and Laney, as a pipeline for both sports as long as the California JCs can maintain their athletic programs.
Stanford, has not been a major force in recruiting locally for decades, has a small alumni base, shrunk their stadium and now has the Niners in their backyard. Meanwhile, USC and UCLA have to deal with an emerging LA Ram dynasty. Plus the Chargers (and the Raiders in relatively nearby Vegas). And that Ram team sports our colors and has a QB from Cal. Thus creating a great opening for the state's flagship university to recruit in the southern portion of the state.
We also should develop the world's best sports management, finance and marketing program at the Haas School of Business. Sports is a huge multi-billion dollar industry worldwide and there is no formal training for the many lucrative jobs. interns could work on projects in the AD, including marketing and fundraising campaigns, improving the ticket office or work in the nearby PAC-12 offices....This program would be a major draw for student athletes, both as undergrads and as grad transfers, and admissions preference could be given to current/former D1 athletes. We might attract highly regarded coaches who might enjoy teaching or taking classes.
I believe all of the above could make Cal a powerhouse in both the revenue and non-revenue sports.