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San Diego State AD Wicker on the new federal tax provisions, "I’m definitely concerned, I won’t lie. It keeps me up at night as we try to keep people interested in San Diego State athletics and funding our scholarships. A big part of that has been tied to tickets." Wicker points to 10% of the Aztecs' overall revenue tied to donor dollars connected to tickets. Interesting context added by Big 12 boss Bowlsby, "Part of the problem is, I don’t think athletic directors have much insight as to what their donors’ tax situation is. For all intents and purposes, if you don’t itemize your deductions, this doesn’t make any difference to you at all. If you do itemize, it may change how you structure your payments and things. I think probably the biggest thing will be corporations that have used suite purchases as entertainment expenses. The concerns are well-founded. I just think it’s early to know just exactly how it will impact people’s giving habits." (link)
The Portland Tribune profiles Portland State AD Cleary as she approaches her one-year anniversary in the role. Cleary calls it a "whirlwind" as the sexual harassment allegations involving FB HC Barnum, construction on a new $51M Viking Pavilion, three head coaching changes and hiring staffers on the external side have most occupied her time. Cleary: "I've found that at a place like Portland State, you wear so many hats. A lot of people think an athletic director's main thing is fundraising, and it's certainly important, but I don't have the luxury of focusing only on that. That's why I like a place like Portland State, frankly. I get to have contact with student-athletes daily. That's where I get my energy. But there are so many things to cover, from little things to big things like long-term budget planning to strategic planning to PK80 (basketball tournament) stuff. It's that way with all of the assistant ADs, too. It's all hands on decks. Everyone is doing what we need to do for the team." Compares her stint at Willamette (DIII) to DI PSU: "It's the same issues on a different scale." Lots more. (link)
Under Armour boss Plank started a year-end company address with, "2017 sucked." Wall Street Journal's Germano addresses the monkey in the room for many UA investors, is Plank distracted by building his Plank Industries interests & missing a beat in the swag wars? Of course, Plank says "My job is running Under Armour, period" as his company looks to rebound from a rough past 12 months highlighted by a sharp 45% stock price drop. As an example of how a company matures, Plank points to his supporting comments of President Trump back in January as creating a news cycle that illustrated UA was "no longer the upstart." (link)
Experiencing the World presented by Anthony Travel
HBR: Authors Hougaard & Carter outline key strategies for achieving more frequent & productive focus. A survey of 35K leaders "found that 73% feel distracted from their current task either 'some' or 'most' of the time. We also found that 67% of leaders describe their minds as cluttered, which means they have a lot of thoughts and a lack of clear priorities. As a result, 65% of respondents fail to complete their tasks." 1) Understand Your Daily Focus Pattern ("Make sure your most important activities and meetings are planned around the times when your focus is strongest."); and, 2) Know What Influences Your Focus ("The most obvious is sleep; if you don’t sleep sufficient your focus and judgment suffers. Also, exercise and the types of food we eat, significantly impacts your ability to stay focused."). In closing, "Focus is not a zero-sum game. Focus can be trained and planned. And with a bit of effort, your focus can be sustained throughout the day." (link)
 presented by Anthony Travel
Austin Peay AD Ivey pens on his push to instill a culture of love for his Govs department as FB's turnaround under second-year HC Healy jumped off the page this season. Key passage: "Above all else, it starts starts with a love for people. Love is probably not something we talk about enough in this business." Another: "Looking back, I remember some people told me I was crazy when I hired a 30-year-old with no head-coaching experience. If you just look at that on paper, maybe it was. […] The way I looked at it is that our lack of success was a blessing, strange as that might sound; athletics directors are always weighing risk and reward, and there was minimal risk for me because of the program’s history. Austin Peay had hired the same kind of football coach for 20 years. And for 20 years, it hadn’t worked. We were stuck in a doom loop, making the same (bad) decisions over and over. So instead I flipped the script and this time decided that we were going to hire the person and not the resume. Will’s experience wouldn’t necessarily earn him any head job, but he had the characteristics that lined up exactly with what we wanted and who we wanted to be." (link)
Korn Ferry's Hughes on the core of how he approaches searches, "It has to be the right culture fit. You have to make the chemistry work. Communication at all levels is a critical element." "Lengthy" questionnaires are given to candidates to determine a level of match with the organization, plus Hughes says his history & relationships throughout the sports industry are an important tool. "We seek a quantitative way to define leadership traits and competency levels. That can be different at all levels of sports. But one thing about sports: nothing is guaranteed." (link)
ESPN’s Dinich documents the “art of the smooth transition” in detailing how former Oklahoma FB HC Stoops handed over the reins to current Sooners boss Riley this summer and how Stoops has continued to support the youngest HC in the FBS through the ups and downs of the season. Stoops: “Way back when it happened, everybody was all, 'What's the matter here?' Now they're realizing that actually there was nothing wrong, it was just the perfect time for it all." OU AD Castiglione described Stoops’ decision to transition the program to Riley as "one of the most incredible selfless acts of a leader" he's seen, adding: "It would've been very easy for him to stay on another year or any other period of time. It was really important for him to have a good team to turn over to the next head coach so that the next head coach would have a great beginning to put their stamp on it, to really continue the momentum that already exists. He thought about every single element of this, including his own reasons for stepping away from coaching." (link)
Georgia's Smart, Florida Atlantic's Kiffin, Michigan State's Dantonio, Texas A&M's Fisher, South Carolina's Muschamp, Tennessee's Pruitt, plus former HCs McElwain, Dooley & Williams all come from the coaching tree of Alabama boss Saban as Sports Illustrated's Staples takes a look at why some pupils have thrived, while others have come up a bit short. Many of the leaders employ the same top-down leadership style championed under Saban, though an interesting note on McElwain indicates some Gators were training outside of the UF strength & conditioning staff in recent seasons. Staples reviews recruiting, management style, schematic flexibility & staffing for each HC. (link)
The Athletic’s Bultman chronicles the "intricate world of kicker and punter recruitment" by profiling former UCLA FB student-athlete Sailer, who puts on kicking camps throughout the year across the country in an effort to offer prospective student-athletes instruction, evaluation, and exposure. Sailer explains why recruiting kickers is challenging: "Really, when you look at a university, they don’t have kicking coaches, they don’t have snapping coaches. They have a quarterback coach. They have a linebacker coach. They have a coach that’s played that position that can evaluate it. Which means (when) they go out to recruit a kicker and a punter, they have to rely on outside services." (link)
PASPA: Important note within the greater sports gambling development, "...10 to 12 states have drafted bills to set up sports betting in anticipation of a court ruling, but all of them were looking at creating a system of regulated games, rather than following New Jersey's hands-off approach." (link); Delaware is one of those states as Governor Carney's administration "is quietly putting together a plan to offer wagering on all professional and out-of-state college sports – including single-game and propositional bet – within weeks of a court decision, which could come as early as June." (link); Indiana Representative Morrison plans to introduce a bill, says of the NCAA, "I understand where they’ll be coming from, but it’s also important for the NCAA to understand that the landscape of gaming is changing throughout our country. I think they would hopefully have some understanding that Indiana would have rights just like the other states. Obviously one of biggest events for sports wagering is March Madness (the NCAA basketball tournament). If they open it up to all 50 states, there will be gaming facilities in Ohio, in Michigan, in Illinois that are all doing it." (link); Washington Wizards/Capitals owner & tech leader Leonsis believes gambling is the only thing that can save the NFL at this point, wonders what's different between sports wagering & investing in the stock market. (link)
The Connected Fan Sponsored by From Now On
With the CFP right around the corner, so too is the roll-out of the Playoff's new app that's been redesigned with support from FISH Technologies & Mandt Media. Augmented reality, 360-degree content & a "personalized event experience" all hyped as part of the new platform. Of note from Mandt's Sullivan, "What we have done with the College Football Playoff leadership team is identify logos and marks that people, through the use of their smartphone, will be able to engage in content, messaging, news and information, as well as the ability to purchase merchandise." More. (link)
sponsored by From Now On
More on the Oklahoma-Georgia Rose Bowl matchup that connects to the prevailing 1984 Supreme Court decision & led to today's college FB's TV landscape. Longtime industry mover Neinas calls the tilt, "The Supreme Court Bowl." More Neinas, "I think it’s been the biggest event to help college football in the last 50 years. It brought exposure to the game and created more interest in the game, and obviously opened up the game to many people." Former CBS Sports Prez Pilson thinks even if the NCAA would have won the '84 case, eventually it would have realized greater distribution & cash, the process would have simply taken longer. A bit more. (link)
Four former Albany Women's Tennis student-athletes and former HC Graham hope to convince a federal judge to grant their motion for an injunction today seeking the "immediate restoration of women's tennis as a varsity sport at the school." Graham and the four women filed their suit against the school in September alleging Title IX violations. The case also names AD Benson as a defendant, who, along with the university, argues that reinstating the program would be too costly.  (link)
Gonzaga Director of Life Skills Moon gets the spotlight in the Spokesman Review. Described as the “epitome of what being a Zag is all about,” the GU alum has helped redefine the student-athlete Life Skills Program to emphasize community outreach and volunteerism, leadership development, and career planning. Moon: "The fulfillment is watching them come in as nervous freshmen coming into such an enormous opportunity. And taking part in all our community outreach events, and then watching them on graduation day become strong, confident leaders." (link)
Excellent listen with The Ringer's Simmons & Curtis on the exit of ESPN Prez Skipper. Simmons & Skipper had a largely positive relationship while both were in Bristol & Simmons notes Skipper was "always up for a good idea, no matter who it was," as well as, "there was no idea crazy enough for John Skipper." Simmons also points to Skipper "being a human" as a key facet of his leadership traits. Later in the episode, Simmons is joined by Stratechery's Thompson to cover the Disney-Fox mashup. Thompson sees Netflix & the coming DIS-Fox OTT play as the dominant two players in the space with a sell-off of Hulu possible to achieve regulatory approval. On the sports front, the future of how ESPN leverages Fox RSN content is a huge question. More. (link)
A key data point for the entertainment industry: The final 2017 box office figures in North America will be 2.5% less than last year's record $11.38B, despite $400M from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" this year. Projections have '17's tally finishing at $11.09B. Christmas day moviegoers contributed $80M, down $3M from last year and $23M from 2015. (link); Meanwhile, U.S. retail holiday sales jumped 4.9% year-over-year with an 18.1% increase in online shopping. Early-season promotions were a big hit, how many of you capitalized with either ticket or merchandise promos? (link)
Also Noticed: From the San Diego Union-Tribune's Zeigler, "LA Times reports that Foothills Christian High's Taeshon Cherry is the unidentified player in the FBI indictment whom Tony Bland allegedly arranged to have paid by an agent. This comes a couple days after Cherry suddenly decommitted from USC." (link); Utah FB HC Whittingham doesn't get a bonus for winning the Heart of Dallas Bowl, but does end the season with ~$180K worth of earned incentives. (link); Another Louisville FB student-athlete, this time defensive standout Hearns, will skip the Gator Bowl. (link)
1.Question brought to you by Turnkey
Additive to San Diego State AD Wicker's comments above is a 1.Q conversation from back in September that covered football's success, an all-time high in gross gate revenue, plus opportunities ahead for his department to capture the complete attention of the marketplace with the exodus of the San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles. Wicker also shares how much time he spends on a weekly basis working through football’s facility future. (link) (length - 13:58)
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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Associate Athletic Director - Human Resources and Administration (San Jose State University / San Jose, CA): The Associate Athletic Director for HR and Administration serves as the principal staff officer to develop, implement, and manage the department's human resources and serving as a senior staff member. More details HERE.

Associate Director of Facilities, Operations & Events (Georgia Institute of Technology / Atlanta, GA): Supports the Associate AD of Facilities, Operations & Events with oversight in the areas of event operations and athletic facilities. Oversees assigned areas in event management and facilities. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director/Mrktng & Game Experience (Northern Illinois University / DeKalb, IL): Serving as a Department Head, this individual is responsible for oversight of all marketing, sales, and group plans to increase revenue generation for Intercollegiate Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Athletics - Marketing & Ticketing (Brown University / Providence, RI): Responsible for increasing the overall visibility of Brown Athletics by leading & managing marketing/promotions, social media, student & campus engagement, & meeting annual ticket sales revenue. More details HERE.

Director - Athletic Facility Technology (Georgia Institute of Technology / Atlanta, GA): Provide professional level support in operations and management of GT Athletics broadcast and venue production facilities. Ensure technical production facilities are innovative and efficient. More details HERE.

Senior Associate AD, Governance & Compliance (University of Delaware / Newark, DE): Lead, plan & organize all phases of a Division I NCAA governance & compliance program for 21 varsity sports and more than 550 student-athletes, athletics dept & University administration & staff. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (West Chester University of Pennsylvania / West Chester, PA): West Chester is a NCAA Division II school with outstanding athletics tradition & a member of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. For a detailed leadership profile visit the Witt/Kieffer link below. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Enforcement (Football Group) (NCAA / Indianapolis, IN): This position is responsible for developing specific expertise in and knowledge of the football recruiting environment through monitoring, investigation, outreach and educational efforts. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Trainer (University of Akron / Akron, OH): The Assistant Athletics Trainer will primarily provide day-to-day care of our Women’s Soccer and Softball programs. Requires a 2+ years experience in athletic training in a Division I college setting. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director, Strategic Communications (CSUN / Northridge, CA): The Associate Athletic Director, Strategic Communications is responsible for generating media coverage for CSUN Athletics and overseeing everything produced by CSUN Athletics, in print or online. More details HERE.

Part-time Staff Writer (Total Campus Report, a division of Drive & Company): Total Campus Report, a curated news vehicle for Higher Education & a sister product of D1.ticker is growing & ready to hire a handful of new writers! Responsibilities on Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday nights. More details HERE.

Assistant Football Coach (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Chapel Hill, NC): The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Division I member of the NCAA, and a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, has an opening for a full-time assistant football coach. More details HERE.

Associate Director of Athletics (Harvard University / Boston, MA): Manage and direct the compliance function for Athletics, the largest D1 program in the U.S. Ensure compliance with NCAA, Ivy League and University regs. Supervise select sports, key student services. More details HERE.

Director of Development for Athletics (University of North Carolina Wilmington / Wilmington, NC): Responsible for planning, development & implementation of strategies that position UNCW to acquire, manage & distribute funds that will enhance educational mission of the Department of Athletics & UNCW. More details HERE.

Coordinator of Academics for Football (University of Akron / Akron, OH): Position will assist football student-athletes in pursuit of their educational goals by developing and assisting with study plans to increase retention and graduation rates of athletes. More details HERE.

Director of Aztec Club (San Diego State University / San Diego, CA): Promote the SDSU athletic program; solicit private contributions; and sponsor or host activities to provide alumni, donors, and fans a vehicle to remain loyal to SDSU Athletics. More details HERE.

Athletics Administrative Associate (Purdue University / West Lafayette, IN): Assist in the day-to-day operations and execution on a variety of Athletics Administration functions. Provide research and data for strategic initiatives for Athletics Administration. More details HERE.

Assistant, Associate, or Sr. Associate Director, Athletics Major Giving (Boston College / Chestnut Hill, MA): Responsible for the cultivation and solicitation of alumni, parents and friends of Boston College who are capable of making gifts of $100,000 to $999,999 to support Boston College Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Development (Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation / USAF Academy, CO): Help grow the Falcon Pride Club Annual Giving program in support of Air Force Athletics. Works on the strategic execution and management of the annual giving program for Air Force Athletics. More details HERE.

Associate Director of the Ohio Bobcat Club (Ohio University / Athens, OH): Primary responsibilities including oversight of the annual campaign, coordination of the premium seating and parking program, planning all donor events and management of a donor portfolio. More details HERE.

Head Volleyball Coach (Eastern Illinois University / Charleston, IL): Eastern Illinois University is seeking candidates for the position of Head Volleyball Coach. Please email resume/cover to Mark Bonnstetter, Sr. Associate AD, mdbonnstetter@eiu.edu. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Compliance (Florida Gulf Coast University / Fort Myers, FL): The Assistant Athletics Director, Compliance directs all aspects of the NCAA compliance program. Develops procedures and policies to monitor and ensure compliance. More details HERE.

Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement (Elon University / Elon, NC): Elon University is currently accepting applications for a Director of Marketing & Fan Engagement . Apply at https://elon.peopleadmin.com/postings/4914. Please do not submit your material via email. More details HERE.

Director of Strategic Communications (South Atlantic Conference / Rock Hill, SC): The Director of Strategic Communications is primarily responsible for providing vision and strategic thought for Conference communications that is tied to the Conference’s overall mission/strategy. More details HERE.

Major Gifts Officer - Mountaineer Athletic Club (WVU Foundation / Morgantown, WV): The WVU Foundation is currently seeking a Major Gifts Officer - Mountaineer Athletic Club For more information visit: http://www.wvuf.org/jobs. More details HERE.
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