Recent Comments
not enough fighting gobblers
Well at least Whit is trying, but where was this 3 years ago? I would say 7 years ago but that would be too much vision for VT athletics. And let's face it, we had a top 50 offense with the cheapest OC in the P5, so we still did more with less.
Maybe there has been a wake up call in Blacksburg as we fired a cheap statistical top 40 DC (stats are really ignoring 3nd and long) and we finally spent more than UVA for an OC. But we've been profitable for 3 straight years, Why hasn't the budget gone up for football. Where has that $10-15m gone?
Maybe my favorite slide:
Then, "what's easiest to do" vs. "what's hardest" vs. "what has the most ROI". Top right is the easiest & most ROI - premium experiences, athletics-led partnerships, fundraising, "pro-style" revenue gen, and CRM. In the top left? Mixed-use real estate. But.... #Hokies pic.twitter.com/di6AnVtpkL— Doug Bowman (@DougBowman247) August 9, 2025
YALL
Now, the investments VT is making or has made. Whit calls this "Plan for Success - Investments to Win." $52M in investments, including staffing, travel, pro-style front office, private air, WiFi (!!), LED lights ($2.0M) (!!!), and "severely outdated Lane Stadium videoboard." pic.twitter.com/Nw75kgTF8u— Doug Bowman (@DougBowman247) August 9, 2025
Also fascinating:
Alright, couple more, not from Whit's presentation but from elsewhere in the meeting notes. VA law limits institutional subsidy of athletics to 20% by VT. They are currently up to 15% ($37M) in FY2026. This feels like an ask for a lobbying effort to change that limit. pic.twitter.com/vRiF5IOizz— Doug Bowman (@DougBowman247) August 9, 2025
When I read stuff like this, it makes me think the issue with VT athletics is less about Whit and more about the landscape and university (yes - I know Whit is giving this presentation so it's a bit of a biased take)
My current strong opinion (very loosely held), is that, had Whit done everything 'right' (no twitter blunders, fire fuente earlier, etc) that he could have in the last decade, we'd be in the same spot, with a few million more in the bank (a few million more is marginal).
Also,
By our own research, the ACC is financially going to be the weakest of the 4 big conferences very soon, and with an estimated per school revenue deficit of about $60m to both the SEC and Big Ten within 10 years time.
The conclusion of this presentation is that the only realistic way we are going to pull ourselves out is by being better on the field. And in order to be better on the field we absolutely must fund athletics appropriately. We can no longer rely on donations and tv revenue to cover these costs, they must come from within. But being better will cause revenue streams to go up which will make the investment worth it.
Very much pleading to the BoV that if we want to have a viable athletic department going forward we must be allowed to spend.
upgrade/renovate Cassell, although I think that project may already be DOA
Given that Whit has a meeting with the BOV next week that is essentially "do you all even care about athletics", let's just say my expectations for the future of Cassell couldn't be any lower.
On Aug. 18, @WhitBabcock will give a BIG presentation to Virginia Tech's BOV on the future of VT athletics and the support needed. Public docs reveal the 54 slides, which cover ACC rev share, TV, mixed use real estate, LEDs, and more. It's a banger.Let's do this. #Hokies pic.twitter.com/hdAG2zOApj— Doug Bowman (@DougBowman247) August 9, 2025
It's a very interesting read and, it paints a pretty grim picture for the current state of Virginia Tech. Our athletic funding is the worst in the ACC. We are falling dramatically in viewership in both sports that determine revenue sharing within the conference. We are at a crossroads right now where we either wake up and fund our athletics like our peers or we are going to be in a death spiral we cannot get out of. We have multiple options in order to start making things better but a choice must be made immediately or it will be too late.
It's not great when this is the second slide of the presentation:
Feels like living inside a dog's mouth
Is this a BIG presentation or a B1G presentation?
Also, am I the only one that DGAF about LEDs?
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11 months 2 weeks
# | No. 1 High School 2027 bball recruit reclassifies for 2026. His father went to V T. So your telling me there's a chance gif
Seen this show before. Hope we keep him but not surprised if we don't. Will actually be more surprised if we do.
Shane is jealous of his father's locker room dance skills and fumes at the fact he will never wins his players hearts and minds like Boogaloo Shrimp Beamer did.
While seeing the campus buildings was kind of nostalgic, it was very distracting when trying to watch on TV.
Yeah. So I didn't mind the campus buildings when watching a game in person, but they didn't look great on TV
That's why Shane will never be the coach Frank was. Frank saw heart, Shane sees if they can tic tok dance with him. I
Definitely an improvement over the junked up look we had. I just never liked the buildings, in particular. I'd say this is just right.
He should. He'd probably end up coming out ahead over the next year or so. He's also too busy in the jewelry biz now to actually go fishin', right?
Shane didn't want to recruit Sam Rogers.
"We were at the All-Metro banquet in Richmond, which honors all of the top high-school players in Richmond, and the overall player of the year was Sam Rogers," said assistant coach Shane Beamer.
"And I think that got my dad's attention because he leaned over to me and said, 'Why aren't we recruiting him?' and I'll be honest, I said 'What's he going to play
Shane tried to claim "Beamerball" for the Cocks.
It was probably Shane at NC Central (in a VT polo).
Shane gets caught stacking the Candyland deck by his kids
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11 months 2 weeks
# | No. 1 High School 2027 bball recruit reclassifies for 2026. His father went to V T. dump the bag
Will you throw in the hewes if asking price is met for the axle??
LOL, it probably would. It's at my house in Richmond. If you're interested, it's there!
Shane doesn't enjoy a Martinsville Speedway hotdog
Yeah, I can't be that mean to the guy.
We need a Foe'rensics for this game.
My mechanic nixed any sort of patchwork for the 2 mile run to the launch. Still exploring the options. Rolloff to the mechanic's house where he has a lift, blocks and jacks for a transfer in the driveway, or hiring a construction dude to do the switch. Either way, my mechanic has a guy who'll come get the old one for scrap, one wheel and all.
Was able to set up to buy my neighbor's trailer when he gets his new one in. No beauty prize winner, but several years younger than mine and should last for a few years without problems. He'd replaced the axle last winter, and being where we are, rust happens, period. Good deal for 5 hundred bucks. Now to get the boat moved.