We were cc'd on the following letter to Art Chansky, which makes an
interesting argument and follows up - or Chansky does inadvertently - on an idea
we've mentioned several times, which is that with the Dean Dome and the new
football digs, UNC can't afford to not win - they have to pay the bills.Â
Thanks! You know who you are!
Dear Mr. Chansky,
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Statements by you:
"Carl could be around for three more years because Carolina does not fire
coaches over their won-lost records and, after the Crum Affair circa 1987, has
vowed to never again allow the Educational Foundation to buy out a coach's
contract."--10/27/99
"After having attended and graduated from UNC and covering its athletic
teams for 30 years, I believe that canning a coach like Torbush after only two
years represents everything that my school is not about. It says that
winning and losing means more than how you play the game, albeit Torbush needs
to prove his Tar Heels can play it a lot better."--11/08/99
"Marshall has presided over an offense skunked by injuries that has
increasingly lost its effectiveness, emptied the stadium and created a financial
problem for UNC athletics. Those who believe that money is the root of all evil
may not be very happy with the Torbush announcement after Saturday's
Duke-Carolina game. But, like it or not, money is the only legit reason to can
the coach." (emphasis added)--11/18/99
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The view from here:
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Mr. Chansky, you appear to have decided that it is not OK to fire a UNC coach
over his won/loss record, but it is OK to fire him over money-- even after the
coach went out and won a game against UNC's archrival (possibly knocking them
out of a bowl game) on national TV three days after you said he needed to prove
his team can play "a lot better." I, for one, fail to grasp the moral difference. As a result, I believe that you should never,
ever again hold UNC up as anything other than a big time athletic program where
winning and losing come first and academics, integrity and loyalty finish a
distant second. The financial justification that you have adopted is
merely a direct reflection and extension of the won/loss record. It is a
direct reflection because UNC fans have stopped supporting their team faster
than the fans of the Florida Marlins stopped supporting theirs after their World
Series win. Welcome to the world of the SEC, Big 10/11, Big 12 and Pac 10.
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I am sure that you will attempt to spin your way out of this, but, in my humble
opinion, the beliefs of you and the rest of the Tar Heel "faithful"
are best summoned up by the following quote:
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"In my opinion this is a steady decline" of the program, said Maurice
Koury, one of the school's top athletic boosters. "We've had a lot of
injuries, but there again you make your breaks. It has been the same thing
(Carl) has been saying all year long that the future is bright. But we're not a
very patient group. And we've got 60,000 seats to sell." --11/18/99
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Best of luck with your coaching search. At least the new coach will know
what he is getting into.
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