Big Ten

There were some startling allegations made in The Diamondback recently by university President Wallace Loh, who claimed that at the time of his decision to move the University of Maryland to the Big Ten, he received death threats from angry fans. He also said University Police insisted on assigning a protective detail to him for a one-week period at that time. This is all remarkable and one has to wonder why we have never heard about any arrests and prosecutions. Surely, if the situation was as Loh describes, that would have been in order.

As one of those alumni who opposed the move to the Big Ten, I find it interesting that Loh chooses to tar and feather his critics, associating them with the irresponsible, criminal behavior of a few, and yet we never have had any reports of people being held accountable for such threats. Why is that? I do not doubt the professionalism of the campus police. They do their job well. I just find it interesting that Loh hangs an allegation out there and doesn’t back it up.

In the meantime, there are lingering questions about the move to the Big Ten that have been out there for nearly three years now and to which neither Loh nor Athletic Director Kevin Anderson has responded. Keep in mind all of the glowing guarantees we got from Loh when he announced the move at a news conference back then.

For example, Loh indicated that the university was already considering reinstating some of the teams that were eliminated in budget cuts in July of that year. Some of those teams included men’s and women’s swimming, men’s tennis, women’s water polo and competitive cheer. It has been three years now, and where are the plans to reinstate those teams? We haven’t heard a word.

In the meantime, The Diamondback reported this past February “Univ. of Md. athletic department reports $3.5 million operating loss” for the 2014 fiscal year.

Loh also said at that news conference there would be such a windfall of profits from the move to the Big Ten that some of the revenue could be redirected to academic purposes. What happened to that? Have any of our academic programs ever benefited from this new model of finance? Will they ever? And if it does happen, how will it be decided what academic priorities should be first in line for funding? Given the hiring freeze that Loh instituted last winter and state-level budget cuts in higher education, it is a very important question.

Much of the hope for increased revenue comes from projections made about the new television contract that Big Ten boss Jim Delany is pursuing. Loh and his minions have assumed the cable-TV revenue from the Big Ten will be a permanent, lasting cornucopia of financial joy for the university and the rest of the league. There is just one little problem: the phenomena of “cord-cutting.” This is America’s disenchanted cable-TV customers, who have tired of ever-rising costs and putrid customer service at the cable companies. Many have turned to their laptops and iPhones for entertainment and have left cable TV in the ditch.

The phenomenon was already well underway at the time Loh decided to cast the university’s lot with the Big Ten, claiming that the move was a “no-brainer.” Meanwhile, some of our new conference colleagues are having their doubts. Corn Nation, a Nebraska Cornhuskers site that is part of the SB Nation network, recently asked the question: “Will the Big Ten Get A New TV Deal Done Before Cord Cutting Pops the Revenue Balloon?” The answer to that question will be consequential to the future of Maryland Athletics.

I am glad the death threats against Loh turned out to be empty ones. However, I hope that at least some of his guarantees to the fans are not.

CORRECTION: Due to an error, a previous version of this column incorrectly stated that as of fiscal year 2014, the university had received Big Ten revenue and a travel subsidy. It did not receive those funds until fiscal year 2015. It also incorrectly stated that Rutgers was slated to receive a similar travel subsidy. The column has been updated to reflect these corrections.

Mike Fekula ’84 is a former sports writer for the Terrapin Times. He can be reached at fmtico8@hotmail.com.