No doubt.
And you likely never will -
if, like 99% of college sports fans, you think that the only important tasks of an AD are the hiring/firing of the football coach (and, in some cases, the basketball coach).
Of course, common sense says that if that were the case, most ADs would "work" an average of about one month every five years or so
- - and many would never take on a meaningful responsibility from the day they tok the job until the day they clean out their office
Truth be told, those (the hire/fire) aren't even decisions that are - in most cases - even largely dictated by the AD.
Anyway, the overwhelming majority of college sports fans - if they even know who "their" team's AD is - have no idea what they do or don't do. Certainly have no idea if they do it competently or incompetently.
And the effects of incompetence in their role - before they become visibly to the average fan - are years and years down the road (well after the AD responsible is usually gone).
Even the situation at Cal -
likely the single worst "effort" on the part of a major college AD anywhere, since the advent of big-time college athletics - is rearing its ugly head into the view of the "average fan" just now. YEARS after the events that are responsible for the situation had already transpired.
Cal, despite being one of the most
well-endowed Universities in the WORLD, now finds that it is unreasonable to continue the unfettered financial bailout required to maintain their full athletic program.
Bailouts required by the actions of their 21st century Intercollegiate Athletics administration - and is now in the mode of looking to cut sports, etc. (and make no mistake, they are well aware that just to maintain the high profile sports programs, they
will be continuing to subsidize the athletic department - in huge $$$ - for generations to come).
By the time the same effects are revealed to the "average fan" here at Penn State, the damage will have long since been done - and the fate written.
Hell, even here at Pen State, 99% of fans do not even realize that the Administration has ALREADY changed the Athletics funding model (to now authorize University General Funds to be used to make up for Balance Sheet deficits).
That's a good thing for people like Ms Barbour and her cohorts.
Allowing them to accumulate many, many millions of dollars (from both Cal and Penn State - and, who knows, maybe the next University that will find themselves with the need to "check off some boxes" in their administrative hires) - despite the fact that she has yet to broach a single task of being an AD, that she has not utterly failed at.
But, that's OK - so long as the football team is winning
Now, if the football team stops winning? That will be a horse of another color.
Culture Problem?
C'est La Vie
Fortunately - or perhaps, for better or worse - there are much larger "Culture Problems" to be concerned about at Penn State. Since the "sports" one isn't likely to be changed (or even addressed)
