"Barta has been good for Iowa athletics" Article in Gazette

HaydenHawk56

HaydenHawk56

Well-Known Member
Appartently, the Cedar Rapids Gazette is doing a 4 part series on Gary Barta's time at Iowa. The main title of the first article says it all...should it not read has been good for fundraising?

I read the entire article in the first series and they do point out some of the downsides of his tenure, but I immediately got a chuckle out of the main headline.
 
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So....Barta is fearful for his job and career, so he begs Dochterman to do a fluff piece? And the Gazette (as most papers) are bleeding revenue, so he obliged? Got it.
 
First the questionnaire, then the KFz interview, now this.

Could it be more obvious Barta is in full CYA spin mode.

As I once heard it put, "if you have to tell people that you're cool, then you're not cool."
 
As drummer pointed out it is pretty obvious what they are doing. Bottom line, KF has to win football games and it is going to have to be at a pretty high clip. This little PR campaign isn't going to sway anyone, if you are pro- Ferentz/Barta you will continue be, if you are on the fence then you will continue to be on the fence. And if you are anti-Ferentz/Barta it just gives you more ammunition.
 
trj said:
As drummer pointed out it is pretty obvious what they are doing. Bottom line, KF has to win football games and it is going to have to be at a pretty high clip. This little PR campaign isn't going to sway anyone, if you are pro- Ferentz/Barta you will continue be, if you are on the fence then you will continue to be on the fence. And if you are anti-Ferentz/Barta it just gives you more ammunition.
Click to expand...

trj, I agree with you and drummer, for the most part. But I think the fence sitters will pick a side by the end of the non con. If that goes well, then they take 8-4. If it doesn't, then they won't take 6 or 7 wins. Personally, I am holding kfootball/Barta to the B1G championship game. I am just sick and tired of "let's wait and see how the season plays out and that's football. We have (again) the easiest schedule around. This better be a 10 or 11 win season.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
trj, I agree with you and drummer, for the most part. But I think the fence sitters will pick a side by the end of the non con. If that goes well, then they take 8-4. If it doesn't, then they won't take 6 or 7 wins. Personally, I am holding kfootball/Barta to the B1G championship game. I am just sick and tired of "let's wait and see how the season plays out and that's football. We have (again) the easiest schedule around. This better be a 10 or 11 win season.
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God God, I almost hope we do NOT make B1G Championship game. Whether O$U or MSU, it will be brutal. Even if I had Hawknick's confidence level, no WAY we would be competitive against either of those teams.
 
trj and arvada, I think some of those fence-sitters are beginning to see through the facade. This season could tip a lot of them into "I"m done with him" territory.

I have a good friend on this site. He'll be the proverbial canary in the coal mine. He's unfailingly optimistic and willing to give Kirk the benefit of the doubt. (that's probably why we're still buddies, he gives me a break too) :p

When he starts to turn... I'll know it's over.
 
What a freaking embarrassment! He pisses a good portion of the fan base off with his sky rocketing ticket prices, ridiculous 10 year contract, booze for the big$ boosters in Kinnick, while simultaneously ruining the tailgating outside of Kinnick.......under the argument that people can't handle what? Their booze!
He's the worst AD in the conference and it's not even remotely close. Now he wants everyone to forget what he's done to an outstanding, money making tradition?
PACK YOUR CRAP AND GTFO OF IOWA!!!!!
 
What also amazes me here (not surprises me though) is how the Iowa media can be so soft with big wigs in the state. This is just really another example of it. Why the CR Gazette would choose to do a piece like this with the apathy level being what it is? Perhaps, like it was alluded to above in another post to sell papers, but it feels like another cheap shot at the Iowa fans intellects (like SD and JM would say "don't pee on me and tell me it is raining") and rubbing at very open wounds. I believe Iowa fans have been extremely patience and supportive. They deserve better than this patch job drivel.

Do we really need a 4 part story on Barta with a headline like that? Just does not seem very tactful.

This has been a very strange PR off-season for U of I.

It is great to be able to raise a lot of money and upgrade facilities. It is great to not get sanctions on your program and your kids graduate. All that said, all that will eventually get lost in the shuffle if it does not produce realistic and attainable results on the playing field.....especially in major college and professional sports. That is the answer to the survey. That is the monkey in the room.
 
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Seems to be a last-ditch effort by Barta and the Iowa PR/marketing hacks to make people believe things are fine and no changes need to be made. As far as hoping for a 10 or 11 win season? Not gonna get my hopes up on that one, even with this schedule.
 
LOL .
Here are the programs that are in much better shape than when
Barta took over.

Men's Basketball
Women's Basketball
Wrestling
Iowa Baseball
Soccer
Men's and Women's Track
Men's and Women's Golf

Clearly Barta deserves a rai$e and a few negative posters on a message board, really,
isn't going to change that $how me the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
 
He is doing a good job. I see so many sports improving, and the new facilities as proof. He took a lot of heat over the Bond Shymansky hire, but I see that one working out great.
 
HawgEyeState said:
LOL .
Here are the programs that are in much better shape than when
Barta took over.

Men's Basketball
Women's Basketball
Wrestling
Iowa Baseball
Soccer
Men's and Women's Track
Men's and Women's Golf

Clearly Barta deserves a rai$e and a few negative posters on a message board, really,
isn't going to change that $how me the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
Click to expand...

You're stretching a bit.

Women's bball- Bluder was the coach when he was hired. He gets zero credit for that

Men's bball- break even. He destroyed the program with his first hire and looks like he found a guy to bring it back. I like Fran, but objectively...we've got 1 NCAA win in 5 years. Not there yet.

Wrestling- made a good coaching change,(guided by Gable) but IOWA wrestling was never in "bad" shape, like basketball (or like football is now) they finished 2nd, 7th and 4th Nationally the last 3 years before Brands' hire. We have NCTitle expectations at IOWA, yes. But wrestling wasn't exactly in the dumper.

Baseball, Great hire

The rest...who cares. Football is more important in the big picture than all below wrestling put together.

I'll grant you that he hasn't been a complete failure. But where it counts most, on the biggest stage (football and PR) he's fallen on his face, more than once. The game day experience at Kinnick has been neutered by the trifecta of Barta/Ferentz/Mason. IOWA football is what 95% of the country identifies as IOWA athletics and it's the cash cow. Screwing that part up, overshadows almost everything else. When outsiders are laughing at you and making fun of your program...you're failing.
 
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First off the football program looks strong going forward. They have the new facilities. The recruiting classes are looking strong. He has supported the football program well.

Second all sports are important. I was just as happy with the womens basketball team when they beat Miami and made it to the sweet 16 as I am with any of the net revenue generating programs.
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
You're stretching a bit.

Women's bball- Bluder was the coach when he was hired. He gets zero credit for that

Men's bball- break even. He destroyed the program with his first hire and looks like he found a guy to bring it back. I like Fran, but objectively...we've got 1 NCAA win in 5 years. Not there yet.

Wrestling- made a good coaching change,(guided by Gable) but IOWA wrestling was never in "bad" shape, like basketball (or like football is now) they finished 2nd, 7th and 4th Nationally the last 3 years before Brands' hire. We have NCTitle expectations at IOWA, yes. But wrestling wasn't exactly in the dumper.

Baseball, Great hire

The rest...who cares. Football is more important in the big picture than all below wrestling put together.

I'll grant you that he hasn't been a complete failure. But where it counts most, on the biggest stage (football and PR) he's fallen on his face, more than once. The game day experience at Kinnick has been neutered by the trifecta of Barta/Ferentz/Mason. IOWA football is what 95% of the country identifies as IOWA athletics and it's the cash cow. Screwing that part up, overshadows almost everything else. When outsiders are laughing at you and making fun of your program...you're failing.
Click to expand...

Bowlsby hired Brands
 
HawgEyeState said:
LOL .
Here are the programs that are in much better shape than when
Barta took over.

Men's Basketball
Women's Basketball
Wrestling
Iowa Baseball
Soccer
Men's and Women's Track
Men's and Women's Golf

Clearly Barta deserves a rai$e and a few negative posters on a message board, really,
isn't going to change that $how me the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
Click to expand...



The KF contract trumps all that. I am not saying it is right or even fair, but it is what it is. Anything short of KF winning 20+ games in the next couple years that contract will be tied to Barta's legacy. It was a bad contract from every veiwpoint except Ferentz's.
 
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