#retireFerentz, not fire

I get your sentiment. If Kirk announced a post-bowl retirement tomorrow, almost* everybody wins. Kirk would still leave with a great legacy and Iowa could start fresh with a new regime, which seems necessary at this point.

I don't think twitter will do much to effect that happening, but it can't hurt. Ignore the haters, bro.

* Obviously, it would hurt Kirk's bank account and most of his current staff would have great trouble finding comparable positions anywhere else.
 
CJHawkeye said:
Respectfully, if you don't think social media can shape a collective mentality and result in pressuring organizations to make or change decisions then I'm not sure where you've been the past 5 years.
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Respectfully, if you think the University of Iowa is an organization focused on customer relations, then I'm not sure where you went to school or where you've been the past 50 years.

#BowlsbyConspiracy (sorry, thought I was on CryFan)
 
I got my business degree from Iowa in 2001 since you asked. All organizations are sensitive to public relations at some level. Nebraska's athletic department is on the hair trigger end of the spectrum. We're on the other end. But we're on the PR sensitivity spectrum, all organizations are.
 
Also, realize this place is generally not respectful, and some people will give you flak no matter what. It is teh internets. If you want to maintain your Iowa Nice, best not to respond and especially don't try to fight fire with fire.
 
I'm not taking any of this personally. I hope my responses have been reasoned, and directed at a point, not attacking a person.

Another thing that comes into play that Jon has talked about, and I agree with, is Kirk's legacy. If he retires soon (even if next year is much worse than this) a couple years from now the sting will be gone and he'll be revered on a level just below Fry. If the fanbase has an impression that he rides his contract out and rides the football program into the ground, that will not be the case. I agree that these people are far more insulated from pressure than they would be at most schools but insulated doesn't mean immune. Kirk Ferentz is human. He DOES care about what people think of him on a macro level.
 
CJHawkeye said:
I got my business degree from Iowa in 2001 since you asked. All organizations are sensitive to public relations at some level. Nebraska's athletic department is on the hair trigger end of the spectrum. We're on the other end. But we're on the PR sensitivity spectrum, all organizations are.
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Iowa doesn't care about on field product. Its idea of public relations is appeasing women by taking away due process rights for young men accused of crimes against women or appeasing Native Americans by refusing to play teams with Native American mascots outside of conference play or assigned post-season appearances. It only cares about identity politics. In revenue athletics, it responds only to bottom line concerns, which is why you saw Lickliter fired when the stands emptied out. The model is there, the fans just need to execute and call 1-800-IA-HAWKS and tell them to cancel your renewal for season tickets next year. That is the only way anything will happen.
 
CJHawkeye said:
I'm not taking any of this personally. I hope my responses have been reasoned, and directed at a point, not attacking a person.

Another thing that comes into play that Jon has talked about, and I agree with, is Kirk's legacy. If he retires soon (even if next year is much worse than this) a couple years from now the sting will be gone and he'll be revered on a level just below Fry. If the fanbase has an impression that he rides his contract out and rides the football program into the ground, that will not be the case. I agree that these people are far more insulated from pressure than they would be at most schools but insulated doesn't mean immune. Kirk Ferentz is human. He DOES care about what people think of him on a macro level.
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Meh, I care about what people think about me, too, but after shelling out 44% or so in taxes, $11-12 million net could go a long way toward therapy. Ferentz has demonstrated time and again that he is a very rational economic actor.
 
CJ the Iowa athletic department could use a guy like you. Their handling of cases from a PR stand point have been atrocious.
 
okeefe4prez said:
Iowa doesn't care about on field product. Its idea of public relations is appeasing women by taking away due process rights for young men accused of crimes against women or appeasing Native Americans by refusing to play teams with Native American mascots outside of conference play or assigned post-season appearances. It only cares about identity politics. In revenue athletics, it responds only to bottom line concerns, which is why you saw Lickliter fired when the stands emptied out. The model is there, the fans just need to execute and call 1-800-IA-HAWKS and tell them to cancel your renewal for season tickets next year. That is the only way anything will happen.
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Unfortunately I believe this is the correct answer. Money talks and bs walks (short version)

What will you do today to impact your team's future???????????????
 
I just don't buy that nothing other than ticket sales matter. I have no compelling evidence so I cannot respond to a challenge on that point but I don't buy it. Or maybe we need to be looking higher up the chain than Gary Barta even. And, I'll preemptively scoff at any notion that you can't have both a quality scholastic institution with integrity AND quality competitive athletic programs. To claim that is the case is to claim the administration cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. Maybe that is the case, but that is a pretty low bar.
 
CJHawkeye said:
I just don't buy that nothing other than ticket sales matter. I have no compelling evidence so I cannot respond to a challenge on that point but I don't buy it. Or maybe we need to be looking higher up the chain than Gary Barta even. And, I'll preemptively scoff at any notion that you can't have both a quality scholastic institution with integrity AND quality competitive athletic programs. To claim that is the case is to claim the administration cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. Maybe that is the case, but that is a pretty low bar.
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Start with this CJ. Looks like its available. Get it rolling

http://firesallymason.com/


#FireSallyMason
 
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Case in point with this thread, I personally think registering a domain is an old-school way to rally disappointed fans. firebradyhoke.com and firebopelini.com are both open as well from what I can tell. Facebook and Twitter are where its at from a fan perspective. I reiterate that that is ONE mechanism. Ticket sales and donations will need to match fan chatter but each leg is not in a silo. Anecdotally, several coworkers have gone from being pretty disinterested in discussing any changes at Iowa to being pretty angry.

Likewise at Nebraska, it wasn't individual angry fans that led to Bo's demise, it was the collective anger, collective expression of higher expectations, and an athletic department willing to do something. In fact, the other "leg" at Nebraska didn't materialize i.e. you didn't see a drop in ticket sales really. Maybe there was a drop in demand, maybe the wait list got shorter, maybe the price in the secondary market fell etc. but the culture there didn't wait for a drop in ticket sales.

At Iowa it will take more pressure frankly, because the personality of the program and university is different. I acknowledge that. I'm not blind to it. But there is a tipping point even if it is at a different spot than Nebraska, Michigan or Florida's.
 
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There is only one hashtag that will change anything:

#Ihave15milliondollarsandIwillgiveittoyoutobuyoutKirkFerentz'scontract
 
I did sign the petition but have stated here and elsewhere that I don't think Ferentz deserves to be fired (yet). He deserves to be offered an out that preserves his dignity and legacy, which he has earned.
 
okeefe4prez said:
Holy smokes. I wish I would have thought of this. A hashtag campaign to effectuate change. Best of luck with this endeavor.

#Justice4Trayvon

#Ferguson
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LULZ. I was thinking the same thing.

The only dynamic wherein hashtag campaigns seize any effect is when directed at for-profit endeavors which fear a hit to their bottom line.
 
CJHawkeye said:
I did sign the petition but have stated here and elsewhere that I don't think Ferentz deserves to be fired (yet). He deserves to be offered an out that preserves his dignity and legacy, which he has earned.
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His dignity will be fine. Just fine. "Hey Kurt, you don't have to come to work tomorrow and you'll still get a check for close to $3 mil a year until 2020!" This isn't like laying off some line worker with 30 years of tenure in a UAW shop in Akron. His legacy will also be fine. Barta will completely and totally whiff on the next HC hire (Iowa has made two reasonably good hires in a row and the odds of three, especially with Barta around, are slim). We will go through a period that is as dark, nay, darker than what Lickliter did to basketball. And when Kurt returns in 2024 to honor the 20th anniversary of our last conference title, he will get a heroes welcome from the 16,000 fans in attendance, just like Mr. Davis got when the '87 basketball team had its 25 year reunion a few years ago.
 
ThunderHawk said:
LULZ. I was thinking the same thing.

The only dynamic wherein hashtag campaigns seize any effect is when directed at for-profit endeavors which fear a hit to their bottom line.
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According to some sophisticated analytics that I just ran, #retireferentz has 300% more tweets than #retirekirk. #ThinkAboutThat4AMinute
 
CJHawkeye said:
Respectfully, no one is immune to all levels of pressure. Realistically, he's our coach for 1-2 more years. I already don't think he makes it to 2020.
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I agree with this. Cant see him wanting to stay until 2020. But I do think he will want to go out on his own terms. Will be very interesting to see who his OC is next year. Any changing he has planned needs to happen now IMO
 
Of course the frustration with Iowa won't really be alleviated much if Greg Davis is fired. 1) How do you justify it given the points we've put up this year compared to other years? Is the defense more to blame for failing to protect leads? The offense hasn't been great but if you ranked offense, defense and special teams I wouldn't put offense last. 2) Iowa will not follow the example of almost every other program who is turning over coaches by starting the search NOW, but rather will wait until after the bowl game, ensure we get sloppy seconds.
 
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