[NU Sports] RE: nwu-sports Digest, Vol 4, Issue 340

[Ben Adler]

Or...maybe Murphy IS just leaving for the money.  Imagine that!  After all, if players, coaches, trainers and even broadcasters (sorry, Musberger-haters) can drop their educations or jobs at a moment's notice to turn pro, why can't athletic directors?

We all love to speculate, and fit every little thing that happens into our own personal world views -- in politics as well as sports, that's for sure -- but there's absolutely no evidence that Murphy left in a dispute over the direction of the Athletic Department with Henry Bienen, Patrick Ryan, Arthur Butz, the Medill dean who thinks marketing is the new journalism, my third cousin once removed's ex-girlfriend, or anyone else.

That said, I'm very sorry to see Murphy go as well.  A lot's been said about his influence at NU, so I'll just speak to one area I know very well: WNUR.  While the Athletic Department under Rick Taylor pushed the station away, Mark Murphy embraced it.  Just one example: Anyone who listened to Lacrosse championship broadcasts or Women's College World Series games the last few years (and there were a TON of you, because you maxed out WNUR's web server) can thank Murphy for his role in encouraging the cooperation that made those expensive broadcasts possible.  Huge benefit to the university?  Maybe not.  The logical -- and classy -- thing to do, for the players, their families and the student broadcasters?  You bet.

-- Ben

----- Original Message ----
From: "johnadeg at comcast.net" <johnadeg at comcast.net>
To: rstetson at capps-assoc.com; MHRJGScott at aol.com; nwu-sports at tssi.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 7:44:34 PM
Subject: RE: [NU Sports] RE: nwu-sports Digest, Vol 4, Issue 340

But NU's  left wing oriented faculty doesn't support NU sports.  MY guess is that the reason that Murphy might or will leave is aside from money that he probably has not been allowed to do what he thinks needs to be done  to have a first class basketball and football programs.  Too bad, he will be a great loss if he leave.  If he does leave his replacement will probably be another Ivy Leaguer who has no clue about how to run a Big Ten program.

John DeGroat


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