New UW President, Ed Siedel: Gutless, Craven

[bladerunnr]

I understand and agree. I grew up in the late 70's where the Carter administration lowered the national speed limit to 55mph.

Nixon, not Carter, signed the 55mph speed limit into law 1/2/1974.

Thank you. I was too young to remember Nixon and I didn't get my driver's license until 1980. That's no excuse for my ignorance. I didn't realize that Nixon did something worse than Watergate.

 

[Wyokie]

I understand and agree. I grew up in the late 70's where the Carter administration lowered the national speed limit to 55mph.

Nixon, not Carter, signed the 55mph speed limit into law 1/2/1974.

Fun fact: I was born 6 days later in Casper.

 

[Expat_Poke]

Keep going with the flow. Sure. See where that gets you. Being a sheep in the fold got us to where we are. No football, kids missing education, society at large walking around with masks on afraid to talk to each other, small businesses across America destroyed and a 15% economic contraction and a pending recession if not depression all because the average person has a .000001 chance of dying. Not enough people in leadership positions said ENOUGH of this bull Sh#t. We need some real, actual leaders who care more than something about kissing asses and keeping us safe.

You have clearly never been a leader, and frankly with statements like this never will be. Ask a general if winning the battle is worth losing lives. Ask a well-regarded CEO how easy it is to lay people off. Ask a football coach if putting a player at risk is worth winning the game. If any of these position have even an ounce of integrity they cannot look themselves in the mirror and feel good about putting people's lives at risk, be it risk of death, risk of income, or risk of injury.

The public in general crucifies coaches when they put a player on the field that has clearly had a concussion. We raise hell when soldiers are put in harms way for something we don't agree with. We boycott when corporations issue mass layoffs. The fact of the matter is that being a leader is HARD. There's a reason leaders are in the position they are in; they're willing to make the tough choices and live with the consequences.

Well, by this rationale, a "leader" should never allow a kid to get on a football field. The risk of injury, whether concussion or soft tissue or tendon rupture, is far more statistically probable than covid complications. The long term problems associated with these kind of injuries can be life altering. I haven't read any posts from you advocating an end to football as we know it.
Also, I was unaware that people boycott corporations that issue mass layoffs. Can you give me one example of this?

A leader looks at the big picture. We can save lives by reducing the speed limit to 50 mph. Is it worth the inconvenience of making people's travel times longer? We can save lives by banning alcohol and cigarettes. Do we want to allow people to make choices or do we want to control every aspect of their lives? Should we ban the sale of all handguns to reduce gun violence? Would it save lives? I personally would be against that because I believe some freedoms are worth the loss of life. Perhaps you don't.
If a player doesn't want to get on the field, I understand. The question we should be asking is: Is he at more risk on the field or not? The fact is: the bar has constantly shifted regarding covid. At first, we needed to isolate people to "flatten the curve". Now, the bar has been raised to trying to keep people from getting the virus in the first place. I don't believe that is realistic. We are all going to get this thing eventually. It's going to stay with us like colds and the flu.

Not to get a total derail going, but this also illustrates the "saving lives" by doing x but being ignorant of draw backs that make it cost lives by doing x. A lot of highway fatalities in this state are people falling asleep at the wheel. Driving 50 mph on a highway with a design speed of 75-85 mph with a lot of long straight alignments can help induce a sort of hypnosis and drowsy affect contributing to people falling asleep at the wheel. Additionally, increasing travel times increases the time on the road which increases the temptation to do things that are distractions to driving. Not to mention having a much lower speed limit than design speed can make drivers complacent, which again increases temptation to perform distractions. I could make similar points with banning handguns and battles and casualties. Sorry, very non-pithy way of saying you got to look closely at "saving lives" because those acts may actually cost lives. I think you make some good points on the moving of the goal posts and the questions to be asked.

I wish we could have the meeting minutes of the MWC meeting and see what our president and AD said. I understand Burman's position of looking into ways of doing independence for a season, but doing it in a way that doesn't burn bridges with the MWC and not wanting to burn a bunch of eligibility for a handful of games.

I understand and agree. I grew up in the late 70's where the Carter administration lowered the national speed limit to 55mph. The slogan was "55 saves lives". Yes, this slogan of saving lives has to be examined closely.

So, shouldn't we examine the covid issue the same way? Does the social isolation of online classes and the deprivation of sporting events have a human cost? Are we really saving lives by eliminating large social gatherings and sporting events? Or are we just delaying the inevitable? We know there is a huge economic cost. But there are other costs as well. Perhaps we need to weigh these costs in determining our policies regarding this virus.

I agree and think so, yes. You got some good questions, and I hope those questions were at least raised at the MWC meeting, but I won't hold my breath on that. Edit - and to be fair to the University Presidents some of those questions need to be answered by others and that is not happening for a variety of reason. And for some presidents the actions of their local/state governments really take the issue out of their hands.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I understand and agree. I grew up in the late 70's where the Carter administration lowered the national speed limit to 55mph.

Nixon, not Carter, signed the 55mph speed limit into law 1/2/1974.

Fun fact: I was born 6 days later in Casper.

Based on your love of the Wyoming jerseys of the 80s, I had you pegged as being much older.

 

[Wyokie]

I understand and agree. I grew up in the late 70's where the Carter administration lowered the national speed limit to 55mph.

Nixon, not Carter, signed the 55mph speed limit into law 1/2/1974.

Fun fact: I was born 6 days later in Casper.

Based on your love of the Wyoming jerseys of the 80s, I had you pegged as being much older.

1986-88 was a fantastic three period where football and basketball OWNED the WAC....and I was starting junior high. I hate the term, middle school. :roll:

 

[ZapPoke]

The 55MPH speed limit was not initially implemented in order to save lives. It was to reduce gasoline consumption. Allegedly cars got their best mileage at 55. Nixon implemented it following the Arab oil embargo. Gasoline prices had doubled and you had long lines if you could even find a station that had gas. Once that situation had stabilized the SS (State Safetiests) and The Wives and Mothers League to Combat Fun started pushing it as a safety issue.

 

[LanderPoke]

Keep going with the flow. Sure. See where that gets you. Being a sheep in the fold got us to where we are. No football, kids missing education, society at large walking around with masks on afraid to talk to each other, small businesses across America destroyed and a 15% economic contraction and a pending recession if not depression all because the average person has a .000001 chance of dying. Not enough people in leadership positions said ENOUGH of this bull Sh#t. We need some real, actual leaders who care more than something about kissing asses and keeping us safe.

You have clearly never been a leader, and frankly with statements like this never will be. Ask a general if winning the battle is worth losing lives. Ask a well-regarded CEO how easy it is to lay people off. Ask a football coach if putting a player at risk is worth winning the game. If any of these position have even an ounce of integrity they cannot look themselves in the mirror and feel good about putting people's lives at risk, be it risk of death, risk of income, or risk of injury.

The public in general crucifies coaches when they put a player on the field that has clearly had a concussion. We raise hell when soldiers are put in harms way for something we don't agree with. We boycott when corporations issue mass layoffs. The fact of the matter is that being a leader is HARD. There's a reason leaders are in the position they are in; they're willing to make the tough choices and live with the consequences.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[ragtimejoe1]

AF might not be the only MWC team playing this fall.

 

[Asmodeanreborn]

It's nice to see that even with disagreement, nobody in here has gone full on QAnon-tard nor anybody whatever you call those revolutionary commie turds on the left.

Random, but does any of this really affect the NFL season? I haven't paid attention... I'm watching hockey and baseball all day now, and it's awesome.

 

[fromolwyoming]

It's nice to see that even with disagreement, nobody in here has gone full on QAnon-tard nor anybody whatever you call those revolutionary commie turds on the left.

Random, but does any of this really affect the NFL season? I haven't paid attention... I'm watching hockey and baseball all day now, and it's awesome.

Baseball keeps running into problems. But hockey is playing in empty arenas. What's more, NBA is playing in a bubble, isolated and concentrated into one town and all playing in the same arena, and tested daily.

 

[Poke in New England]

It's nice to see that even with disagreement, nobody in here has gone full on QAnon-tard nor anybody whatever you call those revolutionary commie turds on the left.

Random, but does any of this really affect the NFL season? I haven't paid attention... I'm watching hockey and baseball all day now, and it's awesome.

NFL will jump on Saturday games if no major college football is being played

 

[LanderPoke]

I heard that Bohl, Burman and Co. were pretty blindsided by President Ed Siedel's vote to cancel the season. The AD was expecting a season to be played. So the new prez ignored the voices of those that have been here years longer than him. True leadership right there :| Sounds like the MWC presidents all got together and pissed their pants

 

[Lost Poke]

I heard that Bohl, Burman and Co. were pretty blindsided by President Ed Siedel's vote to cancel the season. The AD was expecting a season to be played. So the new prez ignored the voices of those that have been here years longer than him. True leadership right there :| Sounds like the MWC presidents all got together and pissed their pants

I think the Pres' job is to work out the politics with the other Presidents. The AD's and the coaches have their own worlds they live in. I would think Seidel sat in the room and realized there was little political will from a majority of the conference members. And then, being the new guy, he knew he wasn't in a position to make a statement and make enemies.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I heard that Bohl, Burman and Co. were pretty blindsided by President Ed Siedel's vote to cancel the season. The AD was expecting a season to be played. So the new prez ignored the voices of those that have been here years longer than him. True leadership right there :| Sounds like the MWC presidents all got together and pissed their pants

I think the Pres' job is to work out the politics with the other Presidents. The AD's and the coaches have their own worlds they live in. I would think Seidel sat in the room and realized there was little political will from a majority of the conference members. And then, being the new guy, he knew he wasn't in a position to make a statement and make enemies.

Yep! As much as it sucks, there was nothing Seidel could realistically do once it was clear there was a consensus. The blame LanderPoke is laying on the new President is misplaced.

 

[Wyoklaelk]

I heard that Bohl, Burman and Co. were pretty blindsided by President Ed Siedel's vote to cancel the season. The AD was expecting a season to be played. So the new prez ignored the voices of those that have been here years longer than him. True leadership right there :| Sounds like the MWC presidents all got together and pissed their pants

I think the Pres' job is to work out the politics with the other Presidents. The AD's and the coaches have their own worlds they live in. I would think Seidel sat in the room and realized there was little political will from a majority of the conference members. And then, being the new guy, he knew he wasn't in a position to make a statement and make enemies.

Yep! As much as it sucks, there was nothing Seidel could realistically do once it was clear there was a consensus. The blame LanderPoke is laying on the new President is misplaced.

Disagree with that, there are always options, feckless as you and pres seidel May be, that is an option. Also, just voicing that uw understands the California and Colorado president’s concerns, our situation may be different and we might seek alternative solutions is another option

Roll over and take the yellow one every time?
You must be a great and all knowing leader, empathizing with Seidel and making excuses for him

Leaders lead, not follow. That’s how you snivel your way to manager after 20 years

 

[laxwyo]

Real leadership can be found in South Dakota. Although the new president shouldn’t need to fall on his sword, his limp wristed statement leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

President Seidel - "UW doing everything we can to end postponement of football and other fall sports.."

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/president-uw-doing-everything-we-can-to-end-postponement-of-football-other-fall-sports/article_3120fd96-e69a-5119-936b-5c982f40d19c.html#tracking-source=home-breaking

 

[LanderPoke]

President Seidel - "UW doing everything we can to end postponement of football and other fall sports.."

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/president-uw-doing-everything-we-can-to-end-postponement-of-football-other-fall-sports/article_3120fd96-e69a-5119-936b-5c982f40d19c.html#tracking-source=home-breaking

I think he got the message..

 

[sandiegopoke]

Nixon, not Carter, signed the 55mph speed limit into law 1/2/1974.

And it did save lives, and created a great Sammy Hagar song!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/02/03/55-mph-saves-lives/8ad4f24d-9bd9-4c78-a9da-054358366f71/

 

[Adv8RU12]

And it did save lives, and created a great Sammy Hagar song!

And it added a lot to the coffers of the highway patrol. The cops were a constant sight on Interstate 80. If you went 56 mph you got ticketed.