I think the top options now are to go independent or, if they invited to the big 18/20, to join that.
I used to be strongly opposed to joining the big 10 and used to mock usc/ucla’s choice, but at this point, there are already 4 west coast teams, and if Stanford and cal are invited, that’d be a 6 team west coast pod, which could reduce travel, which was my greatest concern for student athletes.
If the big 18/20 deal doesn’t materialize or isn’t good, Stanford is one of the few schools in the country that could go independent. Presuming the pac-8/Apple+ deal now won’t go through, I could totally see Apple+ bankrolling an independent Stanford. There’s an audience fit and Stanford Athletics can sell more than enough Apple+ subscriptions.
No the university should not poll students, athletes and coaches, this is not a democracy. The university, by definition, is supposed to make decisions for the university. You might sometimes disagree with their decisions, but that’s their job.
I used to be strongly opposed to joining the big 10 and used to mock usc/ucla’s choice, but at this point, there are already 4 west coast teams, and if Stanford and cal are invited, that’d be a 6 team west coast pod, which could reduce travel, which was my greatest concern for student athletes.
If the big 18/20 deal doesn’t materialize or isn’t good, Stanford is one of the few schools in the country that could go independent. Presuming the pac-8/Apple+ deal now won’t go through, I could totally see Apple+ bankrolling an independent Stanford. There’s an audience fit and Stanford Athletics can sell more than enough Apple+ subscriptions.
No the university should not poll students, athletes and coaches, this is not a democracy. The university, by definition, is supposed to make decisions for the university. You might sometimes disagree with their decisions, but that’s their job.