I consider myself a Virginian. I wasn’t born there. I don’t live there. And I probably won’t die there. But I played little league ball in Virginia. My high school and college diplomas carry the name of the commonwealth. Most of my family still dwells within its borders. And, up to today, I proudly called myself a Virginian. Depending on how Governor Mark Warner responds to the anticipated actions of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), I may continue to hold my head high, or I may finally surrender all claim to the state.
You see, Governor Warner and Virginia Tech have dug themselves a very deep hole. A few weeks ago, I shared with you my thoughts on the conflict arising between the Big East conference and the ACC over the ACC’s recruitment of the University of Miami, Boston College, and Syracuse University. As I shared then, my own views of the situation were sinfully transient, depending on which side of the line “my” Hokies fell.
Since I wrote that piece, there have been two dramatic shifts. First, the remaining five Big East football teams filed suit against the ACC, Miami and Boston College, claiming a conspiracy to do harm to the Big East and its members. In an effort to persuade the University of Virginia, an ACC member, to vote against that conference’s expansion at the Big East’s expense, Governer Warner has publicly supported the Big East’s lawsuit.
Now, the other shoe is about to drop. According to reports by the Associated Press, ESPN and others, the ACC is set to invite Virginia Tech to join their conference, along with the other three Big East members.
As Virginia Tech’s president Charles Steger correctly observed: “The Big East is a corporation, each of the presidents who serves on the governing council of the Big East has a fiduciary responsibility, which is defined in law, to act in the best interest of the collective entity.”
What will Steger do when the invitation comes? How will Warner respond? Will these two men stand firm for what is “right”, or will they suddenly swing with the wind? Will “rightness” be defined by convenience and selfish motives, or will these men show true character and rebuff the ACC’s offer? That answer will either lift these men to moral heights or haunt them to their graves.
President Steger faces a challenge which is not uncommon to successful businessmen today. As president of one institution, he has a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of Virginia Tech. As a member of the governing council of another institution, he has a similar fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of the Big East conference. These responsibilities may now be in conflict.
Look at the board of directors of any corporation in America. Who serves? Generally, leaders of other businesses. Often, the best advisors a business could have are those that work most closely with me – my customers, my suppliers, and my partners. However, when an item comes before the board that has a positive or negative bearing on an individual board member’s outside interests – such as his own company – then that board member will rightly remove himself from the discussion and the decision. Don’t be misled – the other board members are aware of the relationship, and hopefully that board member has represented his company well as an ambassador to this group, but the immediate conflict is removed. This system has worked relatively well over time and it is my opinion that the value of having those that are closest to you on your board greatly outweighs the risks.
However, the trap that has caught Warner, Steger and Virginia Tech is the foolishness of the structure of the Big East conference. Every decision that Steger makes as a member of the Big East governing council has direct impact on his employer, Virginia Tech. Many decisions he makes as President of Virginia Tech have impact on the Big East. He and the other university presidents can’t possibly remove themselves from those decisions, or there’d be nobody left to make them.
When college sports was merely a game and athletic conferences were gentlemanly arrangements for the convenience of scheduling and the thrill of competition, such a structure could work. But today, college athletics is big business with millions of dollars at risk. Such a flawed structure cannot stand and reform is desperately needed. Perhaps this embarrassing episode will be just the event to bring it about.
This fall, when the Hokies take the field and line up opposite the Hurricanes of Miami, it is my hope and prayer that they will represent my state and my school with just as much determination and energy as Steger and Warner have displayed these past few weeks. However, it is also my hope and prayer that they will, unlike those men, demonstrate singleness of purpose, strength of character, and righteous attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions to make us truly proud – win or lose. Go Hokies!
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