BJD95′s Wolfpack Club Resignation Letter
To follow up on my late October rant, I have indeed put my money where my mouth is. Here’s my letter, with private stuff I don’t want on the internet carved out:
January 19, 2010
NC State Student Aid Association
PO Box 37100
Raleigh, North Carolina 27627-7100
RE: Cancellation of Wolfpack Club Membership
Membership #******/Ticket #*****
Dear Sir or Madam:
At this point in time, I do not intend to renew my Wolfpack Club membership for 2010, nor continue to purchase LTR seats for football games. Please do not make any further bank drafts from my State Employees’ Credit Union Account (I have also requested that SECU not permit any further bank drafts after December 2009).
My *****personal family situation***** necessitates that I make some difficult spending decisions. Although I have been a Wolfpack Club member since my graduation in 1995 (and am not dissatisfied with the Wolfpack Club or its leadership), I do not feel that the NC State athletics department has shown the commitment to winning that would justify any additional financial investment on my part. My strong feeling is that NC State’s commitment is only to turning a profit (the LTR system helps disconnect finances from bottom-line results), and that winning games and competing for championships are tangential goals at best. Objective measures across the department range from mediocre to putrid, and accountability is virtually non-existent. The official response to even the mildest, fairest criticism (primarily through Lee Fowler, who would not remain employed at virtually any other peer institution, given the level of “success” under his “leadership”) is to demand that we shut up and send more money.
Although finances are tight now, I am a partner in a *****significant business operation*****, and will likely have significant discretionary income once my children graduate college. But NC State’s continued indifference to athletic success has lost me, and I fear that the same holds true for most of my generation of alumni. I wonder who will realistically replace the current crop of major program donors when their time passes. I can never stop caring about or loving NC State, but like a family member of a drug addict, I can and will stop enabling the debilitating sickness that permeates the athletic department.
Sincerely,
*****BJD95*****
Happy MLK, everybody!
104 Responses to “BJD95′s Wolfpack Club Resignation Letter”
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Well said, BJD95. Hopefully this letter will find it’s way to the new Chancellor’s desk soon.
It will be interesting to see if you get a response or not.
If this somehow made it into Lee’s hands I know the response it would generate:
Thanks for the suggestion. Go Pack!
Sincerely,
Lee Fowler
Can’t say I blame you BJD. As a recent graduate (May ’09) I can tell you the interest level in athletics among my peers is fairly weak, especially for basketball. However, of those peers that do actually care, a majority of them still think we should have kept HWSNBN and think that is the ceiling for NC State basketball. I’m afraid that unless someone starts winning championships in MBB or football this generation will be happy with being spoon-fed mediocrity (or worse) for a long time.
I ended my rights and FB seats as well 12/31/09.
Well done, sir. Perfectly well stated. We aren’t even mediocre in football and basketball now. Mediocre would be a step up.
And all the best to you and your family.
I wouldn’t bet on a response. But it would be interesting if there was one.
i’ve noticed that too with the younger fans/students. HWSNBN made it painfully obvious that it wasn’t working. we haven’t had anything to really market to the younger crowd. growing up, seeing our bball in the eighties really set the standards for me. following that with sherridan, i thought we were second to none. with or without sid, i still think his hiring was a step in the right direction. he’s got his recruits lined up, and honestly.. i don’t think he’ll stick around if no success comes for him next year (on his own accord)! TOB, the exact same.
what i’m most disappointed with is the brand of bball that has won 2/5 nc’s, is garbage ball. wouldn’t even happen against the level of bball we’re striving for.
c/o 97 here (duh)…and in the same boat but still hanging on for a bit more.
I hear you BJD. I love State and spend way too much time following the sports teams, but I never even joined the WPC after graduating. While I lived in the area I could always get tickets from family. I’ve lived in the DC area for 3 years now, and I see absolutely no reason to donate money to the failed enterprise that is NCSU athletics. Like you, my discretionary income goes elsewhere.
When Fowler is gone, I will think about signing up. But right now we are in the pits and we have very little hope of digging out in the short term.
Let me add that the Oblinger debacle has reduced my enthusiasm for supporting the academic side of the university as well, which I have done since graduating with both time and money (I haven’t cut them off yet, though).
Certainly can’t argue with anything that you wrote there. The product on the field/floor coupled with the apparent lack of commitment to improving said product leads one to really feel that your aren’t getting much in return for your input/investment. People can’t just continue to piss their money down a toilet.
Definitely let us know if you hear something back.
Poor ol’ BJD95 musta been there during the Les era which ushered in the awfulness. It’s been 2 decades since we were much more than mediocre.
I was there between the championships. I don’t know which is worse, to have been there during the heady days of Stormin’ Norman and Jimmy V. or to have come along during the decades of irrelevancy.
I love NC State but I don’t like whats been happening at NC State. I have have high hopes that Woodson can improve the situation.
Unless BJD is some kind of nickname for Wendell or Richard, don’t hold your breath.
I sent a similar type message to Dr. Woodward while he was interim chancellor. He actually replied in a brief statement saying that he too was disappointed by the performance of NC State athletic, especially the more highly visible sports. No mention of firing Fowler, but that has to be in the crosshairs for Woodson.
When Woodward’s office sent the donation request letter out on October 19th, I simply wrote “NOT A DIME UNTIL FOWLER IS GONE” on it and mailed it back, but haven’t heard anything.
I plan on joining the Alumni Association when I finish my masters after this year, and I’m going to go ahead and join the WPC and attempt to get football & basketball season tickets. My theory is if I buy in low enough, I can build my rank up now when my fellow young alumni are disinterested and when we hopefully come out of this era of suck I will in a good position.
On the academic side, the Oblinger scandal obviously was an embarrassment, but my school (COM) is top-notch and I plan on giving back. Plus, I like what I’ve heard from Woodson so far, hopefully Randy can deliver on those soundbites and get things back on track.
I cut them off last year – I just did it without fanfare. Well-done, sir…
Last time I checked, the Carolina game (yes, the HOME game against them coming up on January 26th) is STILL not sold out. There’s something inherently wrong with that. And Carolina is not even having a good year. I could maybe see that if this was last year’s Carolina team and people just couldn’t bear to watch us get blown out by the eventual national champions. But this is a team that College of Charleston beat!!!
My point is this. Money seems to be the only thing that gets the NCSU administration to listen. If they see that we can’t even sell out the friggin’ CAROLINA game, I’m guessing they’re not going to put up with this much longer. That could mean dumping Sidney, or Fowler. Or both. It just seems like a bad omen that the game is not sold out YET.
Here’s the URL if you want to check it out:
http://ev10.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS%3AIBM%3AMB09%3AMB11%3A&linkID=ncsu&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=
When more and more people stop renewing their LTR’s and season ticket packages, it will add up and HOPEFULLY force a change, starting with Lee Fowler. And if need be, Sidney Lowe.
Keg man really thinks our angst with Lee Fowler is just a case of making him a scapegoat for OUR OWN failures???
What has Lee done right? I mean, in his entire tenure at NC State? He brought in a good woman’s basketball coach. I have to give him that, in fairness (although I hope that is not enough to help him keep his job). Other than that, what has the man done right?
Believe it or not, it IS possible to have an issue with someone (such as Lee Fowler), and it be a LEGITIMATE issue.
“Many on the waiting list to get seats will be more than happy to take your place.”
You think there’s a waiting list? Seriously?
“Last time I checked, the Carolina game (yes, the HOME game against them coming up on January 26th) is STILL not sold out. There’s something inherently wrong with that.”
You could get UNC and Duke tickets on the cheap as a bundle on the cheap just last week, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
I did the same a long time ago. I saw the writing on the wall and got out before I wasted any more money. How sad that a once proud athletic program stoops to LTRs to fill its coffers with money and seats with people.
I’ve been out for a number of years now and am in the position financially to start regularly contributing – but I’ve seen very little in the last 5 years that deserves supporting.
In the meantime donations go to charities that are out there making a difference and kicking ass every day. In the future I hope NC State gets a part of that pie. The ball is in your court Mr. Chancellor.
Be careful guys. Some of this is borderline.