Utah press release

Story in the Deseret News

Story in the Salt Lake Tribune

Link to the full bracket

Salt Lake City Games:

Saturday         Sunday       
Arizona St.-----|
                       |--winner--|
Temple---------|                |
                                       |---(Moves on to Dayton)
Notre Dame----|               |
                       |--winner--|
Utah-------------|

Ticket Information:
All-session tickets are $25 (adult) and $10 (under 18) and are good for one session on Saturday and one session on Monday, a total of three games. Utah students can purchase an all-session ticket for $20 with valid student ID. Single-game tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for youth (no Utah student discounts on single game tickets). Tickets are available at 801-581-UTIX (8849).

Why do we have to live in a market where our rival school owns the local newspaper?  They can even spin good news to make it sound bad.  I would like to compare how I would spin this D-News article.   I added a little editorial spin into my version since they did the same in theirs.

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My title: University of Utah shatters research funding record despite lack of state support.

D-News title: Utes expect to grow richer with new vice president.

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My spin:

The U’s hiring of Perry is needed in a time when the school is attempting to bring Utah onto the map of states with highly respected educational institutions.  Even though the U increased research funding to new records, the amount of research funding the university received from the state of Utah dropped a whopping 23 percent.  Hopefully Perry will be able to reverse this lack of support by the legislature and help our flagship state school take advantage of this incredible opportunity to become a nationally recognized high education institution.

D-News spin:

"Now, at a time when the Utes seemingly could wallpaper the Huntsman Center with $100 bills"

...

"the U's acquisition of Perry's services is proof positive of the old adage about the rich getting richer because the relationships he forged while the governor's chief of staff with legislators and civil servants will ostensibly enable him to bring in big bucks for research and other university necessities."

I guess I think that the hiring of Perry is an attempt to reverse the 23 percent drop in state funding and not proof positive of the rich getting richer.  Why does the article emphasis the rich getting richer? 

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Question:

Given the following facts taken from the article, do you think it is appropriate to title the article "Utes expect to grow richer with new vice president"?

• State of Utah funding is down 23%
• Only 14% ($13.7 million) of the growth came from renewable funds.  The other 86% of the growth ($82.2 million) came from non-renewable federal stimulus funds.

Previously there was a concern that Utah would run a $2 million deficit in 2011.  This is because the contract with the Pac 10 specifically said Utah would not get any money from the existing pot.  Only new revenue would be distributed to Utah under the PAC 10 expansion deal.

Recently the PAC10 signed a new deal with Fox TV.  The deal was for $25 million.  More specifically, $14.5 million for the PAC 12 championship game and $10.5 million for additional games that come with conference expansion.

Because this TV deal is new money Utah should get a cut of this.  From this money they should make approximately the same $2 million they would have made if they had stayed in the MWC.

The article was originally posted at this link...

www.deseretnews.com/.../BYU-football-Tickets-still-available-for-New-Mexico-Bowl.html

You can see a cached version from the search engine bing here...

http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=www.deseretnews.com%2f...%2fBYU-football-Tickets-still-available-for-New-Mexico-Bowl.html&d=27024131924689208&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=b7df7ae0,ce9bd009

Or just read the censored article here...

BYU football: Tickets still available for New Mexico Bowl

PROVO — As of Wednesday night, the New Mexico Bowl had sold about 10,000 tickets for this weekend's game between BYU and UTEP.

BYU has sold a little more than 2,500 tickets through its website, according to associate athletic director Duff Tittle. UTEP has sold about 3,700 tickets, according to the El Paso Times.

The rest of the tickets sold have been purchased through the bowl. There are 29,700 tickets still available for the game at 39,244-seat University Stadium, said New Mexico Bowl media relations director RaeAnn McKernan.

By Jeff Call, Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010 11:57 p.m. MST

Link to audio of rant.

I think he went too far.  He went so far that the only response is to come to the defense of BYU.  Although, it is impossible to defend them without making jokes at the same time.

Chris said, "I hate BYU and everything they stand for."  Now I use some humor at the expense of BYU in this article.  Don't let it fool you, I don't hate BYU.  They are a sports rival and that is it.  Hiring beer ninjas to pour Dos Equis on the starting quarterbacks family is as far as I go.

Excuse my language but Chris was a total Maxhole.  I mean that from the bottom of my heart.   I must say it again.  Chris, you are a Maxhole.

quote from Chris:

BYU is a front for utter hypocrisy.  I don't use this word lightly Ben; but I hate BYU, and I hate everything they stand for.  Because they are nothing but 100% hypocritical.  They have no honor in that university in any way shape or form.  Because if they did there is no way they themselves would allow one of their very own football videographers to be in there deciding a football game in the replay booth.

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I am upset with BYU right now.  I really think they acted in a sneaky, backhanded, selfish nature.  Their quest for independence could have gone the honorable route, but it didn't.  Not only did BYU try to leave, they tried to sabotage the teams they left behind.  They knew the MWC fallback plan because they have been inside spying on MWC board meetings. They turned MWC enemy and showed up to MWC meetings acting the sheep. 

Here is what BYU did:

1)      They decided to leave.  I can understand taking this position, they are a BCS quality school and undervalued.  The MWC has an open door policy, this is fair.

Now the part that I have a problem with:

2)      Common courtesy would say they would notify the MWC of their intentions.  They did not do this.

3)      They took the lack of notification a step further and spied from the inside.  BYU has been in MWC board meetings.  Not only did they not notify the MWC of their intentions, they used this time to act as a double agent and spy on their new MWC "enemies" while the other schools still thought they were "friends" and "partners".  This way they know the details of any MWC emergency plan should a team like BYU decide to leave the MWC. 

4)      BYU used this inside information against the MWC in backroom deals behind closed doors with an enemy conference.  They contacted the WAC and got WAC member institutions to sign a $5 million exit fee poison pill in order to ruin the MWC emergency fall back plan.

5)      Then they further aggravated the situation by doing a piss poor job at screwing the mountain west over.  Why, because Fresno and Nevada still came to the MWC, even though BYU had preset the traps. 

6)      Now because BYU played with fire they burned the WAC.   I personally have been hoping to see some good years ahead for Utah State.  Now the Aggies are in a world of hurt.

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