New ASU Athletic Director: Graham Rossini

[AZCB34]

This is why ASU can't have nice things. I recommend listening to the entire audio at the link below.


By Arizona Sports Bickley & Marotta Show Audio Chris Karpman, Sun Devils insider:


And why would Crow opt for an in-house option rather than hiring an external candidate who has proven himself elsewhere?


“The most likely scenario that people have said to me is Michael Crow wants control,” Karpman said. “He wants things to be done his way, that someone who’s external and has already been successful at another as an athletic director would have a lot more deeply intrenched perspective about what needs to happen to course-correct at ASU and that would be something that Crow would maybe be resistant to and that makes a lot of sense.”


“(The lack of vetting ahead of the expected Rossini hiring) was very baffling actually to a lot of (people in the industry), particularly given the atmospherics of ASU really struggling in the last few years, the NCAA investigation, a lot of sentiment out there that there needs to be a course correction of kind of the leadership element and Michael Crow almost being tone deaf to that is the perception in the industry,” he added.

Karpman: ASU hiring Graham Rossini as next AD 'baffling' to many

The expected hire of in-house option Graham Rossini as ASU's new athletic director has thrown up some red flags across the industry.

arizonasports.com

“The only reason Graham Rossini is expected to get this job is because he works at ASU. If you took the identical resume any other place in the country, college athletics, he wouldn’t be a serious candidate,”

Oof

 

[Mainstreet]

“The only reason Graham Rossini is expected to get this job is because he works at ASU. If you took the identical resume any other place in the country, college athletics, he wouldn’t be a serious candidate,”

Oof

I guess the ASU alumni wore down over time or lost interest. It's disappointing Michael Crow has so much power.

 

[AZCB34]

I guess the ASU alumni wore down over time or lost interest. It's disappointing Michael Crow has so much power.

I think you are right about the alumni. I’m betting they got to a point where they realized Crow was going to stay in house and so they accepted that reality and they basically gave up trying to influence the process.

I am going to defend Crow for a moment before I turn around and critique. He is the university president therefore he should have the power he has. I think the argument should be against those university presidents who don’t have a backbone when it comes to their athletic departments. ASU is a much different school now than it was and I believe that is positive and virtually all of that is due to Crow.

Having said that, I think Crow doesn’t understand the role athletics plays in the culture, pride and heart of a university like ASU. Or put different, he understands it on some level but doesn’t care enough to support it. He seems to be trying to fight a battle that is already lost and that battle is the power of athletics. It can be reported he is changing his tune on NIL but I personally don’t buy it because I believe he hates NIL. Openly hates it.

Athletes will soon be paid by schools and enter into contracts. How will Crow work that into the university? And how far behind that process will they be once it is enacted? ASU clearly wasn’t ready for NIL and are still well behind most other programs of their type

 

[AZCB34]

I remain very disappointed they made no effort to go outside of the program and university. So many things wrong with that.

 

[Covert Rain]

Crow is a joke when it comes to the Athletic program.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think you are right about the alumni. I’m betting they got to a point where they realized Crow was going to stay in house and so they accepted that reality and they basically gave up trying to influence the process.

I am going to defend Crow for a moment before I turn around and critique. He is the university president therefore he should have the power he has. I think the argument should be against those university presidents who don’t have a backbone when it comes to their athletic departments. ASU is a much different school now than it was and I believe that is positive and virtually all of that is due to Crow.

Having said that, I think Crow doesn’t understand the role athletics plays in the culture, pride and heart of a university like ASU. Or put different, he understands it on some level but doesn’t care enough to support it. He seems to be trying to fight a battle that is already lost and that battle is the power of athletics. It can be reported he is changing his tune on NIL but I personally don’t buy it because I believe he hates NIL. Openly hates it.

Athletes will soon be paid by schools and enter into contracts. How will Crow work that into the university? And how far behind that process will they be once it is enacted? ASU clearly wasn’t ready for NIL and are still well behind most other programs of their type

I'm now in show-me mode when it comes Michael Crow. He didn't even open up hiring an athletic director to the outside.

Three major sports programs have become afterthoughts under his control.

 

[AZCB34]

There isn’t a ton going on in ASU athletics at the moment but Rossini was in attendance at last night’s baseball game. Nice to see. The word is that Rossini is really big on baseball and softball and the expectation is those two programs will get renewed attention. I was also told, from what I believe is a trusted source, that Rossini is very in tune with the importance NIL and we should see a shift in how NIL is utilized

 

[Devilmaycare]

This is very uninspiring. Looks like I get to keep my checkbook closed. I'm not opening it up for a hire like this.

 

[AZCB34]

This is very uninspiring. Looks like I get to keep my checkbook closed. I'm not opening it up for a hire like this.

I won’t ever tell people how to spend their money and I understand your sentiment, however, by withholding money you hurt his ability to try and improve athletics since we all know money moves the needle and ASU desperately needs to start moving the needle.

It’s the interesting conundrum.

 

[Devilmaycare]

I won’t ever tell people how to spend their money and I understand your sentiment, however, by withholding money you hurt his ability to try and improve athletics since we all know money moves the needle and ASU desperately needs to start moving the needle.

It’s the interesting conundrum.

Money is the key which is why I won’t give as long as Crow is still there and making moves like this. I’m voting with my wallet.

 

[Mullethead]

….Wildly underwhelming

 

[ajcardfan]

Crow is a joke when it comes to the Athletic program.

Yes.

But the entire university was basically a joke at one point. Crow's leadership has put ASU on the map academically and in research. Research wise it has moved in the MIT and Berkeley neighborhood. ASU is opening a medical school in the fall of 2026. Since it's collaborative with Mayo Clinic it's going to top au as a desired medical school destination in a short amount of time. This sort of stuff seemed impossible before Crow. Basically, he is President as long as he wants to be

If he only was as driven to get the athletic program to an elite level. It seems to be an afterthought that he doesn't take all that seriously.

 

[Raindog]

Yes.

But the entire university was basically a joke at one point. Crow's leadership has put ASU on the map academically and in research. Research wise it has moved in the MIT and Berkeley neighborhood. ASU is opening a medical school in the fall of 2026. Since it's collaborative with Mayo Clinic it's going to top au as a desired medical school destination in a short amount of time. This sort of stuff seemed impossible before Crow. Basically, he is President as long as he wants to be

If he only was as driven to get the athletic program to an elite level. It seems to be an afterthought that he doesn't take all that seriously.

I don't take any issue with how he's running the university academically at large. By all standards, he seems to be doing great at that.

But he also has a weird disregard for the athletic programs that almost seems to border on disdain. And he keeps hiring people in that department (or allowing his subordinates to do so) that are incompetent and unaccountable, all to the greater disservice of the university.

 

[ajcardfan]

I don't take any issue with how he's running the university academically at large. By all standards, he seems to be doing great at that.

But he also has a weird disregard for the athletic programs that almost seems to border on disdain. And he keeps hiring people in that department (or allowing his subordinates to do so) that are incompetent and unaccountable, all to the greater disservice of the university.

I do agree with all of that. His highly competitive drive to elevate the rest of the university has matched with competency. In athletics, that all seems to be missing. It is weird.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

It is ridiculous that it took 193 days to hire an internal guy.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

The oxymoron here is that a successful athletic program brings in millions for the University to apply towards academics. Crow doesn't see the light in that regard.

 

[AZCB34]

The oxymoron here is that a successful athletic program brings in millions for the University to apply towards academics. Crow doesn't see the light in that regard.

I don’t believe the athletics department brings in enough revenue versus their expenses. I think that is why they went through this financial restructuring in recent weeks before hiring Rossini.

I used this as my resource:

Arizona State University | College Athletics Database

I don’t know the reliability of the info

 

[MigratingOsprey]

I don't know if Crow has contempt or a lack of desire for athletics - he just seems to be completely out of touch and too involved and lacking in flexibility.

What has helped him on the academic side, hurts him in the athletic side as he seems to take the reigns based on his perception and ideals and not aligning with what is really needed.

I didn't think he's someone like Donna Shalala at Miami, who did have contempt for athletics and thought the academic side was being overshadowed and diminished by the programs and she also really didn't understand the landscape and wanted to be involved.

ASU could use a competent Ray Anderson type and have Crow just back away, monitor and listen. They need someone with vision and juice with support of university leadership.

They seem to have pivoted to young people with University ties and want to compete on energy and the meaningfulness of being a part of the program and university ...... Problem is, the university just isn't that special and even special places can fall quickly with poor leadership

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

I don’t believe the athletics department brings in enough revenue versus their expenses. I think that is why they went through this financial restructuring in recent weeks before hiring Rossini.

I used this as my resource:

Arizona State University | College Athletics Database

I don’t know the reliability of the info

I would imagine that is the case. The valley is notorious for being a fair weather fan base.

 

[AZCB34]

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[AZCB34]

For those with Spotify. Good episode