Syracuse’s new AD Bryan Blair generates early excitement

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It’s been a long year for Syracuse Orange fans but the hiring of Bryan Blair to become the next Athletic Director has been well received.

Blair wasn’t one of the people that were being talked about in the process, but his time in Toledo shows why he could be the right leader for the Orange at this point. You need money and Blair showed that he’s willing to be creative to develop revenue streams.

You’ve probably seen some of the highlights, but these are a couple that jumped out to me from the press release:

• built the Mid-American Conference’s most sophisticated NIL ecosystem, securing national partnerships with Powerade and pioneering auto-lease arrangements for women’s basketball;
• secured KeyBank as the inaugural title sponsor of women’s athletics
• launched “Glass City Live,” the program’s first football stadium concert in more than 30 years, drawing 18,000 fans and establishing a new revenue stream;

We know NIL is on the lips of everyone these days and Syracuse needs creativity. Maybe a local company isn’t able to provide you with a seven-figure donation, but partnerships that could bring you things like car leases, or furniture rentals can also be beneficial to athletes.

Jersey sponsorships start next season and having an established relationship with a company that’s connected to the Syracuse are could give the Orange a boost in that area. It’s also refreshing to see that Blair has shown the willingness to craft partnerships without them being “all or nothing”

Dome concerts aren’t new, but again it’s the creativity and willingness to try something new that jumps out. I’ve often talked about Syracuse needing to lean into the minor league sports approach of providing extra value to fans. Concerts, giveaways, theme nights….all of these things can help convince people to leave the comfort of their homes.

I get that everyone is rightfully focused on the men’s basketball hire, but this hire shows that Syracuse isn’t just saying they want to be part of the modern landscape, they are doing something about it. I’m curious to see what Blair looks to implement this summer as he embarks on this new challenge.

And if Dawn Staley’s going to say this about you, then I think Orange fans might have good reasons to be excited.

“Bryan is a thoughtful leader who cares deeply about supporting student-athletes and building strong relationships across an athletics department. Early in his career at South Carolina, I saw his work ethic and curiosity about the business of college athletics. Syracuse is getting someone who approaches the job with energy and perspective, and I look forward to seeing the success the program has under his leadership.”

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