My interest is of no issue. The issue is money. The biggest revenue producer should get the biggest reinvestment. It's really that simple.
And football and basketball do, in fact, receive the most financial support, by far. 80 million won't even pay Cal's contract. 80 million didn't cover the football stadium renovations by themselves. So, all due respect, I am not seeing where this is going.
Feeling good etc doesn't pay the bills. Football does.
That's true. No one who knows about the budget would argue with that.
No way should stoops have to use another job offer as leverage while the very same department spend 80 million on any non revenue sport.
All due respect (and I definitely respect you), this is speculation on your part. There is no actual evidence that Stoops leveraged anything. It is a fact that other schools have had an interest in him from time to time, even if that has been widely refuted on this board. But my understanding is that Stoops intends to finish what he started in Lexington. Stoops is a different kind of man. Old fashioned. Now his brother is here. If you are looking for a coach who has used leverage to negotiate contract extensions, look no farther than Calipari.
Our athletics department manages 22 sports because that is the Board's direction to the department. So, again, you have every right not to be personally interested in the minor sports. Some are, some aren't. But UK is governed by Title 9 and SEC rules. The narrative that Barnhart may have favored minor sports over major sports is not credible. Nor would that matter, anyway, since everything Barnhart does is overseen and subject to revision or cancellation by the Board's athletics committee.
You just have to understand that Barnhart manages his department according to the Board's directions. Everything Barnhart does is supervised by the Board. They don't just give him a budget and turn him loose. I can guarantee you that the gray beards on the Board care about basketball first and everything else second, although the Board's interest in football is rapidly becoming equal to basketball because of Stoops' accomplishments and Barnhart's support for football.