UIC Ineligible for Horizon League Championships

[05Racer]

Another reason this rule is stupid. It's supposed to be a deterrent, but the only thing it deters is teams announcing they are leaving in the winter. If UIC had wanted to, they could have decided to 'consider' the MVC invite for a few months, or ask the MVC to 'deliberate' for a few months, long enough for their teams to compete in postseason tournaments, then accept in July when there's nothing going on. You can bet that's what the next team to leave the Horizon League will be doing. People and organizations that act like petty jackasses will get treated like petty jackasses.

[Greg]

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go ... ty-of-ui...

[Chuck A]

I'd like to know how UIC was going to restore eligibility to their students? Only the board had the power to do that. The HL Commissioner's lame caveat of UIC committing to the HL for another year would do it? Please!

[MNPanthers]

Horizon league was operating on a terrible rule and this was just waiting to happen.

It was a recipe for terrible optics and was bound to be challenged in today's athletics environment.

The rule backfired completely and made them look foolish and weak, because it was a foolish and weak rule. They tried to enforce it instead of fix it. Awful mistake.

UIC was correct to challenge the rule and fight for it's student athletes and see this opportunity for an earlier move.

Edit: No one in their current admin had anything to do with the creation of that rule, the Horizon is being completely disingenuous with that argument

[BCPanther]

The Horizon could also try not being a shitty league that everyone is desperate to get out of. That might help too.

[keane1]

UIC gets reinstated for conference tournament.

[UICSAlum]

Yikes! That statement from Madame Commish is a verbal bitch-slap if ever there was one.

UIC's replacement in the Horizon League would undoubtedly be a school leaving their current conference, and the Horiz would want the replacement joining the league this year, rather than waiting until 2023. Looking vindictive and petty when you are recruiting replacement candidates is not what one would normally want to do

She could (and probably should) have said "We have reconsidered and decided that although we were within our rights to deny relief, the Horizon League's committent to the well-being of student-athletes is paramount and transcends any differences the League may have with member institutions. We therefore reinstate eligibility to UIC student-athletes for post season competition effective today. At the same time, we implore UIC to join us in toning down the rhetoric surrounding this matter. Lets all move on, and may the best teams win."

But instead she opted to Flame the Flames. So I wonder:

Did her boss(es) make her do it?

Was there a threat of a lawsuit?

Or, has the bad publicity surrounding the UIC situation made its way into negotiations with Ballermine or whoever they are trying to replace UIC with?

[05Racer]

Yikes! That statement from Madame Commish is a verbal bitch-slap if ever there was one.

UIC's replacement in the Horizon League would undoubtedly be a school leaving their current conference, and the Horiz would want the replacement joining the league this year, rather than waiting until 2023. Looking vindictive and petty when you are recruiting replacement candidates is not what one would normally want to do

She could (and probably should) have said "We have reconsidered and decided that although we were within our rights to deny relief, the Horizon League's committent to the well-being of student-athletes is paramount and transcends any differences the League may have with member institutions. We therefore reinstate eligibility to UIC student-athletes for post season competition effective today. At the same time, we implore UIC to join us in toning down the rhetoric surrounding this matter. Lets all move on, and may the best teams win."

But instead she opted to Flame the Flames. So I wonder:

Did her boss(es) make her do it?

Was there a threat of a lawsuit?

Or, has the bad publicity surrounding the UIC situation made its way into negotiations with Ballermine or whoever they are trying to replace UIC with?

The fact is these rules are almost certainly will go away going forward. The stated rationale for them was that low major teams have trouble scheduling games. That was never the real reason of course. It was always just leagues being petty and vindictive, but now after two years of COVID scheduling on short notice, rescheduling games, etc,. that reason makes absolutely no sense.

I doubt the threat of a lawsuit would mean much, because I'm not sure UIC would have much of a case. They could have gotten pushback from prospective members but I doubt this was substantial either. I doubt it was about PR, as conferences in general and the HL in particular seem pretty cavalier about bad publicity. They had to know, given the amount of money and media attention UIC can command, that they would get clobbered in the public sphere, but did it anyway. I suspect they changed their mind because they got pushback from somewhere they did not expect, their own students, maybe even the athletes competing in those sports. Kids these days look for causes to protest for or against, and this is a pretty easy one. These rules have never been popular and now they look particularly ridiculous. If the HL schools start hearing about this from potential recruits and/or their own athletes who might use the transfer portal, enforcing the rule loses its appeal.

Also, someone should look at that commissioner's statement as an example of a terrible response to public controversy. When backtracking on a position because of bad PR, the idea is to look magnanimous and sufficiently contrite. The statement attempts to shift the blame, which is stupid, because they already lost that battle, or they wouldn't be in the position they're in.

[Greg]

Also, someone should look at that commissioner's statement as an example of a terrible response to public controversy. When backtracking on a position because of bad PR, the idea is to look magnanimous and sufficiently contrite. The statement attempts to shift the blame, which is stupid, because they already lost that battle, or they wouldn't be in the position they're in.

Excellent point 05Racer, I thought that was a low class move on her part

[unipanther99]

They want to become a stable conference, that's why they put in the rule. But you don't become stable by putting in unrealistic rules and being vindictive. You become stable by investing in your basketball programs and increasing the quality of product you put on the floor.