Let me start by saying that I don't think an email has much "power" like it and calling can have with elected officials, and I don't expect this to enact any change, but it's better than nothing.
So I thought I'd share what I wrote ADGT this afternoon. Tried to be as level-headed as possible, because I can only imagine some of the garbage that hits his inbox. Definitely wanted to say more and go into a lot more detail, but that would require a novel at this point, so I did my best in as few words as possible.
Anyway...
Mr. Taylor,
Good afternoon. My name is [REDACTED, lolz] and I am a 2016 K-State graduate who resides in Kansas City. I understand your inbox may be piling up this weekend, but I hope this reaches you well and falls on attentive eyes.
Let me start by saying I understand there are nuances in leading a college athletics department that many fans and the general public do not understand, or at times, do not care to understand. This line of business is rarely black and white, and I greatly empathize with you in this regard.
That said, this is one of those rare situations, and as you know, it happens to be in regards to the most important facet of K-State Athletics: the football program. While I applaud and thank Coach Snyder for everything he has brought the department, University and city of Manhattan, it is increasingly clear that it is time to move on from him as the head football coach.
Coach Snyder's time here has no doubt been memorable and honorable, but those two truths are sadly beginning to get diluted by what is an unwillingness to see what is right for the present and future of K-State football. This comment isn't made in vain, I promise you, or hyperbole, but is rooted in fair observation and facts that continue to play out.
Coach Snyder has been compensated well for everything he's accomplished. This has included a generous yearly salary, numerous benefits and special honors like a stadium named after him and a statue gracing its entrance. I say this to make this point: no one person is bigger than the program. Yet, the longer we stay this course, with a coach who's refused to adapt to the current college football landscape (e.g. recruiting) — the longer we push the inevitable further back — the more we will see this program dip.
This season's disappointment isn't random. It's the result of an inability to recruit to even the most basic of college football standards from a head coach standpoint. It's the result of ignorance in not playing the best players, even if they're younger, to develop them. The result of refusing to adapt to the skillsets of players, and instead forcing them to play a style that is rare in today's game for a reason. These are issues at the top.
I do sincerely understand that this is a delicate situation. I understand there are popular donors who will never stop supporting Coach Snyder despite the obvious. But this is a business. And it's painfully obvious at this point that it's in the best interest of this business to move forward with a qualified new head coach — to try and do so respectfully, of course, but to also do so diligently. To not settle for good, or talk a big game about being great, but to take action to make great attainable.
If we continue to do nothing, I fear that this decline will only continue. I understand I'm not a member of the Vanier or Ice family. And I understand those families are in many ways the muscle behind so many things. But people like me are the backbone, and if you lose too much of that backbone — and K-State Athletics is starting to — then it doesn't matter how much muscle you have.
I respect you greatly, Mr. Taylor, and I believe you have K-State's best interest at heart. But it's time to show that, even if it's extremely difficult. The time is going to come regardless; please don't act when it's too late and the next head coach is left with an empty cupboard of talent and a disinterested fanbase. Help usher K-State into it's next proud era.
Go Cats,
So I thought I'd share what I wrote ADGT this afternoon. Tried to be as level-headed as possible, because I can only imagine some of the garbage that hits his inbox. Definitely wanted to say more and go into a lot more detail, but that would require a novel at this point, so I did my best in as few words as possible.
Anyway...
Mr. Taylor,
Good afternoon. My name is [REDACTED, lolz] and I am a 2016 K-State graduate who resides in Kansas City. I understand your inbox may be piling up this weekend, but I hope this reaches you well and falls on attentive eyes.
Let me start by saying I understand there are nuances in leading a college athletics department that many fans and the general public do not understand, or at times, do not care to understand. This line of business is rarely black and white, and I greatly empathize with you in this regard.
That said, this is one of those rare situations, and as you know, it happens to be in regards to the most important facet of K-State Athletics: the football program. While I applaud and thank Coach Snyder for everything he has brought the department, University and city of Manhattan, it is increasingly clear that it is time to move on from him as the head football coach.
Coach Snyder's time here has no doubt been memorable and honorable, but those two truths are sadly beginning to get diluted by what is an unwillingness to see what is right for the present and future of K-State football. This comment isn't made in vain, I promise you, or hyperbole, but is rooted in fair observation and facts that continue to play out.
Coach Snyder has been compensated well for everything he's accomplished. This has included a generous yearly salary, numerous benefits and special honors like a stadium named after him and a statue gracing its entrance. I say this to make this point: no one person is bigger than the program. Yet, the longer we stay this course, with a coach who's refused to adapt to the current college football landscape (e.g. recruiting) — the longer we push the inevitable further back — the more we will see this program dip.
This season's disappointment isn't random. It's the result of an inability to recruit to even the most basic of college football standards from a head coach standpoint. It's the result of ignorance in not playing the best players, even if they're younger, to develop them. The result of refusing to adapt to the skillsets of players, and instead forcing them to play a style that is rare in today's game for a reason. These are issues at the top.
I do sincerely understand that this is a delicate situation. I understand there are popular donors who will never stop supporting Coach Snyder despite the obvious. But this is a business. And it's painfully obvious at this point that it's in the best interest of this business to move forward with a qualified new head coach — to try and do so respectfully, of course, but to also do so diligently. To not settle for good, or talk a big game about being great, but to take action to make great attainable.
If we continue to do nothing, I fear that this decline will only continue. I understand I'm not a member of the Vanier or Ice family. And I understand those families are in many ways the muscle behind so many things. But people like me are the backbone, and if you lose too much of that backbone — and K-State Athletics is starting to — then it doesn't matter how much muscle you have.
I respect you greatly, Mr. Taylor, and I believe you have K-State's best interest at heart. But it's time to show that, even if it's extremely difficult. The time is going to come regardless; please don't act when it's too late and the next head coach is left with an empty cupboard of talent and a disinterested fanbase. Help usher K-State into it's next proud era.
Go Cats,
