FanPost

UCLA Vital Signs and the Chianti Cancer

Bumped. As mentioned in the thread if you can read this and not want to see Chianti get the boot then there is no help for you. Go Bruins. - BN Eds.

When describing why I love UCLA so fervently, I often refer to an analogy I heard back during my orientation week that likens UCLA to the human body - I was a North Campus major, so it made little sense to me at the time...

UCLA as an entity works as just that, a single body, with the individual parts not only serving their proper functions, but working together with one another in a way that animates the entire campus and brings the school to life. UCLA is steeped in a rich academic tradition of excellence- our mind. We interact with and give back to the community - our hands. The faculty and student body consistently innovate and make advancements in their fields, moving society forward - our feet. And we boast one of the proudest athletic traditions in existence - our heart... (he went on, but I will stop here).

Having graduated, as I look back on my tenure at UCLA, I can preceive the truth in this statement. However, I can also clearly see a cause for alarm, as the Bruin body has undoubtedly contracted cardiovascular disease. The name of the virus responsible- Chianti Donut Dan Guerror. More after the jump. (Always wanted to write that)

After doing a bit of digging, I have thrown together some data which re-affirms that which can already be felt without looking at any numbers - that UCLA Athletics is in on the verge of total cardiac arrest. One too many donuts perhaps? And here I thought Chianti was good for heart. Regardless, consider the following:

MEN'S SPORTS WINNING PERCENTAGE
MEN'S SPORTS 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total 67% 59% 67% 73% 69% 68% 64% 62% 61% 64%
Revenue Sports 63% 40% 45% 73% 68% 65% 62% 64% 39% 55%
Non-Revenue Sports 69% 67% 76% 73% 69% 69% 65% 62% 70% 67%
*Includes Basketball, Football, Baseball, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball, and Water Polo records

I feel that the most damning trends are as follows:

The unchecked delcine from 2005 onward: Just as you can't evaluate a recruiting class until year 3, I would argue that we shouldn't being evaluating Chianti Dan's impact on the overall winning percentage until at least year 3 ('05 as Chianti was hired in '02). We all know the man makes little to no immediate splash unless he's jumping into a pool after all. From 2005 through 2011, UCLA has experienced a decline in overall winning percentage in every year except the last, and no, I don't believe he's "turning things around."

The disparity between Revenue and Non-Revenue sports: In all but one year, non-revenue sports outperformed revenue-generating sports. If your job were in sales and you were #1 at pushing non-profitable product but dead last at moving money-making assets, you would be fired. I fail to see how this is any different. Donut Dan completely fails to see the big picture from a management standpoint. Donut Dan, you are fired. How can Dan allow the most public facing aspects of his department to falter so badly while hiding behind the success of teams which suceede most likely in spite of him?

With Regard to Men's NCAA Titles: UCLA has garnered 5 NCAA titles under the now 10 year long Reign of Error. Not bad right? Wrong, this is down from 11 men's titles in the 10 years preceding Guerrero's hiring.

If UCLA is a body where every piece must work together to keep the school we all love so deeply functioning properly, how can we possibly allow this cancer lodged deep within our heart to go unchecked? How can anyone continue to ignore the deteriorating vital signs on top of all the self diagnosed, anecdotal symptoms? Blowing the Pauley project, screwing the students out of their seats, being forced to veto Seto, letting Nikki Caldwell go, forcings assistants on Neu, and playing blind date with Mora since the girls he asked didn't want to dance with him... these are but a drop in the bucket of aches and pains that we as members of the UCLA body have been made to endure in the last two years alone!

In summation - we all know that Guerrero must go, but I know that I for one had no idea that the vitals of our athletic department itself supported our sentiments to soundly. Be it winning percentage, national titles, revenue generation, ticket sales, or simply fanbase morale - every measureable vital sign is on the verge of flat-lining.

Cue the paddles! Bring this body back to life! FIRE DAN GUERRERO!

Below is the data utilized in the above averages in case you find yourself interested in taking a further look:

MEN'S SPORTS WINNING PERCENTAGE
MEN'S SPORTS 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total 67% 59% 67% 73% 69% 68% 64% 62% 61% 64%
Revenue Sports 63% 40% 45% 73% 68% 65% 62% 64% 39% 55%
Non-Revenue Sports 69% 67% 76% 73% 69% 69% 65% 62% 70% 67%
Basketball 64% 34% 39% 62% 82% 83% 90% 74% 44% 68%
Football 62% 46% 50% 83% 54% 46% 33% 54% 33% 43%
Baseball 43% 47% 55% 27% 57% 54% 55% 48% 75% 59%
Soccer 63% 86% 91% 78% 71% 70% 50% 67% 75% 76%
Tennis 83% 86% 79% 90% 77% 85% 93% 81% 71% 72%
Volleyball 78% 52% 80% 81% 68% 63% 55% 47% 53% 52%
Water Polo 76% 65% 74% 89% 72% 74% 75% 67% 77% 76%
= MEN'S NCAA TITLE YEAR

Of note is that football has only performed above the all-men's sports average once under Dan (2005).

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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