Since 2006 the men's basketball and football programs have rapidly deteriorated at Boston College. For most universities, those two programs generate greater than 90% of the sports revenue and generate marketing awareness while luring in needed money to improve the university and therefore enhance the value of the degree.

For the BC alumni that don't believe these sports have had any effect on their degrees, research the increase in applications from 1984 to 1985 after Doug Flutie won the Heisman trophy and led the football team to a #2 national ranking. More applications resulted in greater desire and competition to attend the university and helped to improve the overall quality. Many additional studies have shown the relevance of the "Flutie effect".

 For the last 5 years, BC has been less than mediocre in men's basketball and football, reducing the overall positive notoriety, sports interest, and attendance. After Tom O'Brien and Al Skinner helped to put BC back in success mode in these sports (neither of which were DeFilippo hires), since their departures there has been a revolving door of coaches with multiple year excuses as to why we are no longer competitive.

 Most of BC's competitors in these sports boast excellent graduation rates and have the same caliber of student we do and still manage to win in the ACC, so what is it that we are missing or doing wrong from the top down? As the stakeholders for the university, we must look to the top where we have what some believe is the highest paid athletic director in the ACC who has taken us below the level of mediocrity in the past 5 years without having hired one successful coach during his tenure.

 Whether he is hiring the wrong people, failing to provide them with the adequate resources needed to succeed, or creating excess red tape to accomplishment, we shouldn't care...it all rolls uphill to one common denominator in the AD.

 The goal of this message is in no way intended to prioritize athletics over academics at Boston College, but we prefer to win on and off the field and are more than capable of doing so simultaneously. We are fortunate to have world class academics, a successful and generous alumni base, and a beautiful campus in an area rich with culture. Why are we settling for losing athletics? We would like the board of Boston College to know that we are embarrassed by the programs that DeFilippo has hurt over the last 5 years and that it's time to look at the top, make changes, and stop the deterioration.

 Boston College football and basketball are once again irrelevant at best. As you debate whether to sign the petition, ask yourself, would your organization let you continue to lead it if you had made it worse off?

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