As much as most of us don’t like it, the reality is NIL is here to stay. NIL is a huge part of athletic success. TU just lost its top men’s & top women’s basketball player. TU must hire a dynamic fundraiser as their new athletic director.

TU has a small alumni base, but is the best sports entertainment option in a metro area of over 1 million people. TU must find a way to attract new fans and donors that are not alumni. We need a dynamic fundraiser to connect with the Tulsa area business community.

If we are to have athletic success in today’s NIL world we must truly become Tulsa’s team. That starts with hiring a new AD that has the personality and energy to lead that drive.

Marquis, hits the portal. Probably graduating. Good luck.

Who replaces him since he is retiring ?

On Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, acceptance speech of new Men's Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Gerald "G: Guerrieri:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

Interesting opinion.
I pretty much agreed with all of it. Especially the minimum 3% of all income, for what Soc Sec identifies as high income earners.


There’s an easy fix to fund Social Security. Does Congress have the courage to do it? | Opinion
BIGSTOCK

Just 6% of Americans enjoy a big break on their FICA payments. Reducing that would make things easier for the other 94%.
There’s an easy fix to fund Social Security. Does Congress have the courage to do it? | Opinion
BY DON BENDETTI
SPECIAL TO THE KANSAS CITY STAR
14 hours ago
There is an easy solution to Social Security funding — should Congress have the courage to pursue it. The Federal Insurance Contributions Act is a U.S. federal payroll tax. All workers pay FICA, which is deducted from each paycheck. However, there are a few things most people do not know about these taxes.

First, there are two components to the tax: Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). These amounts, which come up to 7.65%, are also matched by your employer and credited to your account. Social Security is the money you receive each month after you retire, which could be as early as age 62. Medicare is your government-provided health care benefits, which you typically begin to collect at age 65. Either benefit can start earlier based on certain circumstances.

But what many people do not know is that the 6.2% Social Security tax is only paid on annual income below $168,600 for 2024. This ceiling number increases each year with inflation. And self-employed people pay both the employer and employee portion for themselves, totaling 12.4% up to the earnings cap.

So, when high earners reach this ceiling, they stop paying for the year. It’s like getting a temporary raise for some. Yet, the 1.45% Medicare tax continues to be paid on all earnings, with no cap.

According to the Social Security Administration, roughly 6% of covered workers exceed the earnings cap every year. That leaves most of us — 94% — to pay the tax on all of our earnings.

My question is why do those 6% of high earners get to stop paying while others who earn less have to pay on all of their income each year? And at the same time, because such high earners can afford to, they normally take more income tax deductions and deferrals than the rest of us — including things such as contributing more to their 401(K) accounts, health savings accounts and individual retirement accounts, deducting mortgage interest, deferring compensation, taking advantage of breaks for stock ownership and so on.

So now, in my opinion, we can realize the most rational solution to the Social Security funding issue. Besides cutting all the unnecessary political pork barrel and quid pro quo spending, the Social Security tax should be paid on all income by all workers, as it is currently done with the Medicare tax. If not that, another option would be to reduce the Social Security rate after a certain income level is met to something like 3% instead of capping it altogether. This still would not only ensure Social Security benefits for future generations, but it would also provide additional funding to support other critical federal and state programs.

And easy solution, yes. Congress having the courage to do it, not so much.

Now I know this suggestion will cause some angst among some high earners. And since I was once one of them, I understand the feeling. So, if someone has a more equitable solution for saving this critical benefit for current and future generations, please speak up.

Don Bendetti retired after 30 years of experience as a human resource executive with large domestic and international organizations and eight years teaching at the graduate and undergraduate university level. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

On the latest Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, the acceptance speech of new Hall of Famer Gerald "G" Guerrieri:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

The spring football portal officially “reopens” on Monday. Do we have any scholarships available? I would imagine offensive line and defensive line are our biggest needs.

Can you email me when a get a chance? Ryanmatney78@gmail.com

I'll post links in this thread to all of our stories on 2025 prospects, plus visit lists, Junior Day info and more. It will be a good place to get familiar with who TU is recruiting. Also, keep an eye on the 2025 TU Football Offers thread and our Front page...

3-star Duncanville (TX) offensive lineman Desean Bryant Jr. committed to Baylor in August of 2023, but after checking out a number of other programs – including Tulsa – he decommitted from the Bears in early April.

The 6-foot-4 and 250-pounder was in Tulsa in March for a junior day, and he was able to watch spring practice.

After the 1994 & 1995 TU MBB NCAA Sweet 16 teams went into the Hall of Fame Saturday, coach Tubby Smith spoke. Some interesting stuff about the current landscape of college athletics, and Lou Dawkins and Gary Collier added their thoughts at the end:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

On Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, MBB Coach Tubby Smith of the 1994 & 1995 NCAA Sweet 16 teams spoke after the teams were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lou Dawkins and Gary Collier chime in as well:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

FIBA rules call all fouls on offensive players initiating contact while dribbling. If NCAA officials start following this pattern as has been recommended then 80% of Haggerty’s game is gone. Team USA lost to France in the Olympics for this exact reason. TU was hoping they would never change to this interpretation but now maybe we would be okay with it. With rules as currently interpreted, the defender cannot keep from being called with a foul when contact is initiated by the offensive player.

Haggerty was one of the best in the nation at what is called “foul baiting “.

Pasteurization seems to break the flu down, but who would have thought bird flu would infect cows?


Commercial milk supply

On April 24, the US FDA announced it found genetic evidence of H5N1 virus in commercially purchased milk samples. The testing, conducted with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cannot distinguish between whole virus or viral fragments. H5N1 viral remnants have also been identified in milk samples by NIAID-funded researchers and a team from Ohio State University. The results indicate the H5N1 outbreak in dairy herds is likely far more widespread than official counts indicate. Preliminary culture tests are so far negative for viable virus in the milk supply, but tests are ongoing.

The FDA and USDA have said that based on currently available information, the US commercial milk supply is safe because it undergoes the pasteurization process and milk from cows known to be sick is diverted from the supply and destroyed. Pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus but not eliminate the presence of viral particles that could be detected using PCR testing. HPAI H5N1 has been found almost exclusively in raw milk in the current outbreak, and the FDA reiterated its longstanding recommendation to avoid its consumption.

On Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, an interview with new Hall of Famer Aimee Creger, who holds every important pitching record for the Golden Hurricane:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

On Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, an interview with new HOF MBB player Gary Collier:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

Rick Dickson has officially announced his retirement for the 2nd time. Wishing him the best. Huffy any ideas on who TU approaches as this may be the most vital AD hire TU has ever had to make given the current situation with NIL and the possibility of more conference realignment that determines whether you are part of the 2nd tier of the in crowd or relegated to irrelevance.

Wrestling. Punk Music, Art, & Heroes. Oh yeah, and a bus.

Darby Allin

@Li'l Eric Coley didn't seem to link you in the title.

With the NFL draft starting Thursday and I can guarnatee no one from TU will be going in the first round. I wanted to see who was on a Roster.

Here is what we got

Canadian Football League


National Football League

This is just a verbal offer, but it's the first 2024 football offer I've seen tweeted.

Archer City (TX) quarterback Elijah Jackson

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The Tulsa men’s basketball coaches are combing the transfer portal to help fill out their roster for next season, and three players have made recent visits to the TU campus.

I'll try to remember to post links in this thread to all of our stories on 2024 prospects. It will be a good place to get familiar with who TU is recruiting. Also, keep an eye on the 2024 TU Football Offers thread and our Front Page...

• 2024 TU Commit List
• Rivals list of 2024 TU Offers
• Rivals list of 2024 TU Official Visits

The Tulsa men’s basketball coaches are combing the transfer portal to help fill out their roster for next season, and three players have made recent visits to the TU campus.

I mean, has private equity ever done anything but improve things?

This idea sounds pretty interesting, I have to say. I get the "we don't want to label ourselves as second tier" but G5 conferences are second tier and will only become more so as money becomes even more unevenly distributed. I'm honestly not interested in watching teams with $5m NIL players, that's just pro ball. I'd like a real college football system again.

"The idea of G5 reorganization or the creation of a G5 football-only Super League consisting of the top handful of programs was informally discussed among some administrators when the current wave of conference realignment kicked off in 2021. Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany presented to leagues an idea of the three G5 leagues with southeastern footprints (AAC, CUSA, Sun Belt) reorganizing geographically. A few weeks later, the AAC added six schools from CUSA. The AAC earns millions more per school than other G5 leagues."