How JMU Plays ‘Moneyball’ to Compete With College Athletics Giants
About this episode
The episode discusses how James Madison University applies a 'Moneyball' approach to compete in college athletics despite budget constraints.
⚾ What does the movie "Moneyball" have to do with college athletics? When it comes to an emerging Division I FBS athletics program, everything. One of James Madison University President Jim Schmidt's favorite lines from that film has become a guiding principle for the Dukes — and he thinks it applies far beyond baseball: 💬 "If we're gonna try to play like the Yankees in here, we're gonna lose to the Yankees out there." JMU can't out-spend the biggest programs in college athletics. No secret there. But they say they don't have to. What JMU can do — and has done — is think differently about how to build, how to compete, and how to win. 🏆 That Moneyball mentality isn't just about athletics. It's about innovation as a substitute for resources 💡. It's about finding your path forward when the winds are gusty 🌬️. It's about refusing to shrug your shoulders and say "we don't have the money" — and instead asking: how do we do this differently? JMU's athletic success didn't happen by accident. It happened because this institution has a long track record of doing more with less, making smart bets, and building a culture that doesn't measure itself against the "Yankee-sized" budgets of…
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