Quick pop quiz: what conference does Boston University play the majority of its sports in?
If you answered Hockey East, you probably should take a seat and question why that answer is incorrect.
The correct answer is in fact America East, and no, BU’s primary conference will never be the Big East Conference. If you did not get this question correct do not fret, for you are in the majority of BU students who do not know this answer.
Now for those who answered correctly here is your bonus round question – who is the current commissioner of America East?
The answer is…well, nobody.
Our beloved AE has been without a commissioner since last spring. To break down the numbers a little more in-depth, that is 160 days, or five months and seven days. The consulting firm Carr Sports Associates (CSA) was hired on June 13 to help in the search for a new commissioner. CSA hoped to have a commissioner by Sept.1, but that date is in the rearview mirror.
Sources have mentioned a few candidates, one whose name you may recognize as BU’s very own athletic director Mike Lynch. Personally, I pray that Mike Lynch, if offered, does not take this job and stays at BU.
Now am I being selfish? Absolutely!
However, if you are a BU fan and want the university to continue its success, Mike Lynch is an integral part.
At a school whose athletic history has been glorified by the success of men’s hockey, it is easy for the rest of the teams to be overshadowed and undervalued by the administration. Mike Lynch has not only avoided this trend, but has made each of our other teams favorites in their conference.
On a list of accomplishments that already includes presiding over the opening of Agganis Arena and hiring former men’s basketball head coach Patrick Chambers, Lynch’s most recent accolade has been the development of our women’s hockey program.
The fact that Lynch and head coach Brian Durocher built this program into a national contender in only five seasons is amazing, and I do not use that word lightly. This team is by far the most underrated squad on campus, which is unfortunate considering they had the most success last year and likely will this season as well.
Even aside from the rise of the women’s hockey program, which is undoubtedly a testament to Lynch’s leadership, when was the last time you saw a BU team at the bottom, or even the bottom half, of the AE standings? When was the last time that a team did not make its respective conference tournament? This continued success is due to great student athletes, coaches, administrators and the guy who oversees all of them: Mike Lynch.
Besides my selfish nature, why should Lynch not take the AE commissioner job?
The honest answer is because that position, compared to his current role as AD, is at best a lateral move, if not a step down, in prestige.
In most cases, a conference commissioner job would surpass that of an AD; however, keep in mind we are talking about the AE, not the Big East, Atlantic Coast Conference or even Atlantic- 10 Conference.
After all, what has been the biggest accomplishment of this conference? My bet would be the University of New Hampshire women’s lacrosse team winning the NCAA championship in 1985 or the streak dating back to 1980 of a conference representative in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which isn’t entirely impressive given the fact that since 1985, the conference tournament champion has received an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
And when compared to the rest of the conference, BU clearly stands out, having won seven national championships — five in men’s hockey and two in women’s crew. The AE, which currently has nine members, only has two championships between the other eight members of the conference. It is amazing what hockey can do for you.
If Lynch needs another compelling piece of evidence as to why he shouldn’t take the job, it shouldn’t take more than a brief look at the recent career of Patrick Nero, the former AE commissioner.
Nero left his position as commissioner voluntarily last spring because he received an offer to be the AD at George Washington University.
GW and BU are similar on many levels. Both are urban schools that have similar ranks academically and have no football program. Athletically, GW has 22 Division I programs, while BU has 21. Some might argue that GW’s membership in the Atlantic-10 puts its athletic program at a higher level than BU. It would be foolish to believe that AE is a better conference in terms of the talent and success of its teams than the Atlantic-10. Historically, however, I would say BU has the upper hand with our seven NCAA championships to GW’s zero.
The question of whose program is better can be saved for a later date.
The important point here is that Nero left his job as AE commissioner to become the AD of a school whose athletic department is not very different from ours at BU. I am hard-pressed to believe that the position of commissioner in AE would have a higher salary than as AD at BU.
Lastly, BU is destined for greater things, things that Lynch should stick around for and see progress. Given the hectic and all-encompassing nature of the latest conference realignment, I do not perceive it taking very long until the Atlantic-10 gives us a call to join its conference.
