UNLV Rebels Director Of Athletics Erick Harper: "There's A Lot Of False Information Out There"

UNLV Rebels director of athletics Erick Harper has done a great job at a time when it's difficult to be great at his job. The rapidly changing landscape of college sports has made it difficult to do his job. He has had to remain fluid and constantly adjust to all the changes flying at him. Nevertheless, he has managed. He spoke to the official website of UNLV about how he has managed.

UNLV Rebels Director Of Athletics Erick Harper On Adjusting To The Changes In The College Landscape

“For years in our industry, we worried about change once — maybe twice — a year. Now change is constant,” said Harper. “So you just have to be more fluid, more on your toes, and try to anticipate. That last part is difficult, though. Because just when you think something is this way, it goes that way...

Yeah. When I got in this business, my mentors encouraged me to be diverse in your thoughts and be diverse in your skill set. So I take that to mean having the ability to adapt to change.

Now, are you always going to be able to change, to adapt at the same speed that the industry changes? In some cases, no, because there’s usually [bureaucratic] red tape that you have to go through. Not that red tape is a bad thing. It’s just that sometimes it delays how and when you adjust on your end.

The speed at which business is being done definitely has changed over time. So it can be difficult to adapt and keep pace with the speed of business, especially with regard to frequent rules changes. Sometimes, the speed limit might be 55 mph but you’re only able to go 35 mph."

Harper On How His Job Has Become More Difficult In The New College Landscape

"Well, first of all, there’s a lot of false information out there. For instance, coaches always hear what the other school is doing but don’t necessarily know — none of us know — how true the information they’re hearing really is due to inaccuracies on social media.

Take this world of NIL: A mid-major school says their budget for paying student-athletes is $10 million. Where is that $10 million coming from? When you look at their financial reports from previous years, the numbers don’t match up — unless there’s some wealthy donor who comes out of nowhere. And even then, is that money sustainable?

That’s the part we all consistently forget: We might have $10 million today, but will that $10 million be there five years from now? Is it perpetual? It’s hard to say that it is, unless there’s an endowment.

As an athletic director, I have to rely on the passion, love, and generosity of our fan base. Because the majority of our budget’s revenue is through self-supporting revenues."

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